More and more men are being cajoled into losing weight by their fed-up wives, a survey has revealed.

Twenty per cent of men have been told to shed the pounds by women who are no longer prepared to put up with husbands who blame middle-aged spread as a get-out to staying trim.

Yet only half as many women have slimmed down under pressure from their spouses.

The survey of 2,000 men and women conducted by weight management company LighterLife, also revealed that 64 per cent of women diet for their own self-esteem, while only 42 per cent of men slim for the same reason.

And flying in the face of accepted logic, men do not lose weight to lure their partners into bed more often. Only six per cent of men admitted to dieting to improve their performance between the sheets, while 16 per cent of women said they do see weight loss as an aphrodisiac.

Mandy Cassidy, Psychological Director of LighterLife, said: “What we are seeing here is further evidence that it is women who call the shots at home, in the bedroom and with their own self esteem. They are no longer the junior partner in the relationship. Women know what they want and they go out and get it, whatever their age.

“However, women must be careful not to over-pressurise their partners because our experience is that men will only truly weight if they want to, not because they have been pushed to do it. Many men wake up to the benefit of dieting when they see how their wives have grown in confidence after losing weight – they realise they need to follow suit to keep their marriage on an equal footing.”