The Ups and Downs of Yo-Yo Dieting

by Liz Neporent (Subscribe to Liz Neporent's posts)
Jul 22nd 2009 2:00PM

Categories: Diet & Weight Loss, Fit or Fiction

Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and author of 12 fitness bestsellers. She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider. You can also follow her on Twitter @lizzyfit.

Photo: lockstockb, sxc.hu

Does yo-yo dieting make it harder to lose weight in the long run? - Jackie Gardner, ME

"Hey, I can lose 10 pounds – I've done it a hundred times." That seems to be the mantra of the typical American dieter. Repeatedly losing and regaining weight may be frustrating, but this pattern does not appear to make losing weight more difficult.

In the 1980s, when scientists first began researching weight cycling, better known as yo-yo dieting, they speculated that it would make weight loss tougher by causing a metabolism slowdown. The theory seemed sound enough: When dieters lose weight, they lose (in addition to fat) large amounts of muscle, but when they regain weight, researchers guessed, they primarily put on fat. So, the repeated cycle of losing muscle -- which burns more calories than fat -- and gaining fat would only slow down a dieter's metabolism, making weight loss that much more difficult.

Logical as this theory sounds, research ultimately disproved it. In 1994, the National Institutes of Health and the National Task Force on the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity released a joint statement on weight cycling based on a review of several dozen weight-loss studies. Their conclusion: Yo-yo dieting doesn't seem to cause long-term metabolic damage. As it turns out, even though about 25 percent of weight lost from dieting without exercise is lean body tissue, about 25 percent of regained weight is also lean body mass, including muscle, which builds up to support the extra weight you've gained.

Still, despite what the research says, many chronic dieters swear they have a tougher time losing weight with each successive attempt and also a tougher time maintaining the weight they do lose. This may be the case for many people, just probably not for the reasons described above. One factor may be age. Every time you try to lose weight, you are, of course, older than you were last time. As you age, you tend to lose muscle, which slows your metabolism. You may also experience hormonal changes that tend to encourage fat gain. In addition, as people get older, they tend to be less active, which makes weight loss even harder.

All of this is why it's so important to add to any diet some form of exercise, but especially weight training. Lifting weights will help you preserve at least some of the muscle mass typically lost (temporarily) by dieting and (inevitably) due to age. You'll also look better of course; no matter what you weigh, you'll look firmer and shapelier.

What is your experience with yo-yo dieting? Do you feel it's killed your metabolism? Email or tweet me.

Comments (2)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Dr. David Robinson 7-22-2009 @ 5:04PM

"Diet" & "Weight Loss" are terms that indicate an incomplete and futile approach to proper body composition and a healthy lifestyle. If ANY approach from these venues worked, obesity rates would not STILL be increasing and the following stats would not exist!:
• The USSG reports that over 65% of Americans are overweight to obese.
• The Centers for Disease Control report that more than 300,000 people die each year from illnesses caused by or made worse by obesity.
• According to the American Diabetes Association obesity and sedentary lifestyles are THE primary cause of type II diabetes which now affects over 7 percent of the population, an estimated 20.8 million adults and children.
• Federal projections estimate that by 2050, some 48 million Americans (close to 1/3 of the population) will have type II diabetes, with all its complications in tow, such as blindness, hearing loss, kidney disease, nervous system disorders and amputations of extremities.
• The UCLA RAND Center found that obesity raises a person’s health care costs by 36% and medication costs by 77% (an average $395 per year) and they have 30% - 50% more chronic health problems.
• The World Health Organization reports that over 72% of all deaths in U.S. are the result of heart disease, lung disease, diabetes & degenerative diseases.
• W.H.O. cited that such chronic conditions are preventable for the most part and are primarily resulting from unhealthy practices and concluded that the very expensive U.S. drug-based system is NOT reducing the rate at which conditions become chronic and continue to plague the U.S.
• The U S Surgeon General reports that approximately 45% of US adults use tobacco regularly
• The Centers for Disease Control’s report that over 15% of US children ages 8 - 16 are overweight to obese.
http://www.DrDavidRobinson4Health.com

Todd29 9-06-2009 @ 4:02AM

NO-ONE WILL LOSE WEIGHT UNLESS THEY WANT TO! Stop dieting; keep track of everything that you eat each day. Secret information will help you to get the body that you want. Each day keep your body properly hydrated with plain water and definitely limit your sodium intake. Keep mindless grazing to a minimum. Remember; eat to live, don’t live to eat! A daily regimen is needed by everyone and that regimen includes proper nourishment. Diets and diet aids do not help anyone! The only way to successfully lose weight and get the body that you deserve is by using secret information. This information is in the book Lose Weight Using Four Easy Steps which can be ordered through the website www.bbotw.com Everyone who has gotten a copy of these secrets has lost weight and become healthier.