Yo-Yo Dieting - More Harm Than Good

Introduction:

A challenging problem many people face when trying to lose weight is the so-called “ yo-yo effect." These crash diets are an attractive way to lose weight quickly, but they may cause more harm than good. The resulting fluctuations in weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels can have serious consequences. Additionally, it can increase the likelihood of a heart attack, stroke, and early death.

What Is Yo-Yo Dieting?

Yo-yo dieting, also called “ weight cycling,” describes the pattern of losing and regaining weight and dieting again. It happens when people intentionally lose and regain at least five kilograms on three occasions or more. The reason it is called a yo-yo diet is that it makes weight fluctuate like a yo-yo. Ten percent of men and thirty percent of women regularly engage in this kind of dieting.

How Can Yo-Yo Diet Be Danger to Health?

• Increased Appetite Causes More Weight Gain Over Time: When one loses weight, the body craves more food and holds onto its energy reserves. Some yo-yo dieters end up gaining back more weight than they lost.

• Higher Body Fat Percentage: Fat is quickly regained before muscle mass when yo-yo dieting is used to gain weight. As a result, the body fat percentage may rise over several yo-yo cycles.

• Leads to Muscle Loss: Fat regains more quickly than muscle after weight loss, which can cause further muscle loss over time. Physical strength is reduced as a result of muscle loss during dieting. During dieting, the body’s dietary protein requirement also increases. Consuming sufficient amounts of quality protein sources can prevent muscle loss.

• Increased Risk of Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes is more likely to develop in people who follow a yo-yo diet.

• Increased Risk of Heart Disease: Weight cycling has been linked to coronary artery disease, where the arteries supplying the heart narrow.

• Increase Blood Pressure: Blood pressure elevation is additionally associated with weight gain, including yo-yo or rebound weight gain after dieting.

• Can Lead to Frustration: When yo-yo dieting results in rebound weight gain, it can be frustrating to see all the hard work put into weight loss disappear. Yo-yo dieters also express low self-efficacy concerning their bodies and health or a sense of being in less control.

• May Be Worse Than Staying Overweight: Losing weight improves heart health and reduces the risk of diabetes, and boosts physical fitness. Additionally, losing weight can reduce the risk of developing cancer, reverse fatty liver, enhance sleep, elevate mood, and increase life span. Gaining weight, however, has the exact opposite effect on all of these advantages. Yo-yo dieting falls between the extremes, neither better nor worse than gaining weight, but unquestionably worse than losing weight and keeping it off.

How to Break the Yo-Yo Diet Cycle?

Yo-yo diets prescribe rules to follow for a set time, usually to meet weight loss or other health goals. This diet sets one to fail because it teaches that the rules must be followed until the goal is met. It is simple to revert to the behaviors contributing to weight gain once a person has finished the diet. A short-term diet frequently turns into self-defeating because dieting causes the body to increase appetite and hold onto fat reserves, which results in temporary improvement followed by weight gain and dissatisfaction.

To break the cycle of short-term changes resulting in short-term success, stop thinking about diets and start thinking about lifestyle changes. Eating a balanced, nutritious diet, selecting smaller portions, engaging in regular exercise, and staying active are the best ways to lose weight healthfully and keep it off. To lose weight permanently, the following behaviors were found to be effective:

• Eating Healthy Foods: Like yogurt, fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts (not peanuts).

• Avoiding Junk Foods: Like potato chips and sugary beverages.

• Limiting Starchy Foods: Like starchy foods like potatoes in moderation.

• Exercising: Find something that can be enjoyed.

• Getting Good Sleep: Get six to eight hours of quality sleep every night.

• Limiting Television Viewing: Limit TV viewing time or exercise while watching.

How to Regain Control of Weight Loss Plan?

1. Cut the Restrictions: Find and stay away from any diet that requires one to cut out an entire food group or everything one enjoys because these unrealistic plans are the roots of this weight cycle.

2. Make a Mental Shift: Losing weight is not about willpower or how well a person can follow diet rules. Yo-yo dieting does not address the triggers or associations which lead to the path of weight gain, which is why it is so easy to return to former habits.

3. Find Help from Experts: Get experts' opinions, whether the goal is to lose weight or adopt healthier habits that will ultimately improve health with or without weight loss as the end goal.

4. Set Realistic Goals: Weight is not everything, so a person should look beyond the scale. Although it may seem simpler to measure progress with a scale, there are additional, frequently ignored changes that have an impact on general health.

How Can Healthcare Professionals Assist?

The researchers suggest that doctors and healthcare providers should monitor their patient's blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose level measurements. If medical professionals notice any variation, it may be time to intervene and examine the patient's dietary habits and lifestyle choices. Stabilizing these measurements might be a crucial step in assisting them in enhancing their health.

Conclusion:

Yo-yo dieting is a pattern of transient changes in activity and eating that only has short-term positive effects. The available research does not indicate whether it is preferable to adhere to it or continue to be overweight. Altering one's lifestyle in a small but lasting way is the best action. However, many yo-yo dieters return to their previous weight, if not worse, which can increase body fat percentage at the expense of strength and muscle mass. It can also result in high blood pressure, fatty liver, heart disease, and diabetes. This frustrating cycle can be broken by making small, permanent lifestyle changes that can make a big difference and result in sustainable weight loss and better health in the long run.