Dans Papers - May 25, 2007

I am constantly losing and gaining the same ten pounds. Sometimes I feel like a hamster in a cage - running in circles, never making any progress - and it's really frustrating. This disadvantageous cycle is known as yo-yo dieting and it goes something like this: you start a diet with the intention to lose weight fast, probably not exercising as much as you should, which results in a lowered metabolic rate, and your body starts to burn fewer calories than it did before. Then eventually, for whatever reason, you quit the diet. Now, you're back to your old eating habits, possibly eating more than you did before the diet. As a result, because your body sensed deprivation during the diet, you gain more weight than you lost. Finally, you go back on a diet, your metabolic rate lowers even more, and the cycle continues.

When the body goes through an initial adaptation of eating less, it assumes we are starving and automatically lowers our metabolic rate (the amount of calories we burn each day) to protect us. For example, before starting a diet, your body might require 1,500 calories daily, but after unhealthy dieting, it might drop to 1,300 - leaving you with 200 unburned calories each day, which will inevitably result in weight gain. When weight is lost at a rapid rate, our body breaks down muscle tissue and fat stores for energy purposes. When weight is lost slowly, the body uses less lean muscle tissue and uses our fat stores more. In layman's terms, you do not want to lose lean muscle. The more you have, the more calories you burn every day, and the more weight you will lose. It has been established by weight-loss experts that a dieter shouldn't lose more than two pounds per week.

Choosing to lose more than this will most likely result in yo-yo dieting.

There are many reasons why yo-yo dieting is prevalent in our society. Most people are looking for a quick fix. However, the body is smart and catches on. It starts to conserve energy, which results in the metabolism slowing down and the dieter subsequently hits a plateau. This is when maintaining the diet becomes a struggle and ultimately the weight is gained back, usually with more than they started. The body's metabolism becomes less efficient with each try at dieting and more muscle tone is usually lost. Once again, the less muscle tone you have, the harder it is to lose weight.

It seems like every day there is a new fad diet, weight-loss book or pill that promises quick results. In the past 25 years, the obesity rate has soared in our country - these remedies obviously aren't working.

I hate to admit it, but the old saying "eat less, exercise more" rings truer each time a diet fails me. There are several guidelines to follow on your journey to a healthy, fit and active body. Like I mentioned before, stay away from diets that promise a quick fix and strive for a weight loss of two pounds or less each week. Exercise regularly, focusing on building muscle. Muscle appears lean, strong and sleek. Fat does not. Also, set small goals. Even a small amount of weight loss will improve your health. As far as the actual diet, experts recommend having small snacks throughout the day rather than three large meals because each time you consume food, your body experiences an increased metabolic rate. This will also prevent extreme hunger, which sometimes results in overeating.

This knowledge has motivated me to break the vicious cycle of constantly losing and gaining weight. In addition to the physical setbacks, yo-yo dieting is a constant emotional and mental blow. If you are also suffering from this affliction, cut the string on your yo-yo and end the struggle. It will take some hard work, but do you want to be on a diet for the rest of your life?