The Truth behind Yo-Yo Dieting

by Dr. Stephen Watson Laparoscopic and General Surgeon Specialising in

You diet and exercise for a few weeks or months. You lose a few pounds. Now, it’s time for a break from restrictions and time-consuming workouts. So you indulge. Your cheat day turns into a week…a month. The weight returns. What now? You start the cycle again.

A lifestyle change – rather than a short-term plan – is more effective overall. A weight loss surgery program in Perth can help. It’s easy, however, to start a yo-yo diet cycle. What’s so bad about it, though?

Emotional Toll

When you deprive yourself of certain foods, it’s psychological torture. Too much of anything is bad for you, but completely cutting it out can make you want it even more. Your body needs carbs for various functions. Unless your doctor restricts you from eating certain foods for health reasons, like an allergy or diabetes, it’s usually best to reduce the amount you eat instead of forbidding yourself from eating foods altogether. Weight loss surgery procedures in Perth can help you find a better way.

When you limit yourself to certain foods, or a very low calorie intake, your mind feels the impact of that restriction. When you allow yourself to have those foods again, you want them even more. This leads to overeating and a cycle of yo-yo dieting that affects you both mentally and physically.

Gut Bacteria Disruption

When you change how you eat often, you don’t think about the effects on the good bacteria in your stomach. However, the change in eating patterns changes the balance of gut bacteria. Those bacteria influence your metabolism, immune function, and overall nutrition, and it’s important to keep the balance stable.

A study in Israel looked at the effects of yo-yo dieting in mice. After cycles of dieting and binging, the bacteria in the mice’s guts took more than six months to return to normal. The study found that the bacteria quickened weight gain, speeding up the return to obesity and keeping them there longer.

Weight Gain

Your ultimate goal is to lose weight, and that’s what you probably do – to an extent – when you’re dieting. However, the cycle can increase weight gain and keep the pounds on longer compared to an overall lifestyle change you might find with weight loss surgery procedures in Perth.

Think about animals in nature. They eat during summer and fall months in order to gain weight and store fat for the winter, when less food is available. This process of nature keeps those animals alive. When you eat restrictively and lose weight, only to return to former eating patterns, your body interprets this as a time to store fat for the next famine so you don’t starve.

When you change your lifestyle and incorporate a healthy way of eating and exercising, such as with a weight loss surgery program in Perth, the weight comes off more easily and stays off. An occasional cheat is fine, but ending the cycle can help your weight loss goals long-term.