Some days healthy eating is easy, whereas other days any attempt at eating well flies out of the window with a huge bar of chocolate and a plate of chips. The difference may simply depend on what situations you encounter. Many situations are flawed with ‘diet traps’. If you're stressed out, get up late, go to a party or are simply surrounded by lots of food you can't resist, it's much more likely that you'll make diet mistakes and fall into a diet trap. Let’s look at these traps and see if we can learn not to fall into one!

1. "I skip breakfast to save calories"

This trap won't work! People who skip breakfast have higher fat intakes than those who eat a cereal breakfast. Of course, a cereal coated in sugar isn't as healthy as, cornflakes or shredded wheat. Slice fresh fruit on top of your cereal, it's delicious and will help to make up your recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. If you don't like cereal, opt for wholemeal toast with low-fat spread, yogurt or fresh fruit.

2. "I'm so busy, I tend to eat too quickly"

This is a trap most of us fall into to. If you eat too quickly, the signals that you've had enough food may not reach the brain and you will not feel full up quickly enough. This can lead to overeating.

3. "I exercise a lot, so I can eat as much as I like!"

Working out helps you stay trim, but it doesn't give you a free licence to over indulge on fatty foods. One heaped tablespoon of mayonnaise may not seem a lot, but it takes over an hour of cycling to burn it off.

4. "When I'm stressed I head for the biscuits"

This trap can be fatal but eating carbohydrates is the body’s natural way of dealing with stress. The reason is said to be that high-carbohydrate, low-protein foods stimulate the brain's production of the feel good chemical serotonin. However, the key is to choose the right type of carbohydrates. Choose foods with naturally low sugar content, such as fruit and vegetables. Dried fruit is convenient, but the sugar in it is more concentrated, which means it is misleadingly high in calories. Carbohydrates that release energy slowly are best, such as breads and cereal.

5. "I probably don't drink enough water"

When the stomach is filled with fluid, stretch receptors are activated which send "I'm full" messages to the brain. So before you reach for a snack to satisfy your rumbling stomach, ask yourself if what you really need is a drink?

6. "The packet says these are 85% fat-free"

If a food is 85% fat free then you have at least 15% fat, that's 3 times more than in oven chips! True low-fat foods have to be at least 95% fat-free. Some reduced-fat foods, such as low-fat spreads, can really make a difference. But others, such as biscuits and cakes, have an increased sugar content, which means their calorie value is only marginally reduced.

7. "Well, holidays are all about indulging"

If you laze on the beach and consume 1000 extra calories each day, you'll put on nearly 4lb of fat in a

fortnight and believe me this trap is easily fallen in to! To avoid holiday fat, skip lunch and opt for a late brunch with tropical fruit, yogurt, lean cold cuts of meat and lots of bread. Lean steak is fine for dinner, but with salad rather than chips. At barbecues, go for prawn, chicken and vegetable kebabs. Instead of creamy cocktails, go for buck's fizz or mineral water with lots of lemon.

8. "At parties, I have a few quick drinks to get me in the mood"

Knocking back a couple of drinks on an empty stomach will not only get you in the mood, it will give you the munchies. Your inhibitions will be reduced and that means your resolve to eat healthily won't be as strong. Fat and alcohol consumed together have a particularly stimulating effect on the appetite and could significantly increase the amount of calories you eat when the buffet is served!

9. "I don't have time to cook, so it's easier to get a takeaway"

This trap will spell disaster for your diet if you don't make the right choices. If you like Indian food, opt for drier dishes or those with tomato-based rather than cream sauces. If you're eating Chinese, the best choices are steamed dishes and crunchy stir-fried vegetables. Pizzas should be a thin crust with tuna or chicken toppings and lots of extra vegetables not pepperoni, spicy beef and extra cheese. And remember, where the calories really add up are with side orders such as poppadums, prawn crackers, garlic bread and fried rice.

10. "I've had one piece of chocolate cake, so another won't matter"

It's low self-esteem that allows you to fall for this trap. If you already hate yourself for succumbing, you'll

think you can't make matters worse by going for the all-out binge. However, this isn't true and the only

way to get round the problem is to allow yourself to enjoy an occasional treat without guilt. Use your treats

so that no food is banned for you. If you include a little of your favourite indulgence every day, counting them as your treats, then you won't think of them as forbidden food that you want to eat in huge quantities.