Home » Why Some People Are So Prone to Yo-Yo Dieting

Why Some People Are So Prone to Yo-Yo Dieting

by K. Aleisha Fetters
Last Updated : March 28th, 2018

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One month you’re eating Paleo, working out six days per week, counting calories, and stuffing your Insta feed with #fitspo posts. The next, you’re glued to the couch for Netflix and bingeing on takeout.Sound familiar? You’re not the only woman prone to overhaul-or-bust weight-loss plans. You’re either “on” or you’re “off,” and while you might know this isn’t good for you, some of us can’t help it. Crash diets and drastic lifestyle makeovers are just too attractive. Here’s why that is and how to break the cycle.

Why You <3 Dieting Full Speed Ahead

Apart from making you feel like you’re getting a clean break from your “bad” behaviors, many of us tend to be overly confident about our ability to stick with plans that aren’t completely sustainable, says Benjamin Gardner, D.Phil, a health research psychologist at the King’s College London, specializing in behavioral change and habit formation.

That might explain why some experts think that women with type-A personalities are the most likely to rely on all-or-nothing weight-loss strategies. “Personal achievement is important to them and it stresses them out,” says Jim White, R.D., owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “They want to see fast results—and with this approach they do so and feel that they’re achieving their goals,” he says. “But even the most disciplined person can’t maintain deprivation.”

The net result: weight gain and more go HAM or go home attempts.

“It’s well-documented that some people are prone to believe they are better at overcoming challenges than others,” says Gardner. “But trying to maintain high levels of effort to control our diet and exercise can deplete our willpower.” And when we relapse just once from a strict diet or exercise regime, it feels like a complete failure, which leads to further relapses, he says.

Read the rest of the article at Women’sHealthMag.com


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