What is Yo-Yo Dieting?
Definitions: Emotional Eating Binge Eating Anorexia Bulimia Yo-Yo Dieting What is Yo-Yo Dieting? Yo-yo dieting, or weight cycling, refers to the cycle of losing weight and regaining the amount lost, or more. A weight cycle can range from small weight losses and gains (5-10 pounds per cycle) to large changes in weight (50 pounds or more per cycle). Not confined to people who are overweight, the repeated losses and gains may have negative health consequences. It’s disheartening to successfully lose weight, only to regain it and it’s easy to fall into a loss-gain-loss cycle. Fad diets, which are often a part of yo-yo dieting, are only a temporary fix to a problem that often has its roots in poor body image and a lack of self-esteem.
It is a term that most of us have experienced. We suddenly become conscious of our increasing waistline and decide to take drastic measures, enroll for a weight management program and start to exercise. In time it yields results and the excess pounds are lost. When we are happy with the results we return to our old life style and eating habits, the inevitable happens, we again regain the lost weight in a few years. This pattern of repeated losses and subsequent regain of body weight is referred to as Yo-Yo. Research indicates that Yo-Yo dieting does more harm than good. Too many drastic ups and downs can even weaken the immune system. According to the research, women who had two to five weight-loss episodes – losing 10 pounds or more each time – had weaker immune cell activity than non-dieters. During short-term dieting, if the dieter is not exercising, half or more of the weight loss may be due to a loss of muscle. This muscle loss can cause three problems. First, with less muscle, th
by Chef Noche It has probably happened to all of us. We spend a few weeks on a low calorie diet, and lose weight, but the weight quickly comes back as soon as we stop dieting. We have just experienced Yo-Yo Dieting, or what is also known as Weight-Cycling. How Yo-Yo Dieting Occurs Say, for example, your normal diet adds up to 2,800 calories a day. During that average day, you burn 2,200 calories. The body stores these extra calories as fat for when you might start burning more calories. If you never burn the extra calories, you begin to get heavier. Now you go on a diet. Most people tend to reduce their calorie intake too low when they start a diet plan. Instead of 2,800 calories a day, you diet at 1,400 calories a day. Your body realizes this, and goes into a “starvation response” by automatically lowering your metabolic rate. Slowing your metabolic rate down lowers the amount of calories you burn in a day. Your body is adapting to the amount of calories you take in. Now, lets say two
Yo-yo dieting refers to constant fluctuations in weight through unhealthy weight loss methods. The name comes from the spinning yo-yo toy that moves up and down repeatedly. In a similar manner, yo-yo dieters repeatedly move up and down in their weight gain and loss. Yo-yo dieting is both a risk to health and an ineffective way of losing weight and keeping it off. The yo-yo dieter often tries to lose weight too quickly. He or she may skip meals, reduce calories too much, or follow fad diets. Fad diets are those that drastically restrict calories and/or stress extreme eating such as only eating grapefruit or cabbage soup. Although initial weight loss may easily result from these efforts the after effects on the body may actually limit further weight loss because the body’s metabolism tends to slow down. Metabolism refers to the body’s food burning system. When calories or nutrition is too limited, the body defends itself against starvation by storing energy and this causes a slower metab
