THE guilty diet secrets of people in York have been revealed in a survey which shows that cravings for alcohol, chocolate and pizza are the biggest enemies of weight loss.

While just under half of the women questioned admitted to booze being the thing that wrecked their attempts to lose weight, a staggering 100 per cent of York’s male residents who were questioned said beer was the one temptation most like to destroy their good diet intentions.

One-in-ten men also admitted to buying “fat” clothes in an attempt to hide paunches, while five per cent admitted they had been called fat by a loved one.

Of those men and women questioned, 77 per cent said they felt they needed to lose weight and 66 per cent admitted to having tried various diets.

The survey was commissioned by the newly launched weight-loss programme, Eurodiet.

Jaqui Lowdon, spokeswoman and nutrition expert, said the figures showed traditional dieting methods were not working for many people.

She said: “This research provides yet further evidence that existing diets just don’t work. While the majority of people may lose weight initially, in the long run they struggle to keep the weight off.

“Often this is down to boredom or poor eating habits.

“The research clearly shows temptation and boredom are the biggest barriers to weight loss. Diets need to be varied and interesting.”

Other findings of the survey show that the coming festive season and the inevitable overeating will be the kick that 28 per cent of York women and 21 per cent of men need to prompt them to shed excess wait in the following months.

Women are also more likely than men to get depressed about their weight, with 27 per cent admitting to dieting because they were sad or depressed. None of the men questioned said depression was a reason for them to lose weight.