Sticking to a diet is never an easy feat and can be almost impossible when surrounded by a sea of sweet office snacks (unhelpfully) brought in by your work colleagues.
However, what seems like a nice gesture could be the reason you can’t shift those stubborn pounds – and it’s the ‘office feeder’ who’s to blame.
According to a study of 325 dieters by Medi-Weightloss Clinics in Florida, 29% of dieters admitted that their healthy eating regime was regularly sabotaged by colleague’s tempting them to eat the calorific office snacks.
And if they weren’t pushing them to eat foods that were strictly off the healthy eating plan list, they were making fun of their diet.
The study, published in the Wall Street Journal, added that colleague’s “pressure dieters to eat more, make fun of their diets or order them restaurant food they know isn’t on their diets.”
“Social contacts can be extremely powerful,” explained lead study author, Tricia Leahey, to the Wall Street Journal.
This study follows previous research by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk found over half of women scoff between 650 and 750 calories worth of office snacks per day at work.
So how do you avoid given into the dreaded ‘office munchies’ and falling into a desk-bound fat-trap?
Chris Jones, Head of Physiology at Nuffield Health, suggests the following strategies to resist 'boredom cravings' without losing your head:
Eat breakfast
This will help stabilise blood sugar levels and set you up for the day.
Take regular breaks
Even if it's just for five minutes every hour, but take yourself away from your desk to avoid snacking - go for a walk to chat to a colleague rather than send them an e-mail.
Snacking is not bad in itself
Always carry healthy snacks with you to avoid the biscuits and cake that are readily available in most offices. Fruit, nuts, crudités, hummus, cheese, oat/rice cakes and yoghurts all make great snacks, but you'll need to plan and portion them.
Break the boredom habit
Keep a food diary and monitor the patterns in your eating. If 3pm marks a 'danger zone' schedule a workout or meeting to take you mind off snacking.
Occupy your hands with other things
Keep a stress ball handy or another desk game.
Remove food from your environment
Make sure colleagues understand you would rather the biscuits weren't kept at the end of your desk.
If all else fails, you could try swapping your fatty snacks for healthier alternatives, like these low-calorie snack options.
Or you could take note from a previous study, which found that the secret to being a success on your diet is… to keep it a secret.