When dieting fails

The Atkins Diet advise people to start with a healthy breakfast, followed by a high protein lunch such as chicken.

LONDON: A myth that a midnight snack spelt doom for people on a diet has finally been broken. Experts say temptation for food is maximum during mid-afternoon, especially at around 3 23 pm.

According to the Atkins Diet, people are advised to start with a healthy breakfast, followed by a high protein lunch such as chicken with complex carbohydrates like vegetables and healthy fats from avocado or nuts.

Researchers for the Atkins Diet in Britain surveyed 1,250 people on diet to know why their plans failed.

They found out that a majority of 62 per cent broke their diets mid-afternoon, compared to 16 per cent in the morning and 22 per cent late at night.

A staggering 56 per cent of the dieters blamed stress for their unfinished diet plans. 26 per cent blamed boredom at work and eight percent blamed colleagues for making them give up their "good intentions" while they brought treats to work.

"We asked people if they could recall the time of day when they had previously ditched their diet. We soon discovered that mid-afternoon, more specifically between 3 pm and 3 30 pm was the most precarious time for the majority of the people maintaining their diets," nutritionist Linda O'Byrne said.

"We were then able to work out the mean time of failure and it came up as precisely 3 23 pm."