4. Unconscious eating
How often have we all begun to nibble on a bowl of chips or nuts or a box of cookies while watching TV, reading a book or talking on the phone and then suddenly realized that we’d eaten the whole lot? Too often, I would guess.

Eating should never be the peripheral activity – it should always be the focus. Eat your meals at the table and set aside distractions such as the TV, computer, video game or telephone while you have your snacks. This will help you to always eat consciously and be aware of exactly how much you are eating.

5. Eating too quickly
The famous Dr. Johnson of the 18th century is said to have asserted that food should be always be chewed 32 times before swallowing. Though this seems rather excessive, there is an important truth here. Many of us tend to eat far too quickly. It takes 20 to 30 minutes for the stomach to let the brain know it is full. If you eat too quickly, you’ll continue to eat past the point at which you’ve had enough. The solution, then, is to eat slowly to allow your brain to catch up with your stomach.

That’s probably another reason Mediterranean countries have lower rates of obesity: they take far longer to eat their meals. There, mealtimes are for family and friends, and for enjoying the pleasure of food – not simply a means to tackle hunger. To ensure you are not eating more than your appetite requires, slow down and really enjoy what you are eating. Put your fork down between mouthfuls. Savour the flavours and textures.

6. Not drinking enough
Did you know that by the time you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated? Your body’s need for water is second only to its need for oxygen. Up to 70 per cent of the body is water, and we should be drinking about eight glasses a day to replenish our supply.

Yet many of us don’t take the time to drink enough, and we go through our days in a mild state of dehydration. Being dehydrated makes us feel tired and hungry, which makes us reach for food when really we should be reaching for a glass of water. Our body isn’t hungry, it’s thirsty. So always carry a water bottle with you and make sure you are drinking the recommended amount. Being properly hydrated will go a long way toward helping you control your appetite and lose weight.

7. Rewarding for exercise
One of the great myths about weight loss is that it can be achieved through exercise. Though exercise is essential for long-term health and weight maintenance, it is actually a poor tool for losing weight. To give you an idea of how much exercise you would have to do to lose just one pound of fat, you would have to walk briskly for 42 miles if you weighed 160 pounds or 53 miles if you weighed 130 pounds. That is a huge amount of effort and way beyond the capability or time availability of most people. Walking around the block or washing the car consumes only a handful of calories. So if you are using exercise as permission to cut a little slack in your diet, remember that that cookie reward will add more calories than you expended on your activity.

By all means exercise to improve your health, but don’t think it will contribute a whole lot to your weight loss. I frequently tell people that losing weight is 90 percent diet and 10 percent exercise, particularly in the early stages.

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Excerpted from The G.I. Diet Clinic by Rick Gallop. Copyright 2007 by Rick Gallop. Excerpted by permission of Random House Canada. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.