If you have ever been on a diet, you probably know what yo-yo dieting is. This is a term used to describe someone going on a diet, losing weight, and then gaining back more when they stop dieting. Sadly, almost all people who diet go through this for a while before they eventually get it right. This can be frustrating, and can also be dangerous for your health. Understanding the dangers of yo-yo dieting and how you can overcome this unhealthy dieting cycle can help you avoid doing it again in the future.

The biggest reason why people yo-yo diet is not because they want to do so. Everyone who starts on a diet wants to lose weight and they want to keep that weight down for the rest of their lives. This can be done, but often it does not happen that way. Unrealistic diets are the biggest reasons why people fail to keep weight off and go on a yo-yo dieting spree. Fad diets are often the cause, as well as extreme diets that are hard to stay on for even a short amount of time.

Eating less and exercising is the way to go about losing weight that may not result in yo-yo dieting. However, what the person considering the diet must think about is the future. Is this eating plan something they can see themselves on in one or even five years? How about the rest of their lives? Most diet plans work if you stay on them long after you have lost weight. You can not lose and then go back to your old habits the minute you see your goal number on the scale. You will gain your weight back, and then some.

Not only is this frustrating, it can also be very dangerous for your body. Yo-yo dieting leaves you in worse shape than when you started. Many fad diets often neglect the exercise portion of weight loss. This means the dieter loses more muscle each time they diet, and they gain back pure fat. Since muscle helps to maintain metabolism, loss of muscle will result in a slower metabolic rate and your body will not burn energy efficiently. This, as you can imagine, leaves you in much worse condition even if you only gain back part of your weight.

Another danger of yo-yo dieting that you may not have considered is not only a cause but also a result. Depression can come at any time during dieting if you are not on a good diet that takes care of your health. Depression and sadness can come when a diet fails or stutters, leaving the door wide open to binge eating to deal with emotions. To avoid these feelings, think about your diet, exercise more, and talk with your doctor if feelings of sadness persist.