London, March 5 (IANS): A new study has revealed that you are more likely to shed those extra pounds if you diet with a friend compared to doing it solo.

The survey was conducted on behalf of Seasonal Berries and found that a whopping 89 percent of 1750 men and women surveyed had lost weight when they took up the challenge with someone else, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Those who had chosen to diet using the buddy system had lost on average eight pounds in weight, compared to just six pounds for those who had tried to diet alone.

The survey also discovered that teaming up with a husband or wife was the top choice when it came to finding a partner to diet with.

Many choose to try to lose weight at this time of year after the excess and over indulgence of Christmas, and having a friend is the perfect way to stay on track and hit the weight loss goals that you have achieved.

Motivation is a major part of trying to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle, and three quarter of people said, that level of motivation were higher with the buddy system.

The buddy system works so well as you can motivate and support each other - particularly when you come face to face with the foods that you crave.

People who tried diets by themselves said that they were tempted by unhealthy snacks more often than when they had a partner doing it with them. They were also more likely to lie to themselves and be tempted to cheat about the amount of calories they were eating.

A spokesperson for Seasonal Berries said: "Eating healthily doesn't have to be a chore and the most important thing is that you find what works best for you.

"This can be eating healthy with a friend to help motivate you and also finding snacks that taste great and are healthy too."