A quarter of men who made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight will have already given up on their diets, a British poll suggests.

Some 26 per cent of men abandon their diets after one day, a survey found.

Meanwhile, one in 10 women cave in to cravings for unhealthy food after 24 hours and 31 per cent give up their diet within one week, according to health firm Bupa.

Its poll of 2,000 adults found that a third of Britons thought about losing weight at least once a day.

And while experts said that shedding kilos worked best with a combination of a healthy diet and exercise, only 30 per cent of people said they would always do physical activity alongside a diet.

Tim Woodman, medical director at Bupa said: “This time of year we see a flurry of diets offering a quick fix.

“Fad diets might help you lose a few kilos at first, but they won’t help you stay a healthy weight in the long run.

“The only healthy way to shed excess fat and keep it off is to eat healthy, nutritious meals and increase physical activity.”