Say Goodbye To Yo-Yo Dieting

Talk about yo-yo diets; I’ve got to the point where I’m suffering from a bit of vertigo! The condition comes from years of bouncing up and down, up and down, and then up and down some more. I haven’t literally been bouncing around, but my weight has. I’m like Oprah without the money, the talk show, or the best friend Gayle.

My problem is this – though I love health, fitness, and extreme sports, I also love to eat. And if I allow myself, I could eat all day, and sometimes I do, which has led to years of yo-yo dieting. I’m not proud of this, but I do need to confront the problem if I am going to correct it.

More and more research has confirmed that yo-yo dieting can be hazardous for your health. A study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology of 485 female heart patients found that yo-yo dieters had low levels of HDL cholesterol – the good kind – that helps prevent heart disease. The HDL deficit was particularly acute in women who had lost and regained 50 or more pounds.

Get Off The Yo-Yo Diet Cycle for a Healthier Life

Get Off The Yo-Yo Diet Cycle for a Healthier Life

Yo-yo dieting can even increase our risk of cancer, according to Dr.Cornelia M. Ulrich of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center In Seattle,Wash. Dr. Ulrich took 114 overweight women older than 50 years and asked them about their weight histories. About 85 of the women had lost more than 10 pounds at least once via. dieting in the previous 20 years, while more than 55 of the women had done it more than two times.

The researchers also measured the levels of natural immune system cells “killer cells” that kill viruses and could help fight cancer.

The women who had yo-yo’d more than five times measured the lowest levels of the killer cells; women whose weight had been stable for several years measured the highest levels. Even women who had only twice lost large amounts of weight showed a decrease in the killer cells.

How do we fall into the yo-yo cycle? For me it starts when I forget or neglect to eat mindfully. Instead I eat whatever I want whenever I want justifying my actions with excuses and rationalizations. When I finally get on the scale after a period of falling off the wagon, I’m obviously horrified. At this point, I and others like me, become impatient wanting to lose the weight as soon as possible; so we look for quick fixes.

We go on fad diets and rejoice as pounds, which are often water weight, disappear. But soon, we burn out and resume our old habits. There have even been times when I’ve taken the slow, safe approach, only to eventually forget myself and slowly but surely put the pounds back on.

Simply put, permanent weight loss requires a life long commitment taking in no more calories than we use. Anyone who wants to lose weight but can’t make that commitment is bound to end up on the yo-yo. Personally, I’m ready to throw out the yo-yo and replace it with continual conscious and nutritional eating. You’re welcome to join me on this journey.