As per a new study 'Food: Body: Mind' released today, four out of ten women on dieting put on weight, after reaching their specific target.

The researchers concluded that females tend to gain 5.2lbs after employing the "foot off the gas" approach and completing the set target due to the falling willpower. A number of women start putting on weight just after 21 days of their achieving the stipulated weight.

In the study, around 2000 women aged between 18 and 65 were involved and they were asked about their opinions and attitudes regarding weight loss. Six in ten women responded to be presently on dieting, while one in five was following continuous diet.

On an average, women were able to carry on diet for a maximum of ten days. One in ten gave up within one day. The women cling to dieting after receiving comments from family or friends or seeing their old photos or preparing for summer holidays.

"Too many women simply flirt with the notion of dieting via unhealthy yo-yo dieting or quick fix solutions-rather than entering into a proper long-term relationship with healthy eating”, said Dr. Ian Campbell of the Jenny Craig weight management programme.

He added that in the UK, nearly 61.4% of adults are overweight or obese. Dieting proves beneficial only if one is determined and set realistic targets to lose weight.