Yo-yo dieting, also referred to as “weight cycling,” is when cravings overpower any positive effects that a dieter has received by following whatever program allowed them to lose weight.
You usually hear cravings and yo-yo dieting mentioned when a person loses a certain amount of weight, gains it back, and then loses it again, feeding into a vicious cycle of dieting ups and downs.
The cravings that come with yo-yo dieting can be quite a physically, as well as emotionally draining process.
Unhealthy Practices
There have been studies done on people who feed into the cravings and yo-yo diet, determining that these repeated cycles of weight loss and weight gain is an unhealthy practice. It results in the weakening of the body, as well as decrease in the functionality and strength of the body’s major organs, immune system and overall health of the individual.
Looking for a quick solution to a weight problem is more likely to end in diet failure - these quick fixes come in many forms.
When people starve themselves in order to lose weight, they are more likely to give into craving and yo-yo dieting.
Fad Diets
Another way cravings and yo-yo dieting come into play, is when a dieter chooses to follow a fad diet. Some of these diets involve eating one particular type of food group, such as grapefruits or cabbage soup, as well as eliminating major elements from a diet, such as avoiding carbs. The weight soon returns when the dieter abandons whatever strict regimen they were following, giving into cravings and yo-yo dieting patterns.
Depression and fatigue are factors that also contribute to the failure of a diet not based on healthy eating habits accompanied by regular exercise.
Once the weight creeps back, the dieter then resorts back to the quick fix for help. This pattern continues until the dieter has decided to follow a sensible diet and exercise plan, leaving behind the cravings and yo-yo dieting.
Lifelong Diet Plan
Dieters must learn how to commit to a lifelong plan to losing and maintaining their weight through healthy means. If a person is unwilling to make this sacrifice of watching what they eat, then they are more likely to fall victim to cravings and yo-yo dieting.
Giving into cravings and practicing yo-yo dieting can lead to detrimental effects on the overall health of an individual.
Cholesterol
A study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology stated that yo-yo dieters displayed low levels of the “good” cholesterol that prevents heart disease. It was also shown that women who had succumbed to their cravings and yo-yo dieted had the worst results. This was the case in women who had lost and regained at least 50 pounds.
Other complications arising from yo-yo dieting include the increased risk of developing gallstones, as well as a slight increase in a patient’s blood pressure.
Obesity
Even though the issues surrounding cravings and yo-yo dieting are disadvantageous to a person’s health, it is not worse than being an obese individual. Obesity increases a person’s risk for stroke, heart disease, diabetes, as well as cancer.
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