Why You Should Avoid the Yo-Yo Diet

Statistics show that more than half of the U.S. adult population wants to lose weight. Unfortunately, many of these people take the wrong approach to weight loss by engaging in something known as "yo-yo dieting." This involves dieting for a little while, followed by reverting back to your old unhealthy eating habits, and then dieting again. It's called yo-yo dieting because the healthy habits switch back and forth like a yo-yo. And while yo-yo dieting may sound harmless, research shows that it may have some profoundly negative impacts on your health.

According to a new study published in the medical journal Circulation, people who engage in yo-yo dieting have a 127% higher risk of early mortality than their counterparts. In other words, researchers found that men and women with the highest variations of their weight were more than twice as likely to die early than men and women with the lowest variations of their weight.

Researchers also found that participants with the highest variations of body weight were more than 40% more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke. This is concerning since heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women, accounting for more than 610,000 deaths in the United States each year. 

Upon hearing this news, you may be hesitant to exercise, fearing that it will increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and other chronic or severe health problems. Researchers say, though, that these findings shouldn't discourage anyone from attempting to lose weight. If you're currently overweight or obese, it's important that you make the necessary lifestyle changes to shed those extra pounds and get back to a healthy weight. Being overweight places great stress on your body, and it can lead to a wide range of chronic illnesses when left unchecked.

"High variability of fasting blood glucose and total cholesterol levels, systolic blood pressure, and body mass index was an independent predictor of mortality and cardiovascular events. There was a graded association between the number of high-variability parameters and cardiovascular outcomes," wrote the study's researchers.

Losing weight requires a combination of both dieting and exercise. If you're trying to lose weight, strive for a minimum of 75 minutes of exercise per week. And when planning your meals, focus your meals around lean meats, whole grains and vegetables. These two tips will go a long ways in helping you shed those unwanted pounds.