6 eating styles that make you fat

You’re an unconscious eater

You come home from work, go straight to the kitchen and open the fridge. Or turn on the television, grab a packet of biscuits and by the time the programme is over they're all gone. The odds are you don't remember eating them - and you're not alone. ‘Even studies of people like nutritionists who are ‘food aware' find they consistently underestimate what they eat when they're watching television because they're not actively thinking about it,' says Dr Ashton. ‘A couple of extra biscuits a day can add up to a 5-10lb weight gain over a year.'

Change your style Your food diary can help make you aware of how many calories you're consuming without really noticing. Now you need to transform that unconscious behaviour into full awareness so you start to make positive choices about whether to eat in the first place, what you will eat and how much. Give yourself distractions - have a shower as soon as you get in, or take the dog out for a walk - to break the eating habit. If you want to eat something, get out one biscuit or put a portion of crisps into a small bowl and put the rest away.

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