Want to stay slim? Stop worrying about eating cakes

Next time when you eat your favourite chocolate cake, make sure you feel good about it and enjoy every bit of it, as psychologists have found people who see treats as something to celebrate are much more likely to stay slim.

However, chocolate eaters who find themselves wracked with guilt afterwards are inclined to pile on the pounds, News.com.au reported.

The study showed the way we perceive tasty treats like chocolate cake is just as important as the calorie count when it comes to expanding waistlines.

Researchers at New Zealand's University of Canterbury, who quizzed almost 300 volunteers aged 18 to 86 on their eating habits, revealed that feeling guilty is likely to prompt us to abandon diet plans and adopt unhealthy eating habits, but considering chocolate as a reward gives us a better chance of sticking to long-term weight-loss goals.

The study was published in the journal Appetite.