Yo yo dieting means following an unsustainable and unstable diet. It basically describes the cyclical loss and gain of weight, which resembles the up-and-down motion of a yo yo.
Another term for yo-yo dieting is weight cycling.
Here we give you 11 reasons why you should avoid yo yo dieting. We also give you some simple ways in breaking up with yo yo dieting.
1. Muscle Loss
The body loses body fat and muscle mass during weight loss.
Fat is more easily regained than muscle after weight loss; this can eventually result in more muscle loss over time, which can in turn lead to decreased physical strength.
Exercise, such as strength training, can help reduce these effects, as it signals the body to grow muscle even during weight loss.
Increasing intake of quality protein sources during weight loss can also help reduce muscle loss.
In fact, 114 adults who took protein supplements during weight loss have been shown in one study to lose less muscle mass.
2. Increased Appetite
Losing fat during weight loss can reduce the levels of the hormone leptin, which helps suppress appetite.
Your fat stores release leptin into the bloodstream under normal circumstances, signalling you to eat less and telling your body that energy stores are available.
However, your leptin levels drop during fat loss, leading to increased appetite, as your body tries to replenish depleted energy stores.
Increased appetite can obviously lead to increased calorie intake and consequently weight gain. Unfortunately, some dieters regain more weight than they lost.
After gaining weight, and completing the “up” phase of yo yo dieting, a person may start another cycle of weight loss.
3. Can Cause Fatty Liver
Yo yo dieting or weight cycling causes your brain to interpret the extreme swings in eating patterns as short famines. Your body then goes into survival mode and hangs on to fat.
Plus, your appetite also increases after losing weight, leading to weight gain.
Gaining weight increases your risk of obesity, a risk factor for developing a fatty liver, wherein there is too much fat build-up in the liver cells.
Fatty liver can lead to increased risk of type 2 diabetes or chronic liver failure, also known as cirrhosis.
Several cycles of weight loss and weight gain have been shown in a study in mice to cause fatty liver.
Also, fatty liver has been found in another mouse study to lead to liver damage.
4. Increased Diabetes Risk
Can yo yo dieting cause diabetes?
Some evidence suggests that weight cycling is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
In fact, in one review, four out of 17 studies have shown that a history of yo yo dieting predicted type 2 diabetes.
Another study also found that the weight regained by participants after a 28-day weight loss was mostly belly fat, which is more likely to lead to diabetes.
What’s more, rats that went through 12 months of weight cycling have been shown in one study to have increased insulin levels than those that consistently gained weight.
High levels of insulin can be an indication of diabetes.
5. Increased Percentage of Body Fat
Weight cycling has been shown in some studies to lead to an increased percentage of body fat.
It can be noted that fat is regained more easily than muscle mass during the weight gain phase of yo yo dieting, resulting in increased body fat percentage after multiple yo yo cycles.
In fact, a history of yo yo dieting has been found in one review of 19 studies to cause greater belly fat and higher body fat percentage.
6. Increased Blood Pressure
Weight gain, as well as yo yo weight gain, is associated with increased blood pressure.
In fact, people with a history of yo yo dieting have been shown in a study of 66 adults to have less improvement in blood pressure during weight loss.
A longer-term study suggested that yo yo dieting during youth may not affect the risk of heart disease in middle age or later, as the effect may fade after 15 years.
7. Increased Heart Disease Risk
Weight cycling has been linked to coronary artery disease, a condition in which there is a plaque buildup in the arteries.
Weight gain increases heart disease risk even more than being overweight.
A study of 9, 509 adults observed that the increase in heart disease risk depends on how much weight was lost and regained, i.e. the risk is greater when there is more weight lost and regained during weight cycling.
8. Increased Inflammation
Yo yo dieting has also been found in research published in the International Journal of Exercise Science to increase bodily inflammation.
It is important to note that inflammation has been associated with a host of illnesses like asthma and cancer.
9. May Be Life-Threatening
Weight loss for overweight individuals can boost physical fitness, reduce diabetes risk, and improve heart health.
It can also reduce cancer risk, enhance sleep, reverse fatty liver, and improve quality of life.
Weight gain, on the other hand, provides the opposite.
Although yo yo dieting is not as harmful as weight gain, it has been shown to be worse than maintaining a steady weight – but not all studies agree.
For example, one study following 505 men aged 55–74 for 15 years has found that participants’ weight fluctuations were linked to an 80% higher risk of dying during the study period.
However, researchers in this study don’t know whether or not the weight fluctuations are related to some other medical condition that shortened their lifespan.
Thus, further research is necessary before concluding that weight cycling is associated with shortened lifespan.
10. Frustration
Losing weight and then gaining it again because of an unsustainable diet can be very frustrating.
In fact, people who experienced yo yo dieting have been found to be dissatisfied with their health and lives.
Some also report poor self-efficacy regarding their health and body, and they felt a sense of being out of control.
Yo yo dieting has nothing to do with negative personality traits and depression though.
If you have a history yo yo dieting or you are dealing with it right now, do not allow yourself to feel guilty, hopeless, or defeated.
Always remember that there are still a lot of sustainable diets that you can follow. You can always experiment which one would work best for you.
11. Prevents Healthy Lifestyle Changes
Most diets have a set of rules to follow to achieve a weight loss goal or other health goal.
Yo yo dieting teaches you that once you follow all the rules and finish the diet, you can go back to your previous eating habits that lead to weight gain.
Instead of focusing on the diet, try focusing your energy on making sustainable, healthy, and long-term lifestyle changes to achieve your goals.
Breaking Up with Yo Yo Dieting
Fortunately, breaking up with yo yo dieting is possible.
According to a large study of more than 120,000 adults in the US, several habits that you can do to achieve and maintain a healthy weight over several years are as follows:
- Eat healthy foods, such as meats, eggs, fruits, and vegetables
- Avoid ultra-processed foods and sugary beverages
- Limit starchy foods like potatoes and pasta
- Exercise (do something active that you enjoy doing and is sustainable in the long term)
- Get quality sleep
- Limit your TV time
The Takeaway
Yo yo dieting is an on-and-off diet that causes cyclical loss and gain of weight, resembling the up-and-down motion of a yo yo.
These short-term changes in one’s eating pattern can also cause short-term benefits, e.g.short-term weight loss.
In addition, weight cycling can cause muscle loss, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
To break this unhealthy and frustrating cycle, focus on making healthy lifestyle changes rather than fixing your eyes on the diet alone. This will help you achieve your weight loss and health goals.
