The Yo-Yo Dieting Dilemma

The Yo-Yo Dieting Dilemma

Not too long ago, a study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina reinforced the idea that dieting makes you fatter, particularly yo-yo dieting.

The researchers looked at overweight postmenopausal women who had lost an average of 12 percent of their initial starting weight.  When analyzing their change in body composition from the weight loss, it was found that 67 percent was fat loss and 33 percent was loss of lean body mass.

These results are worth examining before moving on.  Loss of lean body mass is the norm when following traditional weight loss advice.  Loss of lean body mass (LBM) will significantly reduce base metabolic rate because LBM burns more calories than fat.  Loss of LBM will also trigger survival mechanisms which will result in increased sensations of hunger.  This makes the dieter more prone to regain their lost weight even when eating less food.

The researchers also found that almost all the women in the study regained weight during the following 12 months.  Some women actually weighed more at the 12 month mark than they weighed before losing weight in the first place.

However, the most alarming insight was that when they rechecked body composition, they found that 81 percent of the weight regained was fat and only 19 percent was muscle.  In other words, significantly more fat was regained than lost muscle.

This observation is very important because in the end, their body composition was much worse than when they started.  They actually ended up fatter than when they started regardless of how much weight they gained back and their metabolism was also slower/lower.

“The loss of lean body mass is the number one problem with traditional dieting methods and is why they are doomed to failure and frustration in almost all cases.  Yo-yo dieting will result in a vicious cycle which leaves you fatter after each failed attempt.  It is critical that lean body mass be maintained or increased for lasting results and achieving optimal health,” according to  Tom Griesel, a long time health researcher and co-author of TurboCharged: Accelerate Your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise rules in the Dust.