Yo-yo dieting is the repeated weight loss and weight gain on your body due to periods of dieting and then stop dieting. This type of dieting is not encouraged by experts because it has many side effects on your body, three side effects are given below.
1. Weight gain
The irony of it all, you diet to lose weight but instead end up gaining weight. Numerous researches, including one conducted by the University of Exeter shows that yo-yo dieters will end up gaining weight, instead of losing because your brain releases hormones that cause the body to store fat because it thinks these extremes in eating patterns are periods between famine and plenty.
This type of behavior is seen not only in humans, but in animals also where creatures that have gone through a period of famine to a period of plenty, grow fatter than ones who have never been in a famine period.
A person on yo-yo diet is also most likely to be binge eating or overeating, so the time when he is not dieting, he is gaining so much weight that he cannot possibly lose in the next period of dieting, hence he/she gradually puts on weight over a period of time.
2. Gastrointestinal complications
Yo-yo dieting can cause gastrointestinal complications like acid reflux and even ulcer because during the time when you are not dieting, you are most likely overeating and binge eating, which causes the stomach to release excess acids to digest the now sudden and abundant rush of food into the digestive system. When this digestion is over, there is excess acid remaining that might start breaking down the walls of your gut or ulcer, that might start flowing into your food pipe (acid reflux).
The bacteria population of your gut might also be affected by yo-yo dieting. This is according to a research conducted by the University of New South Wales which showed that gastrointestinal complications like inflammatory bowel disease may occur as the more than 100 trillion bacteria that live in the gut are reduced in numbers and diversity.
3. Emotional problems
Dieters are usually low on energy and blood sugars which the brain needs to function well and hence make you feel good. You find that are you are now feeling stressed and frustrated all the time and coupled with the fact that you are most likely dehydrated, may send you into depression.
Mood swings can also occur if you are swinging between dieting and binge eating very frequently indeed. Instead, you should alternate dieting with periods of healthy eating. That is, when you are not dieting, you are eating instead healthy foods but in your regular food schedule. This type of plan should not cause you to put on weight, but rather to maintain the level of weight you reduced to when coming off dieting.
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