3.23pm - the time when dieting fails

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 - at around 3.23 p.m.

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

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

More than half - 56 per cent - blamed stress, 26 per cent blamed boredom at work and eight percent said colleagues bringing treats to office made them give up their "good intentions".

"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 p.m. and 3.30 p.m., was the most precarious time for the majority of slimmers," 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."

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.

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