Secret Eaters.

I've only watched one or two of these on Channel 4, but I must admit they are very interesting.

Basically, they generally underscore the fact that in by far the majority of cases where people say they're eating healthily but still putting on weight, the simple honest fact of the matter is that they are NOT eating healthily and that's why they keep putting on weight.

They're smothering healthy food with calorie rich sauces and toppings, or using vast amounts of fat/oil as they cook, or serving huge portions, or not counting some of the food they eat or some other such thing is knocking them off course.

Another tip they mentioned last night is that if you have food in front of you - e.g. typical family dinner with the food laid out in front of everyone - then you're more likely to eat more. Whereas, if you plate the food up, say in the kitchen, so that if people want 'seconds' they have to leave the table and go and get it, then people are likely to eat less. And by a pretty significant amount too.

If you think of us as modern people in cave-dwellers bodies, that probably makes a lot of sense. We would have mainly foraged for our food and instinctively ate more, if more was around to eat . I I guess our bodies just weren't really designed for our modern sit-down to a meal ways of eating.

But it does underscore the strategy of avoiding food 'cues', i.e. food itself, or things / places / situations that prompt you to want food.

(That's a bit like giving up smoking and, therefore, not joining your mates outside the back of the office building who have gone out for a ciggie - it'll almost certainly make you want one yourself.)

Good luck with your weight loss journeys.

[mahoosive]

I've been watching it! And have seen myself in the people features so far. It's how I ended up here!

[Prin]

Last night as I was watching I got the treat I ate on Sunday out to check the calories (I know I should have done it before) 340cal - what a waste If I had read it before I know I wouldnt have bothered - Now who here wants the remaining 7 Magnums in the box?

[bunblebeaz in reply to Prin]

The white ones are only 240

[Hidden in reply to Prin]

Hi Prin,

Sometimes with this game you just need to apply a bit of lateral thinking!

Cut one in half lengthways and put it on a plate instead of holding it in your hands and put the other half back in the freezer - lo and behold the treat is now only 170 kcal!

Remember, food manufacturers deliberately make many 'treat' type snacks sweet or salty for the very reason that those tastes can act as psychological cues for eating a lot and they're in the business of selling as many ice creams / packs of crisps / whatever as they can.

That is why you keep hearing the advice 'replace the snack / treat with a piece of fruit' - the fruit won't have been sugared or salted up to encourage you to eat more than you really need to.

Good luck with your weight loss journey.

[Prin in reply to Hidden]

I punished myself by going to spin at 6.45am on Friday morning!

[OlsBean]

I think we can all relate to parts of it