{"id":715398,"date":"2026-07-28T13:10:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T13:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/715398\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T13:10:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T13:10:10","slug":"why-everything-we-know-about-yo-yo-dieting-is-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/715398\/","title":{"rendered":"Why everything we know about yo-yo dieting is wrong"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the periods while the weight is off, there are many health benefits to be had<\/a>, such as reduced blood pressure, lower levels of triglycerides (a type of bad cholesterol in the blood), improved cholesterol ratios, and better cardiovascular health, as well as better mental health and quality of life.<\/p>\n

When it comes to measuring those health benefits though, there is a great deal of variability, depending on factors like how much weight you lose and your previous level of obesity. \u201cThose who are already metabolically unhealthy with insulin resistance, hypertension, maybe prediabetes, don\u2019t profit as much as others from 10 per cent of weight loss,\u201d says Prof Stefan. \u201cThey need much more \u2013 15 to 20 per cent.\u201d For yo-yo dieters, when the weight comes back, their previous risk levels return.<\/p>\n

One of the most important benefits of yo-yo dieting, however, is that it can be one step closer towards permanent weight loss. We can choose to experience weight regain as a failure or as proof that, for a while, it was possible \u2013 and next time, do better. \u201cPeople who are overweight should not be discouraged from attempting to lose weight, even if they find it difficult to maintain in the long term,\u201d Prof Stefan\u2019s paper concluded. \u201cUnsuccessful weight-loss attempts are not harmful, but giving up altogether may be.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is, however, one caveat. \u201cThe main message is that not losing weight at all is a worse outcome,\u201d says Prof Stefan. \u201cBut the cells that produce insulin \u2013 which are so important when it comes to risk of diabetes \u2013 are very sensitive. They can\u2019t reproduce, they can only decline, and there is some data which suggests that weight cycling can be damaging for them. We need further studies to be sure whether or not this is a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breaking the cycle: How to lose weight and keep it off<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes it matter how we lose weight? Are some methods more permanent than others? There has been a lot of research into that question,\u201d says Prof Stefan. \u201cBariatric surgery<\/a> is the most effective. In most cases, there\u2019s not much weight regain \u2013 although it has its health problems. There\u2019s a risk of hyperglycaemia after surgery, for example. You\u2019ll need to take vitamins all your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regarding the use of weight-loss drugs, it\u2019s estimated that all the weight lost will be regained within 1.7 to two years of discontinuing the drug. That said, fad diets don\u2019t fare much better. \u201cQuick and aggressive weight loss through a very low-calorie diet like 800 calories a day for three months, results in a large amount of weight loss, but after one year, it has resulted in the highest weight gain,\u201d says Prof Stefan. \u201cIt\u2019s effective for the first eight weeks, but not the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the answer? \u201cThe most successful for continuous weight loss is to lose small amounts, maybe half a kilo a week, through diet and exercise. Then the regain is less,\u201d says Prof Stefan. \u201cSlow, steady weight loss<\/a> is ideal, and the earlier you lose weight, the better.\u201d The later you leave it, the more weight you gain, the more hungry you feel and the more primed your body becomes to return to that state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"During the periods while the weight is off, there are many health benefits to be had, such as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":715399,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[616,6647,102,2281,5438,58919,56,54,55,157732,4405],"class_list":["post-715398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-diet","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-health-and-fitness","tag-standard","tag-top-story","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-us-content","tag-weight-loss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=715398"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715398\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/715399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=715398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=715398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=715398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}