If you want to lose weight, take a break from your diet

Hallelujah. The best way to lose weight might actually be... Not dieting.

Or at least taking a break from it.

Diets that are too demanding can feel great at first, but can take their told over time when - you know - real life gets rudely in the way.

After all, life is no fun if you can't have a drink, socialise or celebrate your birthday by gorging on cake.

A new study from the International Journal for Obesity tested a technique that happy, healthy people might recommend: a doable, part-time diet.

The research took two groups of clinically obese participants - One half followed a 16-week diet reducing their calorie intake by a third, while the other half instead switched between two weeks of dieting and two weeks not dieting over 30 weeks.

'Not dieting' entailed just trying to eat a bit healthier, without calorie-counting or a diet plan.

Interestingly, the 'on/off' dieters lost more weight than those who strictly stuck to it.

Even six months after the study, they lost on average 1.2 stone (or 17 pounds) more, suggesting they actually found it easier to keep the weight off.

But why would this seemingly illogical, wonderful phenomenon happen?

The researchers explained in the paper that too much dieting may impede weight loss due to it triggering the slowing of your metabolism, which is a natural response to preserve body fat.

Sold.

HT Cosmopolitan Women's Health

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