Yo-Yo Dieting Can Cause an Increase in Body Fat

Observations from several studies have suggested that weight cycling from dieting may change an individual's body composition by reducing lean body mass and increasing total body fat. The increase in visceral fat deposits is likely due to stimulation of enzymes in white adipose tissue. Going on-and-off diets (yo-yo dieting) can become a destructive weight loss habit that is harmful to self-esteem and promotes a negative relationship with food. The more extreme the crash diet, the more unsustainable the weight loss. Experts agree that very few people can maintain the restrictive eating that is often the foundation of fad diets aimed at rapid weight loss. Moreover, the person's obsession with food can cause them to become disconnected from hormonal cues for hunger and fullness.

Embrace the Benefits of Eating Healthy

Studies on the effects of yo-yo dieting are concerning. If you goal is to lose weight and keep it off, it is important to embrace:

• how your body fights to get fat back
• why you need to find a diet and stick with it
• reasons why you should not nibble on food
• why you need to throw bad foods in trash
• importance of avoiding the clean plate club
• how natural foods balance your hormones

After completing a fad diet, most dieters are more likely than not to experience the body's starvation response, which can lead to dangerous fat stores due to the slowing of the body's metabolism.

Pay Attention to Food and Don't Let Your Mind Wander

Life would be miserable without food, so quit treating food as your enemy. Changing your outlook as to what is healthy means learning to accept your body. Nourishing your body and eating food provides the fuel for you to get things done and boosts your mental health as well. A positive outlook about weight control would have not eat while working, watching TV, or driving. Each of those situations make it too easy to mindlessly overeat while you block your body's hormonal signals to stop eating. It also may be time to change your outlook and stop viewing the number on your bathroom scales as the end of your weight loss journey. If you feel great and look good, it does not matter how much you weigh. Buying into the latest fad diet and setting unrealistic exercise goals are both shortcuts to weight loss failure.