You win some, you lose some. Constantly losing and regaining weight is known as yo-yo dieting or weight cycling, normally due to fasting and extreme diets in place of healthy and sustainable techniques. Much of the weight lost with extreme methods is water and sugar stores that are immediately regained upon resuming a normal diet. Furthermore, stress and hormonal changes increase the likelihood of gaining fat.
Why You Regain Weight
According to research by the Calorie Control Council, 45 percent of American adults were successful at losing weight in 2010. Unfortunately, two-thirds regained weight after six months. Many reasons account for weight regain: extreme and unsustainable methods of weight loss, inability to sustain lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise routine, hormonal and metabolic changes.
Physical Impact
Your body uses hormones to regulate food intake and activity level. A large energy deficit decreases the levels of hormones released from the thyroid, pituitary, adrenal and other glands that promote the burning of fat for energy. Hormones are then released that promote fat storage, increase appetite and decrease energy expenditure. This is often responsible for the crash during an extreme diet. According to a study by Brownell et al. in the journal "Physiology & Behavior" repeated weight cycling increases the amount of fat gained per calorie eaten.
Emotional Impact
Practice makes perfect. By repeatedly failing after an extreme diet, you're reinforcing the behaviors that cause you to regain weight. Rapid weight cycling can also place you under a great deal of physical and psychological stress. Make long-term but gradual weight loss goals and focus on increasing behaviors that lead to better eating and frequent exercise, and eliminating behaviors that lead you to snack or remain sedentary.
Dieting Successfully
Persistent weight loss requires persistent lifestyle changes. Make gradual changes to improve diet and increase exercise frequency and physical activity level. Aim for a reduction of no more than 500 calories per day; with increased physical activity this is enough to lose 1 lb. per week. Don't rely entirely on willpower; develop better health habits and schedule a time to treat yourself so that you don't end up binging.
References
- "American Journal of Physiology"; Enhanced Metabolic Efficiency Contributes to Weight Regain After Weight Loss in Obesity-prone Rats; Maclean et al.; 2004
- PR Newswire; THE GOOD NEWS: Americans are Losing Weight; THE BAD NEWS: For Many, the Pounds Come Back After Six Months; May 3, 2011
- "Physiology & Behavior"; The Effects of Repeated Cycles of Weight Loss and Regain in Rats; Brownell et al.; 1986
- National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute: Aim for a Healthy Weight
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