The Seventh Day

If you're trying to loose weight, part of a successful strategy to take it off and KEEP it off, can be to designate one day week to not dieting. You read that right. Take one day a week, and eat whatever you want, whatever it is you've been craving those other six. Pizza? Cake? Doughnuts? Ice Cream? You know you have a weakness--pick a day to indulge it!

Back me up on this, science!

Restricting calories (as most people do when dieting) can cause leptin, a hormone responsible for maintaining our energy balance and causing weight loss, to dwindle. But temporarily upping calorie intake can re-up leptin production by nearly 30 percent (for up to 24 hours). It's that quick leptin buzz that's responsible for boosting metabolism after overeating. And in addition to regulating hunger and metabolism, this hormone may contribute to increased motivation, libido, and dopamine— so after a cheat day, dieters might actually be happier and more motivated.

So pick your day, and make sure to:

(for more details, go here).