If you’ve been attuned to the diet world for any time now, you’ve likely heard the idea that gaining weight and losing weight cyclically – often referred to as yo-yo dieting– can throw off your metabolism and cause a whole whirlwind of health problems. 
Well a new study would argue that point, suggesting that yo-yo dieters fare no worse than people who remain at a constant weight when it comes to a healthy metabolism. And furthermore, they aren’t any less capable of losing weight than their non yo-yo dieting counterparts.
As reported by NBC News, to conduct the study (published in the journal Metabolism), researchers gathered nearly 400 participants, all of whom were overweight or obese pre-menopausal women between the ages of 50 and 75.
Of this group, 103 women (24 percent) had a past of moderate weight cycling, gaining and losing about 10 pounds multiple times a year. And 77 women (18 percent) had a past of severe weight cycling, meaning they lost and gained 20 pounds several times a year. At the beginning of the study, those in the moderate-to-severe weight cycling categories were heavier on average than those who did not fluctuate in weight. (more…)
