When does a dieter crack?

'At this point in the day, blood sugar can be low and cause you to crave sweet treats.'

'At this point in the day, blood sugar can be low and cause you to crave sweet treats.'

Published Feb 10, 2014

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London - With February well upon us, it seems that those New Year's diets are failing fast.

A new survey has revealed that half of Britons have already ditched the diet they started last month and it's afternoon snacking that's to blame.

New research has identified 4.12pm as the time of day that people are most likely to wreck their diets by indulging on unhealthy foods with crisps, biscuits, cake and chocolate being named as the biggest downfalls.

But rather than blaming ourselves for the afternoon downfall, people point the finger at others.

Over a third of those surveyed blamed their partner while one in ten blame colleagues for “forcing” unhealthy snacks on them in the workplace.

Over a quarter attributed lack of flavour in their healthy meals as the reason they craved afternoon snacks, and 36 percent said seeing other people snacking made it harder to curb the cravings.

Men, however, do seem to have more willpower when it comes to diets with over two thirds (69 percent) sticking to their diet one month in, compared to 63 percent of women.

“Sticking to a diet, for some people, can be tricky and understanding that 4.12pm is the time people crave sweet and unhealthy snacks, means that you should be prepared for this so you don’t ruin a diet plan,” said Nutritionist Dora Walsh of the study by Seasonal Berries.

“At this point in the day, blood sugar can be low and cause you to crave sweet treats but doing things like eating little and often throughout the day and having pre-prepared snacks can help.” - Daily Mail

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