Yo-Yo Diet Syndrome

Losing weight takes planning and continuous effort to reach your goals. The barrage of fad diets and nutrition gurus can make losing weight frustrating and confusing. Healthy weight loss is a result of making a lifestyle change that promotes sound eating choices and engaging in exercise.

Definition

Yo-yo diet syndrome consists of cycles of calorie restriction followed by bouts of gaining lost weight. According to psychologist and author Doreen Virtue, emotional emptiness is a driving factor in unsuccessful diet attempts and keeping weight off. Depression, low self-esteem or a history of sexual abuse are frequent causes of unresolved emotions causing one to overeat. The underlying factor is using food as a coping mechanism for stress, loneliness or fear.

Behaviors

If you are suffering from yo-yo diet syndrome, you may display several typical behaviors, such as a preoccupation with food and body weight, feeling fat, constantly following a new diet program and feeling like a failure when you gain back lost weight. You might also feel a heightened sense of well-being when dieting and, if you are close to your goal body weight, you may relax your eating habits and then start dieting again.

Dieting and Withdrawal

Yo-yo dieting can cause food addiction behavior. According to research featured in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," rats deprived of palatable food or better-tasting food flavored with more fat or sugar binge-ate when exposed to these foods. The bland diet fed to the rats created self-deprivation due to lack of interest in the food. Foods with higher fat and sugar content caused the rats to binge eat. The binge eating behavior was related to decreased corticotropin-releasing factor, which is a hormone that increases when bland or unpalatable food is present. The hormone diminished when pleasant food was presented to the rats, causing them to overeat. Drug addicts display this same type of behavior seen in the rats; when drugs are made available, binging occurs. This type of behavior can be seen with chronic dieters when following severely restricted dieting programs.

Resting Energy Expenditure

Yo-yo dieting syndrome can lead to lower energy expenditure with long-term calorie restrictions. The reduction in energy expenditure is an adaptive mechanism of the body to conserve energy for maintaining proper organ function, according to an article published in the "American Clinical Journal of Nutrition" in 2000. Dieters whose lean body mass was normal had better response to insulin than chronic dieters. Researchers also found that dieters with low resting energy expenditure may have a genetic predisposition to lowering their food intake to prevent weight gain.

Considerations

Following a sensible meal plan along with physical activity promotes healthy weight loss. The Cleveland Clinic recommends focusing your calorie intake on vegetables, eating a 3-to-4-oz. portion of lean protein and filling the last 1/4th of your plate with a serving of starch, such as a small sweet potato. After eating, if you feel hungry, wait 20 minutes to give your food time to start digesting and your brain to recognize you have eaten. If you are truly hungry after 20 minutes, have a second helping of tossed salad, extra vegetables or a small serving of fruit, ½ to ¾ cup. Sensible meal plans are flexible enough to allow for treats and sweets. Severely restricting your food intake leads to overconsuming calories, which is a symptom of yo-yo diet syndrome. Participating in daily physical activity for 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week can promote weight loss and maintenance of a healthy body weight.