The idea of diets with days off is very appealing. Too often, losing weight seems like a painful exercise with no end in sight. Just the thought of endless “starvation” – or at least missing out on favorite foods – is enough to make starting a diet something we’ll do tomorrow.

If and when we actually start a diet, it’s not long before we’re craving all the foods we’re missing out on – and thinking how long it’s going to be before we can enjoy them again!

So it’s not surprising that diets with days off are going to appeal to just about anyone who wants to lose weight. The good news is, they do more than make us feel better about dieting.

Diets with days off have practical benefits too that make our weight loss efforts more successful.

• By taking away the feeling of deprivation and self-sacrifice, diets with days off are easier to stick with. Instead of having to think it’ll be months before you can enjoy your favorites again, you can tell yourself it will only be a few days or so. This really peps up will power – even the weakest-willed among us can manage to get through a few more days of dieting!
• On days off you naturally can’t go crazy – the idea is to relax but not  too much! This makes the days off a great way to learn to enjoy the foods you love in moderation. This will really help with weight maintenance when your days off diet is over.
• Thirdly, diets that give you days off are “calorie shifting” diets. The days off are actually an essential part of how calorie shifting diets work. Eating different types of foods at different times baffles the metabolism, keeping it responsive and revved up. So, by choosing a diet with days off, you are also choosing a diet that works well. The calorie shifting effect is not a fad or gimmick but a proven phenomenon.

So which diet with days off is best?

Our top recommendation for a diet with days off is the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet, known as The Idiot Proof Diet.

Fat Loss 4 Idiots has been going strong since 2004 and until recently, was about the only calorie shifting days off diet available.

Now that calorie shifting is a well known and popular concept, there are more diet plans to choose from.

Other recommended diets with days off are the Every Other Day Diet and Cheat Your Way Thin.

Although all three give you days off be sure to check out all their features to find the best diet with days off for you. You can also see our quick-view days off diet comparison chart to compare them side by side.

An original article, exclusive to this site
Copyright © 2010 Caroline Mackenzie/TheIdiot-ProofDiet.com