People regularly fail to think about what they are eating and many are piling on the pounds as a result, it showed.
Of the 85% who admitted to "unconscious eating", most said boredom was the main trigger (59%).
Eating to give themselves a treat was the second most common reason (41%) followed by feeling depressed (36%).
TV watching came in fourth place as a trigger for unconscious eating (35%), while snacking in a bid to cheer themselves up came in fifth (25%).
Eating on the weekends was the next most common reason (20%) while in seventh place was people enjoying "me time" (18%).
More than 60% of adults surveyed admitted to eating too much, despite 75% saying they wanted to lose weight. Almost one in three (30%) admitted not watching what they eat while seven out of 10 think about food every two hours or more.
A total of 22% said they never eat at the table and 37% eat at least one meal a day in front of the TV.
The poll of more than 1,000 people was carried out by the Jenny Craig weight management programme, which has proved a hit with US celebrities.
Obesity expert and GP Ian Campbell said: "Being aware of what and how much we eat is essential to weight management. Too often people get the balance wrong - the key to a healthy balanced diet is to be mindful about our eating."
( source: Press Association/ Yahoo news Uk)
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20100411/thl-britons-admit-to-mindless-snacking-d831572.html
