Dangers of Yo-Yo Dieting

Dangers of Yo-Yo Dieting

Yo-yo dieting is the process of dieting so you lose some weight, then gaining it back again, then dieting so you lose some more, and so on. Your weight goes up and down, like a yo-yo.

And there is a danger of dieting, particularly yo-yo dieting. Not only does yo-yoing fail to result in permanent weight loss, it can lead to a number of potentially serious health problems. Here are some things to watch out for.

Danger of Dieting

If your weight yo-yos, you are at increased risk for a number of health problems, including:

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Possible increased risk of diabetes, although there is conflicting research on this one
• Possible increased risk of certain cancers, although there is conflicting research on this one
• Depressed immune system, meaning you are more susceptible to illness and infection
• Osteoporosis (brittle bones)
• Slower than normal metabolism, which will make it harder to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight in the future
• Loss of muscular strength, which will, among other things, make it more difficult to exercise and efficiently burn calories in the future
• Mood swings and depression
• Changes in mental status, such as poor memory
• Increased risk of developing eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia

As you can see, there are a number of risks associated with yo-yo dieting. And of course, by definition, yo-yoing doesn't work. It doesn't help you lose weight. Well, you might lose it, but you just regain it again. So you don't get any of the benefits commonly associated with weight loss.

If you're overweight, obviously losing the excess weight will benefit your health. But clearly, yo-yoing won't. It is important to avoid the danger of dieting up and down. So how do you lose weight slowly and maintain the weight loss

How to Avoid Yo-yo Dieting

Here are some steps you can take to lose weight safely if you need to do so, and to avoid dangerous yo-yo dieting:

• Avoid fad diets, like diets that require you to eat only a few foods or diets that severely limit what you can eat.
• Also avoid diets that promise to help you lose large amounts of weight in a short period of time. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And losing a lot of weight very rapidly is not healthy, anyway.
• Instead, eat a wide variety of foods every day. Include foods from all the food groups.
• Plan a daily diet that you can expect to maintain over a long period of time. Don't do any severe diets that you might be able to imagine doing for a few days or weeks but not forever.
• Make sure you get enough calories to support your bodily functions. Most people need at least 1200 calories a day. Depending on your weight, your activity level, and some other things, you might need more than that. If you're not sure how many calories you should eat in a day, talk to your doctor or to a registered dietitian.
• If you need to lose weight, plan to lose one to two pounds per week. Losing slowly will help you avoid some of the danger of dieting.
• Plan healthy meals in advance. Don't wait until you're starving and then look for something to grab from the fridge.
• Talk to your doctor about the danger of dieting and what healthy foods you should include in your diet.
• Learn positive, healthy ways to manage stress. See a counselor for help managing stress if you need to.

Yo-yo dieting is the process of dieting so you lose some weight, then gaining it back again, then dieting so you lose some more, and so on. Your weight goes up and down, like a yo-yo.