It’s tough to stick to a diet, and it’s even more difficult if you are in college. I doubt many college students have a diet, but some people like to watch what they eat and stay healthy. The only time I like to watch what I eat is if I’m watching myself eat an entire Krazy Karl’s pizza with cream cheese—it’s a weakness. I’m not going to have a lot of willpower when the best pizza in the world is right around the corner. That’s why cheat days are the best day (or days, at times) of the week.

I live for cheat days. I love to eat tacos, pasta and pizza and I like to go out for beers every now and then with my friends. I always keep in mind that I still need to stay active and practice a good diet in order for all of this to work. If you stick to your diet and you start getting frustrated because you don’t see any progress, it’s because you are putting too much pressure on yourself.

I never understand why people have to insist on explaining themselves and justify why they are eating what they are eating on a cheat day. The fact that it’s even called a cheat day is the reason why it’s so discouraging—no one likes a cheater. You shouldn’t have to feel bad about rewarding yourself and actually enjoying a meal that isn’t bland or cheese-less. Everyone deserves cheese.

Believe it or not, cheating on your diet once or twice a week is good for your physical health. Muscleandfitness.com says the purpose of a diet is to burn calories by increasing your energy deficit, which will decrease insulin; this is done by keeping your caloric intake low. It just so happens that your body can get used to the low amount of calories you are consuming, so your body will start to burn less because of the shortage. A cheat day can jumpstart your body into burning more calories.

I miss the days when I was in high school and I could sit around eating whatever I wanted to. I didn’t appreciate my body at the time either. If I could go back in time, I would slap my skinny self and say to enjoy it while it lasts. Now that I have looked back on my high school years, I have learned to appreciate my current body because I know I probably won’t look the same when I get older.

Losing weight and staying healthy is an attainable goal if you keep yourself happy. One of the worst things you could do while trying to lose weight is to be unhappy with yourself. Just keep working hard, but make sure you enjoy yourself in the process.