Anyone who has been on a fat loss diet will tell you that although things may start out with a bang, after the first week they tend to fizzle out quickly. They lose 5 lbs the first week, and if they are lucky they will lose another 5 lbs over the next 4 weeks. It is discouraging and it has caused a great many fat loss seekers to throw in the towel before they even got started.

The reason for this is a hormone called leptin. Leptin controls the rate at which you lose fat. When leptin levels are high you can lose fat at a rapid pace; when leptin levels are low, fat loss slows to a snail’s pace. When your body is in a caloric deficit, leptin levels drop. When you increase your leptin levels, fat loss picks up again.

This is where a little planned indulgence comes in. I’m not suggesting you hit every station at the Chinese buffet or enter a hot dog eating contest any time soon. What I’m proposing is that you go out once a week and eat what you want. Make sure you are good and full, but don’t stuff yourself. Having a cheat meal can actually help you lose fat. A major factor affecting leptin levels is your energy intake. What overfeeding does is increase your leptin levels so you can start losing fat again.

A periodic bump in leptin levels has been shown to increase thyroid output, energy expenditure and your basal metabolic rate. This response is augmented to an even greater extent when your body has been in a caloric deficit. When in a caloric deficit, your body produces less of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4. Both of these hormones play a significant role in regulating your metabolic rate. Increasing your calories in a small window will cause your body to speed up your basal metabolic rate over a 24-hour period. A number of studies have shown increases as high as 10%. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

With the Christmas holidays on the way, this would be the perfect time to check out this approach. Go to your work party and indulge in some wine, hors d’oeuvres, desserts and make sure to save some room for the main course too. One word of caution: Do not let this indulgence carry on to the next day. Once you are done, you are done. No more indulgences for another 7 days. If you are one of those people who can’t stop once they start indulging, you need to be careful. Stay away from foods that have a tendency to induce cravings, such as sugars and refined starches. Instead, have an extra serving of meat and potatoes with dinner and throw in some extra fruit for dessert. It may not sound as appealing as a pepperoni pizza with a bowl of ice cream for dessert, but you will still achieve the desired effect (increasing leptin levels) with the healthier option. So if your goal is fat loss, give this a try and let me know it goes.