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There are quite a few diet wreckers around but I  think the very worst is found in every kitchen, cafe and food store and it's hidden in most manufactured food products. 

The worst diet wrecker of all time?

It  has to be sugar - pure, white and deadly.

Why is sugar such a demon?

• Sugar is calorie dense and without eating very much in quantity you will quickly consume a whole load of calories.
• Not only that but it's very natural to love sweet foods - so you want to eat more and more of it
• Sugar is often combined with high fat foods - just think about cakes, cookies, ice cream and chocolate so you get extra calories along with your sugar
• And because sugar has very little nutritional value or bulk it does not help to satisfy your appetite
• Last but not least, eating sugar rapidly raises blood sugar and insulin levels which increase your tendency to store excess energy as fat

The innocent looking white stuff has a lot to answer for but it's easy enough to avoid if you can see it.

The real problem is that we all eat a whole load of  sugar when we don't even know it's there.

• It's often consumed in beverages
• It's hidden in almost every manufactured food product.
• Not all of the products which contain sugar mention sugar in the list of ingredients on the packaging - sugar comes in all different variants so it's important to understand that fructose including high-fructose corn syrup, glucose, lactose, molasses, sucrose, dextrose, galactose and honey are all forms of sugar too and many products will have several of these included in the ingredients making up a huge proportion of the total.

To avoid eating too much sugar

• look out for those hidden ingredients and avoid buying products which load up their foods with empty calories
• eat (rather than drink) your calories - drink plain or sparkling water, herbal tea or black coffee
• eat slow-release whole grain carbohydrates which don't cause insulin levels to spike in place of sugar

 Of course I'm not saying ban sugar altogether (unless it's a real addiction and once you start you just can't stop). Just keep your sugar eating in moderation (maybe a square of chocolate after dinner) rather than filling yourself with empty calories and piling on the pounds.

Do your friends and family sabotage every diet you go on by offering you food you can't resist?

You know how it is.

It just takes a declaration that you need to lose 10lbs to fit into your party dress, for someone in your office to treat everyone to cakes or chocolates. Or for your partner to say, "Let's eat out tonight. How about trying that new "all-you-can-eat" place?"

Why do they do that?

It's probably just coincidence - because food and offers of food are all around us. Eating is a social activity after all and so you will often be invited to eat.

But if you want to reduce those offers and temptations you have to show your friends and family you mean business.

You do that by saying "No!"  without worrying about what they think of you.

Say "No I'd rather not because I am cutting back on food until I lose 10lbs" or whatever.

And the more you keep saying "no" the more respect you will earn and your friends will see that this time you really do mean it.

You can't really blame them for ignoring your half-hearted attempts to lose weight before can you?

How many times have you said to friends "I really shouldn't eat that" and then instantly followed it with "But go on then, just a small piece/just one"? It's no wonder that they don't believe you when you say you're on a diet.

Approach saying "No" like a sport that you are out to master. Try, try and try again until it comes naturally and your friends start to respect your efforts and stop pushing food on you.