The Pitfalls Of Yo-Yo Diets And How They Can Be Avoided

"Yo-yo" dieting or "weight cycling" is something that many people have difficulty with during their lifetimes.  It is when weight is lost rapidly and then gained again, equally as quickly due to the way in which the body responds to the lack of calories being taken in.      

If you have experienced this you have probably questioned why it happens.  Well, when the food you eat contains very few calories or if you miss meals and starve yourself, the short term results are often encouraging but before long your body realizes that there are not enough calories coming in for it to function properly and its safely measures come in to play.     

The body decides enough is enough and starts to save all the energy it can.  Your metabolism, the way the body converts calories to energy slows down considerably and the weight loss you have been enjoying previously comes to a grinding halt.

When you find yourself on this plateau and the weight is no longer falling off, you become disheartened and return to your old eating habits.  This results in the weight going back on again and quite often you become heavier than you were before you started your diet.     

The metabolism starts to work less and less efficiently every time sudden dieting is embarked upon.  Due to less calories being taken in, there is a loss of muscle tone which, in turn, slows the metabolism down even more so.  A regular indication of this happening is flabby upper arms where the triceps muscle tone has been lost.   

When you are trying to lose weight, if you don't want to end up back where you started you need to follow a long term sensible and healthy eating plan.  This is far more emotionally and physically beneficial.

You should aim for a modest weight loss as shedding small amounts of fat at a time really does improve your health.

A gradual drop in your calorie intake works better than a sudden drop, so take things one step at a time.   

Think of your diet as healthy eating and not as some kind of punishment you have to put yourself through in order to reach your ideal weight.   

Consider making a few changes to your lifestyle if necessary.   Are you eating the wrong food, at the wrong times and for the wrong reasons?  Take up a new form of physical activity to get you motivated.   

If you find yourself sticking at the same weight for a while, then increase your exercise routine a little, stop missing meals or half starving yourself and remember to eat every three hours or so, but only small portions.

Most importantly, don't miss your breakfast - it's the meal that gets your metabolism working early in the day.

1. Prev:Fat Burning Furnace Products
2. Next:Basic Tips For Successful Diet Plans