A person who loses body weight, gains, loses and gains all over again is known to be suffering from the “Yo-Yo Syndrome”. Experts are of the opinion that repeated means to burn fat during this phase can reverse the metabolism rates in such a way that you will be gaining weight abnormally and losing inches will become near to impossible.
A team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania noticed this peculiar trend of weight gain in obese women. It was observed that in spite of continuous efforts made by obese women to lose weight effectively, not much calories were being lost. In fact, these women were on heavy crash diets that restricted about 600-800 calories per day.
To arrive at a basis for the Yo-Yo Syndrome the Pennsylvania team conducted a study on rats. There were 2 cycles that the rats were meant to go through to reduce body weight. In the first cycle, the rats lost weight in 21 days and gained weight in 46 days. In the second cycle, the rats took more time, that is, 46 days to lose weight while gaining weight was as easy and fast as in 14 days.
The study, thereby, confirmed that gaining weight was much easier than losing weight when it came to Yo-Yo’s (as they are called) forcing quick loss diets in their daily life. Kelly Brownell, a psychologist explained this study as “diet-induced obesity”, which can be very much applicable to people as well who are trying to cut calories but only as a temporary phase and then gaining again to be called the “Yo-Yo’s”.
How do you Get Rid of the Yo-Yo Syndrome?
Listed below are few tips from experts to get rid of the “Yo-Yo” tag (source):
- Plan portion control of your meals — small meals and increase the frequency of the small meals
- Exercise to keep your body moving
- Include variety in your diet — proteins, carbohydrates, fat, grains, fruits and vegetables for minerals and vitamins etc.
- Consult a professional, doctor or dietitian to solve your weight problems
- Focus on slow and steady weight loss
- Allow healthy snacks in between your meals
- Do not rely too much on supplements
- Drink plenty of water, fruit and/or vegetable juice
Dieting does not mean giving up food. Instead, it has a lot to do with recognizing the foods that can fool you and the healthy intake of foods and nutrients coupled with exercise and activity. Look for effective weight loss plans, like the above, to guarantee a permanent ideal weight.
Benefits of Loosing Even Slightest of Weight:
The immune system is the technical name given to the natural protection system of our body. It consists of a collection of different types of cells which work as a unit saving our body from germs, viruses and other invaders. There is a natural balance maintained by these cells among themselves. Excess fat in obese people is one among the factors which disturb this balance. As a result, these protector cells turn hostile instead.
Researchers from Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, have found recently that even slightest weight loss can have a very positive influence on the immune system of obese people suffering from Type 2 Diabetes. When the immune system cells turn hostile, Pro-inflammatory’ immune cells are produced in large number to cause destruction in the body. The research study found that by reducing body weight in obese diabetic patients, the presence of these Pro-inflammatory’ immune cells can be reduced by 80 percent. The results of their findings are published in the April 2010 issue of the on line Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism.
