Women turn to celebs in bid for lean look

MOST women look to skinny celebrities such as Victoria Beckham and Geri Halliwell as role models for their dietary habits, a survey has revealed.

More than half those questioned pointed to the waif-like stars as those whose methods and lifestyles they would follow, while 15% said they looked to experts in the media for advice. But despite this, only 6% said they were influenced by “fad” regimes such as the controversial Atkins’ diet. The survey of more than 1,000 women found that despite their concerns about how they looked, inner beauty was also important. Some 55% said they lived by the mantra “it’s what’s on the inside that counts”.

A further 24% said they believed their body was a temple and that they looked after it accordingly, while 12% said they adopted the attitude that “a woman can never be too thin or too rich.” Looking at breakfast habits, 31% of women said they regularly skipped breakfast, with 22% saying the first thing on their mind when they got up was getting the children out of bed.

Another 20% said they were too focused on what they would be wearing for the day and 12% said they were already planning their 9am meeting.

But some circumstances would tempt women to the breakfast table, with 49% saying they would make an effort to eat an early meal if they thought they might miss lunch.

A particularly challenging day was an incentive for 29% or women and 25% would resort to breakfast if they were suffering from over-indulging the night before. Nutritionist Lynne Garton said of the survey carried out in Britain: “The fact that super svelte celebs are the dietary role models of the moment is worrying, but it’s good to see that women are finally waking up to the fact that fad diets are not the best weight management options.”

She said women needed to understand the importance of breakfast.