A study by Nuffield Health has shown that the average female waist size is 84.9cm (33.4”) as opposed to 80cm (31.5”), with more than half of women’s waists being over the healthy maximum.

The study was carried out over a sample of 30,000 UK women and came to the conclusion that nearly 60% of women have waists larger than the healthy size, with the waist size problem being greatest in the north of England.

This paints a worrying picture as being overweight or obese brings with it a whole host of medical problems, including diabetes, heart problems, cancer and liver failure. But the problems are greater than that; future trends suggest the NHS will be clogged up with patients suffering from obesity-related illnesses, with an increase in the cost to the nation of treating these conditions.

Losing weight does not only just bring you greater fitness; it can also bring down the cost of health insurance. Overweight and obese people can find their policies have extra cost, or even exclusions, meaning their policies do not cover obesity-related conditions.