It's a horrible cycle - you cut carbohydrates from your diet with the intention of losing a little weight, but soon you have an overwhelming craving for every carb known to man, leaving you thoroughly depressed and hungry.  

That awful feeling has recently been dubbed "diet brain" by scientists.

In a survey of 2000 British women, researchers found that symptoms such as nausea, mood swings, depression and forgetfulness arise in those who take on extreme and persistent diet methods.

More concerning is the fact that this "condition" can prevent you from reaching your goal weight and may even affect your professional and personal relationships.

The study showed that 40 percent of the women surveyed admitted that their relationships with their partners had suffered on account of their diet and just over a quarter said their work performance was negatively affected.

Only a small amount of women said they felt upbeat and positive after dieting compared with more than half (55 percent) who said that their constant weight lose attempts left them feeling down.

One in three women admitted that they felt obsessed with losing weight.

Twenty-five percent admitted to constant hunger pangs when dieting and one in six said it made them feel miserable.

Nutritionist Linda O’Byrne, who helped collate the study, says diet brain stems from an unhealthy eating plan and finds it worrying how greatly it affects women.

"A weight-loss programme should form part of a healthy living regime and should never be extreme."