YoYo Dieting Can Negatively Impact Metabolism

Weight cycling, or yo-yo dieting, refers to the process of losing weight, only to gain it back and the repeat cycles that occur afterwards. Numerous health risks are now being linked to weight cycling. Older adult dieters are more likely to regain fat than muscle and may never fully regain muscle mass that was lost because of weight cycling. When fat regain exceeds fat loss, it leads to high blood pressure, increased heart rate, elevated blood glucose levels and other significant health concerns. A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, concluded that weight cycling associated with fad dieting leads to adverse health outcomes with a higher risk of death. Eighty percent of weight cyclers tested gradually regained the weight they lost and ended up at the same weight or even heavier than they were before.

Trust the Process for Positive Results

The best way to avoid yo-yo dieting is to find a sustainable weight loss plan that aims at slow and steady results from mindful eating. Adopting a sustainable menu plan has many added advantages, such as:

• healthy dieting is about more than losing weight
• healthy sustainable diets support permanent weight control
• personalized diets allow you to do food prep ahead of time
• personalized diets focus on sustainable fat loss
• individualized menus help manage food spikes for increased weight loss

No matter how hard your weight journey gets, having a positive outlook about things will allow you to trust in the process and to not be obsessed with every little setback.

Change Your Outlook: Eating Right Is Not Punishment

Your outlook needs to include a double dose of patience. So, accept the fact that you're not going to lose weight or be skinny overnight. After all, you are trying to lose weight in a way that will allow you to sustain it later. So, don't become obsessed with dates and timelines but focus your attention on the little accomplishments you make every day. Life would be pretty 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. Attaining your goal weight is but one of your rewards for living a healthy lifestyle, no matter how easy or hard your journey seems.