5 Reasons Why Yo-Yo Dieting Is Bad For Your Body

Maintaining a healthy body and weight can be challenging. If we look at it in athletics terms, it’s very much a marathon and not a sprint… A ‘slow and steady wins the race’ kind of deal.

Despite the best approach to weight loss being a consistent one of unwavering ground rules and best practice, that doesn’t stop many people from adopting a different style. ‘Yo-yo dieting’ is very popular amongst a lot of people out there wishing to lose weight.

Trying different fad diets and yo-yo dieting can seem to produce results in the short term, but more often than not, the results prove themselves temporary. Weight is regained and then a new fad diet is undertaken. Not only is it an ineffective long-term idea, but yo-yo dieting is often pretty detrimental to our health.

Here we explain why weight cycling isn’t a great idea and look to suggest better, more sustainable alternatives…

What is yo-yo dieting?

Yo-yo dieting (also known as ‘weight cycling’) refers to losing weight, regaining it, and then repeating this process in quick succession. It has been linked to an increase in body fat percentage in several studies. It can also cause additional changes that make losing weight more difficult.

Fat is much easier to restore than muscle mass¹ during the weight increase phase of yo-yo dieting. So, as a result of varying diets, your body fat percentage may increase.

One assessment of various scientific studies indicated that in 11 of 19 trials, a history of yo-yo dieting resulted in a higher body fat percentage (and more belly fat) than before the dieting began.²

1. Muscle mass can decrease

When you lose weight on a diet, it’s not just down to a decrease in body fat. You also lose muscle mass. Fat is easier to put back on, so a near-constant on/off diet regime – over time – won’t just see body fat increase, but muscle mass decrease.³

A drop in muscle means a drop in physical strength. This can make exercise harder.

A great way to overcome a loss in muscle mass is by keeping fit – despite a potential drop-off in strength – and by ensuring that your diet is packed full of protein.

2. Short-termism can negatively impact a healthier lifestyle

The idea of massive results in a short amount of time is what makes them attractive. It’s also what makes most diets detrimental to long-term weight control.

“Follow this diet for six months and lose 10kg!” That’s an appealing idea. The trouble is, after those six months, the diet ends and you’re left to your own devices again – free to slip back into old habits and, perhaps, gain weight again by failing to stop food cravings.

Diets encourage short-term thinking and can stop us from looking at the bigger picture. To lose weight, control it going forward and live healthily, we must approach our diet and exercise routine as part of our overall lifestyle. Make them a permanent mindset, not a quick goal.

3. It’s bad for your morale and – perhaps – your mental health

Yo-yo dieting causes peaks and troughs in your weight. It can also do the same with your state of mind. While losing weight can make you feel great, putting it back on can be a real blow. This can lead to frustration, anger, low mood and even feelings of stress, anxiety and depression.

One of the main issues seems to be that yo-yo dieting can lead to feelings of a lack of agency. People see their weight go up and down and start to believe that it’s something outside of their control. This can not only lead to low self-esteem but to increasingly negative attitudes about their own body and image.

4. It may increase your blood pressure

Yo-yo-style weight gain has also been associated negatively with high blood pressure. Those that yo-yo diet are often shown to have higher blood pressure than those that don’t.⁴ Worse than this, yo-yo dieting looks to be capable of lessening the beneficial effect of weight reduction on blood pressure in the future.

A study of more than 65 adults discovered that those who had a history of yo-yo dieting saw their blood pressure improve significantly less when losing weight later on.⁵ That effect was shown to lessen over time, but it’s still something best avoided. How can you avoid it? Swerve yo-yo diets in the first place.

5. You’re at a higher risk of heart disease

Weight increase and fluctuating weight raise the risk of heart disease. The bigger the weight shift, the greater the risk.

According to one evaluation of the research, substantial fluctuations in weight over time doubled the risk of mortality from heart disease.⁶

Weight cycling has also been linked to coronary artery disease,⁷ which is characterised by a narrowing of the arteries that supply the heart.

Weight gain, even more than obesity, raises the risk of heart disease.⁸ While being overweight isn’t optimal for the heart, it may be preferable to losing and gaining weight several times.

According to one study, the risk of heart disease increases with the extent of the weight swing – the more weight lost and regained during yo-yo dieting, the higher the risk.⁹

Summary

Diets aren’t all bad. Many of the tenets contained within a lot of them are correct, and there’s a lot to learn from them. That said, for real weight control and optimal health, it’s vital to avoid yo-yo dieting. Instead, try to embrace a holistic approach to your health that includes long-term good eating and exercise. To help maintain positive eating habits, consider viewing our tips on how to eat healthy on a budget.