London, Sep 30

Looking at thinner colleagues in the office might be a strong motivational factor for women to lose weight.

A new study reveals that along with this competition with colleagues regarding weight , women also require higher energy and stamina levels to perform in their professions and this often leads to a condition termed as 'Diet Brain', reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Almost 40 percent of women have admitted to suffering from this condition. It involves mood swings which impact on close relationships and performance at work.

"The modern workplace is an increasingly competitive arena for women and appearances certainly do matter so it’s no surprise that women are under pressure to diet to look better than their colleagues," said Linda O’Byrne, chief nutritionist for the New Atkins Nutritional Approach.

Byrne also says how some women skip meals which is very unhealthy.

"While it’s encouraging that women are rejecting unrealistic images of what a healthy, adult woman’s shape should be, many are going about it the wrong way, sometimes dodging meals altogether to ‘keep up’ with workmates bragging about how little they have eaten and how much weight they have lost," she said.

"Skipping meals causes your metabolism to slow down and makes you much more likely to give in to sweet treats so often available in the office, or overeat at tea time," she added.

By:IANS