You lose ten pounds, then gain them right back, sometimes gaining more than you lost. A few weeks pass and you're dieting again, only to end the diet shortly after you begin.

If this sounds familiar, it's a common situation with those fighting the battle of the bulge. Although it's fantastic to drop those pesky pounds, doing such through yo-yo dieting may end up doing more harm to one's health than good. Although most dieters yo-yo diet in order to get the weight off, here are some of the situations that can spark from doing such:

- Yo-Yo dieting might create a situation where the dieter isn't able to stay on a diet for more than a few hours, much less the few weeks necessary for losing the weight.

- Yo-Yo dieting puts the dieter at high risk for weight gain because they generally gain back more weight than they lost. They may think, "I lost x-amount of weight last time, so I know that I can lose an additional five or ten pounds'. Soon, weight bellies out of control.

- Yo-Yo dieting puts the body at risk for certain illness due to its weakened state.

If you find that you are continually dieting, meet with your doctor asap to discuss how you can break the cycle. Do it for you! Make your next diet your last diet so that you can enjoy life without thoughts of dieting.