What is the Yo-yo Effect and How to Fight It Down?

Up and down and up again. Are you frustrated because your weight is constantly moving up and down, almost more often than the hotel elevator? This is a typical example of a yo-yo effect, and anyone who has tried just one of the “effective” diets from fancy magazines has come across it.
Why is this so? How to fight the yo-yo and lose weight once and for all. Click here! You can read all about this in my article.

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The yo-yo effect does not escape men and women, young and old alike. And unfortunately, not only does abdominal fat affect the yo-yo effect, but it also endangers health. No matter what diet you are on, the numbers tell you the same thing. Diets don’t work. In other words, they do not work in the long run. Of course, diets can help you lose weight, but in a year or two you will lose weight again and you will wonder why the yo-yo-effect has just made you.

What Is The Yo-yo Effect?

The yo-yo effect or yo-yo diet is a very common situation when you start to lose weight gradually after a lot of weight loss. If you repeat this process several times, it will turn into a vicious cycle that will make it harder to lose weight and will generally negatively affect your metabolism, and your body. [1]

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Why Is The Yo-yo Effect Harmful?

We present this to you through the following health issues that may arise as a result of the yo-yo effect. For the body, it is very shocking to lose several kilograms in a short period and then return within a year, often with a few extra pounds. Read all 6 possible negative effects of the yo-yo.

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1. Increases Appetite

Fat cells produce a hormone called leptin, which is linked to the brain and sends signals that the body has enough reserves and the brain perceives it as full. Losing fat means losing fat and less fat means less leptin. That’s why we have hunger during the diet.

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Also, the body slows down all processes to conserve energy, so, during the time you finish your diet, you will have an excessive appetite, but burn only minimal calories. This is partly why we can expect to lose more weight after a few yo-yo cycles than when we started to lose weight. [2] Let’s also look at the numbers. People who dropped out in a short time regained 30-65% of their original body weight within one year. [3] Besides, one in three dieters regained more pounds than they did at the beginning of the diet. [4]

2. Higher Fat Ratio and Less Muscle

During the yo-yo, when you add another pound of fat, the amount of fat increases faster than the amount of muscle. This causes the percentage of fat to double up to a yoyo effect. Research analysis has shown that 11 of 19 studies have shown a tendency to increased fat (mainly on the abdomen) as a consequence of the yo-yo diet. [5] [6]

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Another problem is that while you lose weight, you lose not only fat but also muscles. [7] If you gain weight again after a diet, you will recover much more fat, which results in losing more muscle at the same time. Physical fitness and weakness go hand in hand. [8] If you keep repeating the diet-obesity cycle, you will gain three times the weight of pure fat with only a minimal amount of muscle. [2]

That is why it is very important to train along with weight loss. Proper fitness training is the ideal choice for strengthening your muscles in combination with cardio training. Exercise supports muscle growth although your body is gradually losing its existing fat. [9] It should also be borne in mind that the body’s protein requirements increase during weight loss. Therefore, you should look for high-quality sources of protein that can help you reduce the amount of muscle you lose. [10] [11] You can find some useful informations about the right protein nutrition here: How Much Protein Can Your Body Build Into Muscle Mass?

3. Increases the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Even a few extra pounds can cause huge changes in your body, which can lead to heart damage and insulin resistance. [2] Constant changes in body weight are also associated with arterial narrowing. [12] Increasing body weight, rather than being overweight, increases the risk of developing heart disease. [14] According to research in 9,509 adults, the increasing risk of cardiovascular disease is directly related to changes in your weight.

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The more pounds you get rid of and the yo-yo effect you take back, the more risk you are exposed to. [15] Analysis of some studies also demonstrated that large changes in body weight over time doubled the likelihood of death from cardiac disorders. [16]

4. It Triggers Type 2 Diabetes

Each phase of losing weight and gaining weight also affects hormones, specifically the hormone responsible for cortisol stress. Elevated levels of cortisol support the deposition of fat around the abdomen, which increases the risk of developing diabetes and heart failure. [2]

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Abdominal fat is more often associated with diabetes than the leg, hip, or hand fat. However, the direct relationship between the yo-yo effect and diabetes has not been shown to the same degree in individual studies. Screening between studies revealed that 4 out of 17 studies had demonstrated a predisposition to type 2 diabetes. [17] [18]

5. Causes of Hypertension

Weight gain, including weight gain due to the yo-yo effect, leads to hypertension. What’s worse, however, is that the yo-yo effect may prevent the health effects of losing weight on blood pressure in the future.

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Research on 66 adults has found that those who once used a yo-yo diet were less successful in keeping their blood pressure healthy during losing weight. [19] However, longer-term research suggests that this effect may be lost after 15 years, meaning that juvenile mindless dieting may not be felt in middle-aged health. [20]

6. Causes Frustration

It can be very frustrating to see that all the hard work and abandonment of the diet are wasted and the only thing you can’t get rid of is the yo-yo effect. The fact is, those who have experienced the yo-yo on their skin, according to research, are not satisfied with their lives and health. [12]

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However, according to another study, the yo-yo effect is not related to depression or self-harm or negative personality phenomena. [13] Therefore, even if you have had problems with the yo-yo in the past, do not be frustrated. You may have tried some diets that were ineffective in the past, but don’t take this for your failure. It just means that the time has come to confront and fight the yo-yo effect.

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