9 'Good' Habits That Are A Total Waste Of Time

4. Choosing The Diet Option

Speaking of dieting, sticking to the sugar-free versions of your favourite sugar waters, and the fat free versions of your favourite foods, probably won't do you much good either.

The jury is still out on whether artificial sweeteners actually trick your body into producing insulin (thereby making you crave sugar), but there are still links between low fat/sugar options and expanding waistlines. In the case of low fat foods, the manufacturers will generally up the sugar content of the product anyway, as removing the fat removes much of the flavour.

In the case of both low sugar and low fat foods, the effect is more psychological. When people eat "diet" version of food, they're more likely to overcompensate by eating more fat sugar and calories elsewhere.

We'll call it the "large fries and diet coke" effect.