We wanted to do an article on yo-yo dieting because we really do feel that many people do not know just what yo-yo dieting is all about.

OK I know you know how to do it because many of you will have had this problem for a long time.

The Diet Dilemma

If you have never dieted in your life or maybe you have just tried a couple of diets – well you guys are the lucky ones. It will be easy for you to do it right the first time, and ditch the diet. If only the rest of us could have done it right the first time and not wasted endless energy on the losing/gaining game. Because here is the thing.

Every time you fail at the attempt, your ability to lose/gain the weight you need to decreases. Then you keep telling yourself you ‘just can’t do it’ etc – the negative self talk starts to take over your life.

However I always feel so thankful that the body allows you to burn off fat or regain lean muscle if that is what you need to do. How would you feel if your body was like the old childhood saying and if the wind changed your body would be stuck forever in the state it is now. That would not be funny, so this is why, on the DietDitch program, we strongly advise you not to rely on the old YO-YO.

Why?

Well I started thinking about this when my mom told me the story of one of her friends. She thought it didn’t matter if she gained 10 to 15 lbs every few months because she could go on a crash diet and drop the weight on the scale quite quickly if her weight was creeping up.

When mom explained the yo-yo no-no to her she said she had never thought about it in that way. The penny dropped and it started to make perfect sense. But what are we talking about here? Well even though the scale was showing she was at an OK weight, one she had felt comfortable with in the past, she didn’t feel that weight, she didn’t look that weight and her clothes didn’t fit like they use to at that weight.

We Will Explain.

Please note: this is a simplified scenario.

• Jools start weight is 170 lbs
• He puts on 10 lbs of fat and feels terrible
• He goes on a crash diet and looses 10 lbs – 5lbs of fat, 2lbs of water and 3 lbs of lean muscle.
• He is now back to 170lbs but his lean muscle to fat ratio in his body has changed.
• He now has 5 lbs more fat on his body and 3 lbs less lean muscle.
• If he yo-yo’s 3 more times in the year he now has 20lbs more fat on his body but has lost 12 lbs or lean muscle. But he still weighs 170lbs.
• People start asking him if he has put on weight again
• He says ‘no I am still at 170lbs”
• They say “really”?
• Bummer.

So What Does Lean Muscle Do?

1. Burns fat – keeps our metabolism functioning.
2. Keeps us strong
3. Protects our bone structure
4. Holds our body together
5. Lets us move with ease

Do you get it? So glad you do. We need that lean muscle so let’s ditch the yo-yo.