Why do I yo-yo diet?
Article by Diet Bites
On, Off & Then Back On Again, The Crazy Unpredictable Ride
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 started.
If this sounds familiar, it's a common situation with those fighting the battle of the bulge known as YoYo Dieting.
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Although it's fantastic to drop those pesky pounds, doing such using this method may end up doing more harm to one's health than good.
Health Note: This type of dieting does not refer to those who go on a fat reduction method in which there are months to years in-between failed attempts to drop excess pounds.
Health Complications Involved With This Method of Losing
It might create a situation where the individual isn't able to stay on a reduction plan for more than a few hours, much less the time necessary for losing to recommend size.
In the beginning, the majority of individuals didn't intend to get trapped in this scenario. They started out full of hope and instilled with dreams that this time they would experience permanent success and win the battle. But somewhere along the path, something happened that ended the plan they were using. It may have been temptation of a certain food or drink; it may have been boredom or a tasteless menu. Quitting may have been due to an eating plan that was simply too restrictive in energy values, leaving the individual feeling weak and worse than they did when they had been a few pounds heavier.
They may have quit because of a certain event such as a vacation - or due to a particular time of the year, such as the holidays when it's almost impossible to lose fat with so many tempting foods on every corner.
Whatever the reason, the plan ended. Next, time passed. It may have been quite a long span of time - and it typically is before the cycle takes fully hold. Then they went on another diet and it generally didn't last as long as the last one did. They quit, then a shorter time between plans occurs before they start yet another attempt to lose the fat. Before they realize what is happening, they are in a constant state of dieting without seeing any positive results. In fact, most individuals who become locked in this desperate attempt to lose tend to end-up weighing more.
This is because after one eating plan ends - they make up for lost time by overeating before starting the next plan.
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Referring to the last bullet point, Yo-Yo dieting puts the person at high risk for gaining because they generally pack more fat back onto the body than they lost.
Keep in mind that this method is one where the individual's plan grows shorter and shorter each time they make an attempt to lose the fat. While they may be locked in an endless circle of continuous dieting, they are off the restricted plan more than they are on it. But because the days in-between the plans are generally sparse, it opens the floodgate for disaster for the bathroom scales.
The individual may think, "I lost x-amount of pounds last time, so I know that I can lose an additional five or ten'. Soon, weight gain bellies out of control as the individual freely consumes their food favorites. They may gain twenty or more pounds, thinking that they can get rid of them easily in a certain amount of time. But at some point, the virtual amount of bulk which has been added to the body's frame becomes unmanageable.
Yo-Yo dieting puts the body at risk for certain illness due to its weakened state.
In Summary
If you find that you are continually dieting, meet with your doctor as soon as possible to discuss how you can break the cycle. Do it for you and make your next attempt at losing the fat your last so that you can enjoy life fully.
Take note that this mode of losing can also lead to digestive disturbances as well as health conditions associated with eating disorders.
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