Yo-yo dieting refers to repeated weight loss and weight gain. The syndrome begins when someone loses a noticeable amount of weight, usually on a restricted-calorie diet, and then regains the weight.
More often, dieters will regain all of the pounds lost, and then some, when returning to their normal eating habits. This may cause them to restrict calories again, lose more weight and begin the yo-yo dieting cycle again.
Besides being terribly discouraging - gaining, losing and regaining weight can be very dangerous to your health, specifically the cardiovascular system, the digestive system and the skin.
Most weight-management experts and physicians now agree that a far better approach to long-term weight loss requires a combination of good nutrition and exercise.
By only restricting caloric intake, chronic dieters condition their bodies to survive on fewer calories, thereby putting themselves at greater risk for weight gain with the slightest increase in caloric intake.
Exercise can help offset metabolic slowing by increasing lean body mass, which means your body will burn more calories at rest. Sticking with your exercise program is crucial to maintaining your optimum weight. It helps prevent the regaining of weight and the beginning of the yo-yo dieting syndrome.
If you find that your weight is starting to creep back up, re-evaluate your nutrition and exercise program to get you back on track.
Become Aware of Danger Signals
· Emotional Snacking - Letting your emotions, good and bad, control you - you eat when you're tired, lonely, angry, frustrated, bored, or happy.
· Eating too fast - it takes 20 minutes for the brain to signal the body that its full.
· Eating unconsciously - you decide to have one small cookie or cupcake and then the whole box mysteriously disappears.
· Making poor food choices frequently - you eat potato chips, instead of an apple or have a milkshake instead of tea.
· Binging - you feel anxious about social situations where there will be lots of food and eating too much
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