Is snacking your biggest enemy? Do you enter diets with wholehearted enthusiasm only to find yourself cheating in the first week? Have you ever wondered why the results from your diet are not as you were promised? Have a look at our common diet blunders and see if any of these apply to you

For weeks now the fridge has been off-limits, the gym has been your Mecca and you've shunned your usual revelries at the weekend. There you are at the supermarket checkout, armed with your trolley full of fresh fruit and vegetables and low fat meals when suddenly you are confronted with the confectionery stand. Your resolve crumbles and as if the efforts over the past weeks meant nothing, you give into temptation. You grab the king-size chocolate bar and no, there's no need to pack that. It's gone before you even reach the car.

By the time you get your shopping into the boot and return the trolley, guilt rears its ugly head and you want to cry. 'That's it', you tell yourself, 'I am officially a failure'.

Snacking is a common blunder. If you can identify with this scenario, it's time to think again about your diet. What we have here is the kind of all-or-nothing mindset that can only lead to failure - one of the many diet blunders that can sabotage a weight-loss plan. A 'slip' like this will not ruin weeks of effort - but not recovering from a 'slip' quickly and getting back on track will. That's the difference between a lapse and a collapse.

How we think about food and our bodies is the real problem we need to face to successfully lose weight. Becoming aware of the mistakes we can make is the first step on the road to preventing diet blunders.

Take a look at this list of common dieting cheats and misconceptions. If you find yourself relating to a few of these you the chances are you're being your own worst enemy.

1. Binge eating before going on a diet.
2. Fasting or drastically cutting calories to lose weight. This sends your body the message that you are starving, and your metabolism will slow down to preserve the fat you are trying to shed!
3. Expecting to lose more than one to two pounds a week. Any more than this is simply the result of lost body fluids and valuable muscle tissue.
4. Skipping meals, especially breakfast. Eating regular meals prevents the dangerous 'famine-then-feast' syndrome.
5. Skipping smart snacks. 'Smart snacking' keeps your metabolism high and your appetite in check.
6. Substituting coffee, tea or diet soda for energy-producing meals, snacks or water.
7. Going to a salad bar and stacking up on cheeses, meats and pasta AND globs of fatty mayonnaise or salad dressings while thinking you are choosing the healthy option.
8. Having an 'on a diet' or 'off a diet' / all-or-nothing mentality rather than simply eating wisely.
9. Thinking of any food as 'bad' or 'forbidden.' Food is food - anything in excess is bad for you, anything in moderation is okay.
10. Not exercising for at least 30 minutes, three times a week. Exercise is crucial for boosting your metabolism to more effectively burn calories.
11. Losing weight to look good... for someone else.
12. Believing that when you shed the weight, you'll be a different, better person. You already ARE a great person.
13. Relying on diet pills, shakes or other products that promise miraculous weight loss. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true...
14. Thinking of weight loss as something you have to do, rather than something you want to do.
15. Focusing on foods to avoid, rather than foods to include.
16. Buying, preparing and eating your meals on the run. A hectic lifestyle prevents you from enjoying and feeling satisfied with the many good foods you eat.
17. Considering losing excess weight as an end in itself, rather than a means to an end: a healthier body and a happier out-look.
18. Not watching your fat intake. Calories consumed as fat are converted into fat on the body more readily than the same number of calories consumed as protein or carbohydrates.
19. Not reading and understanding labels. Just because it says '95% fat-free' doesn't mean that it is healthy. It COULD mean that it's 95% sugar!
20. Failing to take charge the moment you discover you weigh in two pounds over your desired weight. When your waistband gets tight do something about it. Don't buy the next size up!

Do these ring any bells? If so it might be time to rethink your approach to your dieting plan to ensure you reach your goals, and next time you might just be able to saunter right past that confectionery counter at the checkout.

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