Yo-yo dieting is a common consequence of crash and extreme diets. Simply put, you go on a diet and lose a large amount of weight. Then you go back to eating normally and gain the weight back. The cycle of weight gain and loss is repeated over and over. The key to breaking out of the cycle is to make clear but reasonable goals, such as 1 to 2 lbs. per week or no more than 10 percent of your current weight over a period of six months.
You Don't Learn How to Eat
One of the problems with yo-yo dieting is that it teaches you nothing about how to eat properly. In fact, yo-yo dieting reinforces the idea that the only way to lose weight is to starve yourself. Switching to a healthier, more-balanced diet can help you lose weight permanently, while yo-yo dieting is all about short-term satisfaction.
You Lose Self-esteem
According to Pennsylvania University's Thomas Wadden, who oversees the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, yo-yo dieting can take a severe toll on your self-esteem and make you feel powerless and ashamed. It might also lead to more serious emotional problems down the road. As you lose weight, you feel better and stronger. When you gain it back, you might feel humiliated and weak.
It Puts Stress on Your Brain
According to a 2010 study published in "The Journal of Neuroscience," dieting affects the way your brain and body respond to stress. As a result, your body produces more corticosterone, the stress hormone, and you have less resistance to depression and other emotional issues. Yo-yo dieting is worse, because it repeats the pattern over and over. With time, this may cause the brain to respond to stress in a less healthy way -- by triggering emotional eating or attachment to food.
References
- USA Today: Yo-yo Dieting Can Be the Toughest Bounce of All
- Science Daily: Yo-Yo Dieting Alters Genes Linked With Stress
- Women's Health: How to Stop Yo-Yo Dieting
- The Telegraph: Yo-yo Dieting Increases Risk of Comfort Eating As it Changes How the Body Deals With Stress
- WomenFitness.net: Outcomes of YO-YO Dieting
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