Yo-yo diets are ways of eating that result in quick weight loss followed by equivalent or greater weight gain. Many different food plans can result in this type of weight loss, including all starvation diets and many different fad diets. Even relatively healthy eating plans, like adopting vegetarianism or reducing carbohydrates, can turn into yo-yo diets if the dieter in question is emotionally unable to cope with the changes and responds to them by binging. Usually, diets that are obviously unhealthy and drastic are considered yo-yo diets because of their unsustainable nature. Yo-yo dieting, or weight cycling, typically refers to the entire process of dieting, so it includes not only what type of food is eaten but why the body relapses as well.
Starvation diets are a very common type of yo-yo diet. Completely ceasing food consumption or drastically reducing calories, even in favor of cleansing drinks or other substances, cannot result in permanent weight loss. These diets go by many different names, including cleansing diets and emergency diets. Although they often result in immediate weight loss, the body usually responds by storing up more fat when the person begins to eat, bringing all the weight back on.
Extremely restrictive diets are also common yo-yo diets, because people must still be able to enjoy eating in order for a weight-loss plan to be sustainable. If a person cannot imagine eating a certain way for the rest of his or her life, then it is reasonable to assume that the diet is unsustainable. When a diet is too restrictive, a person typically rebounds by eating large quantities of forbidden food emotionally. This causes weight gain, and the original plan is considered unsuccessful.
Even healthy diets can become yo-yo diets if a person is unable to stay with the restrictions or feels anxiety when on the diet. For example, adopting a vegetarian diet will not result in permanent weight loss if the person is not committed to healthier eating overall. When weight loss and healthy eating are seen as a trophy to be obtained rather than a lifelong commitment, weight gain after a diet is very common. As such, any weight-loss plan that does not mentally prepare people for a commitment to health can be seen as a yo-yo diet.
Many people who are new to weight loss or who do not understand how dieting works adopt popular fad diets in an effort to lose weight quickly and get the process over with. Rapid weight loss, as a rule, is a symptom of unhealthy dieting. Most people can actually sustain only a very small amount of weight loss at a time. By maintaining a gradual weight loss plan, a person is able to lose almost any amount of weight and keep it off.