Have you ever gone on a diet and felt like you were going through withdrawal from lack of chocolate and sweets? A new study by Boston University has found that you're not too far off base, reports ScienceNOW.

In fact, there are a few parallels between yo-yo dieters and drug addicts, says co-author of the study and Boston University neuroscientist Pietro Cottone. It's not just the good feeling you get when you eat, say, chocolate cake, that makes you go back for more. The study found that dieters also seek out those foods to avoid the negative feelings they experience when they don't have those foods, similar to an addict trying to avoid withdrawal, he explains.

Researchers in the study gave rats cycles of normal and then chocolate-flavored rat chow, and saw some surprising results. Rats in the control group (all regular food) ate about the same amount every day, while rats who occasionally got chocolate food began to eat far more when they got the chocolate-flavored food, but less when presented with regular food. Additionally, according to ScienceNOW, the chocolate-fed rats exhibited signs of anxiety when the chocolate-flavored food was taken away. (Um, how many of us can relate to that?)

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.

With the current state of things, I'm guessing most of us are looking for ways to save a few dollars. Here's one way: Lose weight and keep it off. I'm serious. It was recently estimated that there's nearly four billion dollars worth of unused clothes hanging in our closets, and yo-yo dieting is to blame. Our habit of constantly losing and gaining weight means we have all sizes in our wardrobes, and we have a tendency to hang onto them for years, just in case we lose or gain a few (and we often do).

Here's the thing: Yo-yo dieting is bad for your health and your wallet. It's time you adopted healthy habits, and stick with them for the long run. If you need extra motivation, consider giving your fat clothes to charity -- if you don't have your trusty old buffet pants to fall back on, maybe, just maybe, you'll be motivated to stay in good enough shape to stick to the skinny jeans?

Here's another way of looking at it: If you can stick to your gun and take off those pounds in the next little while (Give America Takes It Off a try), think of all the 'thin' clothes in your closet you can wear again -- all without spending a dime on new outfits.

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Yo-yo dieting is frowned upon, but one group may benefit if they lose weight, then gain it back.

A four-year study by Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research suggests people with type 2 diabetes who lose weight within 18 months post-diagnosis -- then eventually regain the pounds -- are twice as likely to have good blood pressure and blood glucose control than people with type 2 diabetes who did not lose weight. The study was published in this month's Diabetes Care.

Researchers speculate the body might have a metabolic memory that recalls the benefits of a lighter, fitter frame. Hmm ... permanent benefits of weight loss even when the weight creeps back on? I fondly remember my lean, mean high school basketball frame -- maybe my body does, too.

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It can be extremely hard to watch what you're eating when you live with someone who stocks the fridge with all of your favorite unhealthy foods. Janet Jackson is finding this especially true -- her world tour begins in less than a month, and she has reportedly packed on some pounds this summer thanks to Jermaine Dupri's habit of filling her fridge with pizza, fried chicken, chocolate, and ice cream.

Janet's weight has always fluctuated -- back in 2006 she gained quite a bit of weight, but was able to lose it all in just four months. Earlier this year, Janet was looking fit and fabulous, and apparently she's hoping very much to get back to that point before her tour begins.

The singer might yo-yo diet, but it sounds like she's trying to drop the pounds healthily. She is now working with a nutritionist and chef and sticking to a 1700 calorie per day diet. I assume she's working out, too -- you know she has a great song for her playlist!

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Losing weight, then gaining it back, losing it again, and gaining it back ... it's a vicious cycle that can really do a number on your body. Yo-yo dieting isn't good for your physical health -- or your emotional health. You can put a stop to the yo-yo madness once and for all. The key is understanding why it happens in the first place. Here are just a few of the ideas from AOL Body:

• You underestimate the power of sugar. High-sugar foods like refined carbs make your blood sugar spike and trigger a release of hormones that can make you feel more hungry and crave certain foods.
• You lie to yourself. You tell yourself that one indulgence won't hurt. And it won't! The problem starts when one indulgence turns into two, three, four, five, or more.
  
• You think in days. If you slip and allow yourself a treat or miss your exercise session you think "well, today's a bust ... I'll start again tomorrow." Don't let one slip mess up an entire day.

Be sure to check out the AOL Body slideshow to learn more about yo-yo dieting.

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Is thin really in? Not necessarily when it comes to heart health. Recent research suggests that even the significantly overweight can improve their cardiovascular health, without losing a pound. Not only that, but yo-yo dieting -- or repeatedly losing and gaining weight -- can actually harm your heart if you gain back those pounds in dangerous belly fat.

Like our mamas always taught us, it's what happens on the inside that counts. Even if you don't always agree with what you see in the mirror, your HDL , triglycerides, and blood sugar can tell you if you're taking care of your internal health. I don't think that means that if your numbers are good, you get a pass to eat large bowls of ice cream while watching reruns of The Sopranos, like some of us (ahem) would like to do. But what it does mean is that even after getting plenty of activity and eating a healthy diet, you can only dream of the "perfect" body on the outside, you can celebrate the fact that you've got a killer body on the inside, and that's far more important where your health is concerned.

Read more about the healthy, heavy heart at AOL Body.

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