Could a ‘diet holiday’ expedite your weight-loss?

Taking a break from calorie counting gives better bang for your buck, study says

Counting calories can be frustrating but guess what? Letting things slide every now and then and taking a break from your diet may actually speed up your weight loss, according to a study from the University of Sydney.

However, there’s a catch - the unrestricted eating still needs to be healthy; only then will your body speed up weight loss, reported The Daily Mail.

Amanda Salis, the lead author of the study shared, “Our study suggests that if you're trying to lose weight, then taking a break from dieting could give you better bang for your buck in terms of the amount of weight you lose, relative to the effort you put in”.



A few cheat days can help stop your body from going into starvation mode, where the body slows down its natural burning of kilojoules, desperate to survive what it believes to be a famine.

Nonetheless, it’s imperative that the unrestricted meals are healthy. “If you do find yourself sometimes eating more than you intended, it may not have any adverse effects on your overall progress, so don't get discouraged – just get back on the wagon and keep going,” Amanda added.

In an essence,  the research indicates that when you return to a more careful diet after your weight loss holiday, your break could actually improve the efficiency of your weight loss.

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