Americans consume on average 135 pounds of sugar a year. That is nearly 3 pounds a week! 20 years ago it was half a pound a week. Where is it all coming from? Mostly from processed foods which have grown in use in the same time. Sugar and syrup are hidden in a whole host of food - microwave meals, peanut butter, cornflakes. Even when you can't taste it.

Scots are not far behind. Food Standards Agency Scotland did a survey of the NMES consumption (non-milk extrinsic sugars which is the technical term for sugars added to food and drink). The main sources of sugar in the diets of children living in Scotland are soft drinks, confectionery, biscuits and cakes and on average for Scottish children these foods constitute over 17% of their calorie intake and the trend is upwards. Older children take more of their calories in these foods. For 3 to 7 year olds it is 16% and 12 to 17 year olds it is 19%.

This means that on average we are training our children from a young age to eat a lot of sugary foods so as they get older the habit is well established. By the time they are in their early twenties we could expect them to be worrying about their weight.

We can all find a little space for something particularly delicious and tempting. Our stomachs (normally the size of our fist) are very stretchy.

But what is making us eat when we are not hungry. Well, there are a number of reasons. If any seem to apply to you, think about how you can avoid them.

Some of us eat to calm or comfort ourselves. We feel bad about ourselves and food helps us feel relaxed. But then after that, we feel guilty, dissappointed and angry, so the comfort just doesn't last long enough. Learning to feel good about yourself, to overcome anxiety, is the first place to start. And hypnosis is a good place to start.

And then there is habit. Like putting two slices of toast in the toaster (because there are two slots) and eating both when one would do. Or cake with coffee. Or crisps with wine or beer. If we regularly eat a little snack at 3.00pm, then our bodies get used to it. Even if we have had plenty to eat, our bodies cry out for the 3.00pm intake. After a couple of days however, these cravings go. When are you snacking? Habits are learned and so can be unlearned.

Refined carbohydrates make your blood sugar peak and trough dramatically so you feel hungry soon after. This includes sugary foods, white flour, sweets, cakes and biscuits. If you don't buy them, you won't eat them. Remember, in the hand is in the mouth.

Of course, if something looks and smells delicious, our body responds positively, with lots of encouraging saliva flow, which itself makes you hungry. As for me, I don't want to resist a mango, but I trained myself to resist chocolate, and now it doesn't interest me. (I continue to be amazed.)

Alchohol lowers your general ability to resist. If you eat before you go out drinking, you will be less likely to succumb to a calorie-packed takeaway on the way home.