How far would you go to lose weight? And how far have you already gone?

These are among the questions raised by Fitness magazine in a survey of 1,000 readers on their dieting tricks, hopes, wishes and dreams.

Some interesting tidbits:

• Slim-Fast and Weight Watchers were the top diet plans (at 35 percent and 34 percent of respondents, respectively).

• Most women surveyed wanted to lose at least 30 pounds.

• 45 percent said they’d been told to lose weight by their doctor; 31 percent said they’d been told by their mother.

• The typical target weight is 131 to 145 pounds.

• 35 percent said portion control was the dieting strategy that worked best for them.

To measure the desperation out there, the survey asked how far people would go. The question, and the answers:

If it meant reaching your ideal weight, would you:

• Spend a week in jail? (23 percent said yes)

• Shave your head? (23 percent said yes – though it’s not clear if this is the same 23 percent who would also go to jail)

• Appear on TV in a teeny bikini (22 percent said sure)

• Trade 10 years of life (21 percent said they’d check out early for a better bod)

This survey does have a happy ending. Asked whether, in the end, they’d rather be known as “a friendly chubby girl” or “a skinny witch,” 76 percent opted for the plump pal.

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