Usually, it takes more than 4 or 5 days for those who make a New Year’s resolution to go on a diet to break it and start indulging in favorite, unhealthy treats again. Which is precisely why the latest survey is that much more worrying, since it reveals that one third of women on a New Year diet are already cheating on it and hiding food wherever they can, the Daily Mail informs.

According to a survey conducted by LighterLife in the first days of 2010 among 2,000 women, many of them have already broken the promise they made to themselves on the night between the years to lose weight by dieting. Not only that, but they’re feeling so bad about it that they would even do things like hide snacks in their purse or under the bed, and eat them in the dark or when pretending to look for something they’ve misplaced.

Things are not looking good, a spokesperson for the company who commissioned the survey says, because it shows just how desperate people are right now. “The problem is growing – along with the population. We are shocked just how much the desperation levels have soared compared with the same poll four years ago. Four in ten are tempted when their partners eat something delicious in front of them, and a quarter are tempted when eating at a swanky restaurant for dinner,” the rep says in a statement to the Daily Mail.

Not only are women more easily tempted now, therefore more likely to fail in their attempts to lose weight by means of a diet, but they also have higher levels of dissatisfaction as regards their own body. A good friend could lend a help with this by offering assistance to the dieter, the LighterLife spokesperson further says “If you are trying to help a wife or girlfriend lose weight, keep a close eye on them around 11am and 3pm, which emerged as the peak secret snacking time.”

Of the women who took part in the survey, many even said that staying completely out of temptation’s way was the best solution they could find to the problem of sticking to the diet. Many refuse to go out altogether, while others choose to toss away food that might lead them astray, sweet treats in particular. Whereas isolation is never advisable, moderation should be the key ingredient to all healthy diets, nutritionists remind us.