Become a guerrilla shopper

Researchers show that if you put a jar of sweets on your desk then you eat more than if you have to walk just a few paces to get them. If the sweets are in a glass jar, so you can see them, then you will eat more than if they are in a tin.

Is that obvious? Maybe. If you are one of those people who eat it if they see it (health professionals label you an "external eater") then keep the risky foods out of sight. Ideally, keep them out of the house. In the house is in the hand, in the hand is in the mouth.

External eaters respond to food cues rather than hunger pangs. That is, the smell of freshly baked bread makes you hungry, or the sight of a creamy cake. Or the display in the supermarket (whose clever people know exactly what you will respond to). Or the ads on the telly.

If you are one of those whose urges to eat are triggered by the sight or smell of food, then don't go shopping when you are hungry. Become a guerrilla shopper, rushing in with your list and swooping onto your target before getting out at speed. That will help you avoid the temptations the supermarkets have put in a deliberate attempt to catch YOU.

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Don't drink your calories

The excellent Dr Sharma of the University of Alberta has pointed to research from Purdue University which shows that calories taken in a drink do not register with our brains as a meal. We feel just as hungry as if we had taken no calories at all. Some of these drinks can be as much as 200 calories - 10% of our daily allowance.

For calories to register, they need to be in solid food.

If you are wanting to lose weight, the easiest thing to give up is calorie filled drinks, such as fizzy drinks, and it could help you lose one pound a week.

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