We all know one – the colleague who tells you ‘just one won’t hurt’ or the friend who calls you a ‘party pooper’ if you won’t join them for curry or cocktails. It’s not always what they say, though, that derails your healthy eating plan – sometimes there’s a pattern of (perhaps unconscious) behaviour that’s hard to resist. That’s why it helps to understand that their reasons for trying to sabotage your diet are often more to do with them than you, and may be deep-rooted in their psyche. We asked psychologists Professor Jane Ogden and Dr Aria Campbell-Danesh to give you strategies for staying in control of your own diet.
The experts