6 eating styles that make you fat

Your food is loaded with meaning

For you, food is never just food. It's always ‘good' or ‘bad', acceptable or banned, so you're constantly struggling to beat your cravings for the forbidden stuff and stay on the straight and narrow. You feel deprived if you deny yourself the ‘bad' stuff, but consumed with guilt if you eat it. Food manufacturers understand and plug right into this vulnerability with their ‘naughty but nice' and ‘treat yourself' messages.

Change your style ‘It's basic psychology that as soon as food is forbidden you'll want it more, which is why we never ban foods. There are no ‘good' or ‘bad' foods, just some that are more conducive to weight gain,' says Dr Ashton. So stop denying yourself the foods you really enjoy, and start being careful about how often and how much you eat of them. Good planning helps here - if chocolate is a must-have, buy a very small bar of really delicious chocolate, so you won't be tempted to binge, and savour every mouthful. If wine with dinner is a must, make it a really good one, have a glass, then cork the bottle and put it back in the fridge. Researchers working on the Lean Habits Study in Germany found that people who had a flexible approach to what they ate, but were aware of portion size, were far more successful in keeping weight off than those with an all-or-nothing approach to food.

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