3.23pm – the danger time when we give up the diet
DIETERS, beware the moment the clock strikes 3.23pm. Because, according to experts, that is when you are most likely to give in to temptation and reach for a sweet treat.
It had been thought that elevenses or a crafty midnight snack spelled doom for the weight watcher.
But experts now believe that mid-afternoon is the most dangerous time of the day. And they worked out the exact time we are most vulnerable.
Researchers for the Atkins Diet put it down to stress at work or boredom while some may suffer a dip in energy.
They quizzed 1,250 slimmers to work out why they failed to stick to their diets. They found that most – 62 per cent – broke their diets mid-afternoon, compared with 16 per cent in the morning and 22 per cent late at night.
More than half – 56 per cent – blamed stress, 26 per cent boredom at work and eight per cent said colleagues taking treats into the office made them give up their good intentions.
Atkins nutritionist Linda O’Byrne said: “One of the things we were keen to establish was a pattern of failure and so 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 3pm and 3.30pm, was the most precarious time for the majority of slimmers.
We were then able to work out, via our responses, the mean time of failure and it came up as precisely 3.23pm
“We were then able to work out, via our responses, the mean time of failure and it came up as precisely 3.23pm.
“This is the time when most dieters are susceptible to failure because of a number of different factors, namely a dip in energy mid-afternoon and the use of food as an emotional crutch.
“This could be down to either stress, boredom or the many other ranges of emotion that we go through on any given day. So as well as advising people to watch their sugar and carbs intake, we also advise them to watch their clock. Being aware of the time of day when you are most susceptible to diet failure can go a long way to helping you stay on track.”
The Atkins Diet experts say their five-point plan can help.
They advise 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.
Spreading calorie intake across the day is important as is avoiding sugary snacks as an energy boost.
