Yo-Yo Dieting: Is this Method Really Bad?

Every since Kelly D. Brownell, Ph.D of Yale coined the phrase "yo-yo dieting" to describe a type of lose/gain pattern some people develop it has been considered bad. The process of losing and gaining weight repeatedly has a bad name and is considered harmful.

Recently some studies have questioned whether yo-yo dieting is always bad. Karen Collins, in an article written for MSNBC, July 8, 2007, mentions two studies that offer some different evidence. One was a six year study, the other one had 2500 participants. The results offer evidence that, in some cases, yo-yo dieting may be better than not losing the weight at all.

Because of our life-style there are some real drawbacks to this pattern of losing and gaining weight even though it might be considered natural. In nature yo-yo dieting is exactly the pattern that is repeated on an annual cycle. During times of plentiful food supplies animals eat and gain weight. In times of scarcity they draw on the fat stores they built up during the good times. This pretty much happens every year.

If the pattern is natural then what makes it such a no-no for people? One critical difference may be that in nature animals have to move. They must walk to find food, water, shelter, or mates. They are only idle during periods of rest. Some species will hibernate during times of want, but others must keep traveling in order to find whatever food and water they can. They continue to use their muscles.

Humans in modern times, on the other hand, have become extremely sedentary. If weight is lost and then regained on a regular basis without exercise then muscle is lost and fat gained. Muscle helps burn fat so the loss of any muscle will increase fat gain. The more fat that is gained the easier it is to gain still more fat. And it is this gain in fat and loss of muscle that makes the yo-yo pattern so dangerous.
Then in 2004 Dr. Cheskin of Johns Hopkins made the statement that yo-yo weight loss might be better than no weight loss at all. He compared it to putting down a heavy load for awhile before picking it up again.

So, is yo-yo dieting good or bad? Like so many other things it depends on a number of factors besides the mere fact of losing weight. The biggest factor was that people who benefit from yo-yo dieting exercise. They walk, go to aerobics classes, lift weights or lead active life styles that have them walking at least a couple of miles a day. These people lose fat, not muscle when they diet. When they regain weight they have the muscle to buffer the affects of the additional fat gain. Once again it seems that moderate exercise is critical to our well-being.