Archive for the ‘wellness’ Category
How Yoyo Dieting Can Negatively Impact Your Health
Living in a society that pays too much importance to appearance is very stressful, particularly to those trapped in bigger body frames. Overweight and obese individuals are often discriminated and ridiculed. As a result, these people will go to any length just to shed off the weight. It is actually a good thing to finally eliminate those excess pounds but the problem is many of these people want to shed them fast. That strong desire to be accepted by society led them to use unhealthy diet practices just to be able to fit in. Restrictive diet is a very common practice for people who are very eager to lose weight. However, this yields very little success. Why? Because most people who follow a strict diet regimen end up gaining all the weight back again–often referred to as Yoyo dieting.
Oprah Winfrey is one of those Hollywood celebrities who have struggled with weight. You have probably seen Oprah lose the excess pounds and after a few months gain them all back again. It’s a never-ending cycle, unless you put an end to it.
Yo-yo diet can be very frustrating because after starving yourself and finally losing those fats, when you resume your normal eating habits again you’ll find yourself right back from where you started. Aside from the annoyance that it brings, yoyo dieting also poses a number of health risks which include:
- Decreased metabolism – Restricting calories forces the body to go to what is called as ‘the starvation mode’. When this happens, the body’s ability to burn down fats and process foods is decreased significantly. If yoyo dieting continues, this effect might be difficult to reverse. In certain instances, decreased metabolism-as a direct result of yoyo diet-might become permanent.
- Depression – Gaining and losing weight repetitively can take a toll on your emotional health. Because of the failed attempts and your inability to keep off the weight, it is possible that you may develop depression. If you come from a family with a history of depression, then your chance of being afflicted with the condition is increased immensely.
- Poor cardiovascular health – Yoyo dieting does not only result to weight gain, depression and reduced metabolism it can also have a negative impact to your cardiovascular health. Yoyo dieting has been associated with heart problems directly related to obesity. People who are trapped in the endless loop of yoyo dieting are at higher risk of developing cholesterol problems, elevated blood pressure and serious heart conditions.
If you really want to lose the weight for good, the best thing you can do is to follow an effective exercise regimen, make the necessary lifestyle modifications, stay away from eating fatty foods, avoid consuming too much alcohol and eat more foods packed with vitamins and minerals.