The average Londoner gained a staggering 4.5lbs in the two weeks of the Olympics, as the capital shunned exercise regimes and instead indulged in the fun of the Olympics with extra snacks and booze.

LighterLife, the innovative weight management company, surveyed 1,032 Londoners on Friday (10.08.12) to see how their eating habits and weight had changed during the period, as we celebrated watching triumphant Team GB going for Gold!

The survey highlighted that people consumed nearly 700 calories more each day, as they treated themselves to a few glasses of wine and extra snacks on top of their regular meals, resulting in an average weight gain of 4.5lbs.

This equated to 12,000 extra calories being consumed by the average Londoner during the Olympics – that’s more than 960m calories over the two-week period!

The main reason for the over-indulgence and weight gain however was down to people seeing the Olympics as a time to celebrate and indulge in snacks in front of the telly, as they watched The Games with friends and family.

Mandy Cassidy, Director of Psychology at LighterLife comments: “The Olympics are a fantastic sporting occasion for Great Britain and we typically justify over-eating and associate over indulgence with celebratory occasions. Mindless eating occurs often in front of the TV and emotional eating is a well know reason for over eating when not hungry. Let’s hope Londoners are inspired by the sporting triumphs and introduce a regular exercise regime into their day!”