Your mind works through association. If you do two thing together many times they start to feel as if they naturally go together. In fact, doing one without the other starts to feel weird. This is called conditioning.

Watching TV and eating usually leads to 'over-fuelling' of the body - lots of calories in, but no energy expenditure. A recent study on children showed that they burned fewer calories while watching TV than when sat staring at a blank wall!

The absent-mindedness of watching television (or TV trance) allows fat-creating foods to slip in unnoticed, neatly side-stepping any weight loss goals you may have had.