The yo-yo effect is that you gain weight again after following a slimming diet – sometimes you add so many pounds that you gain weight significantly. The yo-yo effect can occur multiple times – alternating between losing weight and then putting on weight. We talk about the yo-yo effect when, 5 years after the end of the weight loss process, the body weight increases by more than 5% of the weight achieved.
Reasons for the yo-yo effect
The reason appearing yo-yo effect is primarily inconsistency in people who are slimming. After the end of the slimming diet, some of them return to their old (unhealthy) eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle. This, as well as the previous period of “starvation” (limiting the calories consumed while losing weight) is a signal to the body that it is necessary to stockpile for the next possible “time of starvation”. This has the opposite effect to the intended one: after a period of rapid weight loss, there is a rapid increase in body weight, sometimes exceeding the starting weight, which was the impetus for the slimming diet. During fasting and the use of low-calorie diets, the metabolism also slows down, so after their completion, even a small surplus of energy supplied with food will not be consumed by the body on an ongoing basis. It may even happen that reducing the caloric content of meals again will not bring the expected effect in the form of weight reduction.
Frequent the reason for the yo-yo effect there is also a lack of exercise and physical activity.
The effect was riding it is also very often conditioned by stress. It comes under stress desire to snack and “eating” the problem; often such a stressful situation is the process of slimming and reducing the portion of consumed meals. When we manage to lose weight, we tend to “reward” ourselves for the effort and stress made – of course, the reward is food.
How to protect yourself from the yo-yo effect?
To protect yourself from fluctuations in weight and alternating weight loss and weight gain, i.e. yo-yo effect, follow a few simple steps rules. First, you should develop healthy eating habits and eat properly every day. No miracle diet will guarantee lasting results if we start eating unhealthy food afterwards! Secondly, you need to take care of the right dose of exercise. After completing the diet and increasing the amount of calories consumed with food, the body will quickly make up for the shortage of energy and put aside reserves in the form of fat, unless we provide it with the opportunity to get rid of the excess calories through physical activity. A healthy diet and exercise support metabolism, and thus help maintain a healthy body weight. Thirdly, it should be remembered that low-calorie diets, especially fasting, slow down metabolic processes – the body gets used to the reduced doses of calories and limits energy consumption, and even stores its source (fat) to the maximum for “hard times”. To avoid yo-yo effect the body must therefore be “persuaded” that there is no cause for concern and that it does not need to stockpile it. This can be achieved by a healthy, balanced diet, as well as by gradually exiting the body from a slimming diet, and by slowly increasing the amount of calories provided with food over the long term, so that the body and its metabolic system can get used to the changes.