You know this happens all the time – gaining and losing the same 5 or 10 pounds over and over again.
Let’s say you need to lose 20 pounds or more, but instead of losing all your weight, you keep losing 7 pounds and then gaining back the same 7 pounds over and over again. Or you may even lose 15 pounds and then keep staying in the same 5 pound range for months, seemingly unable to lose any more weight.
This scenario really should be listed under the dictionary definition of “dieting frustration” shouldn’t it?
I first experienced this frustrating phenomena after I got married. I gained weight fairly quickly because of a sedentary lifestyle and a newly found love of restaurant foods. I’d go on a diet, lose a few pounds, and then the very next week I’d gain back those same pounds. Oftentimes the pounds I gained back brought a few “friends” and I ended up gaining more pounds than I had initially lost. It was a frustrating cycle.
And as you know, I eventually ended up 150 pounds overweight, which made the 5 pounds I’d gain and lose over and over again seem inconsequential, although they still frustrated me.
During the 14 months it took me to lose half my body weight, I did have some short periods where I did seem to gain 3 pounds, lose 3 pounds, gain 5 pounds, lose 5 pounds, etc. Fortunately none of these mini yo-yos lasted very long, and I was able to lose all the weight I needed to.
If this describes your dieting experience, I want to encourage you that it doesn’t always have to be like that, and you can move past this. Here are some possible reasons for a mini yo-yo and some ways to try and break the cycle.
1. You have reached a balance point with your weight. You are eating and burning the right balance of calories to maintain your weight instead of lose.
Fix: Try eating a few less calories or ramp up your exercise.
2. You are becoming complacent. This isn’t awful because it happens to the best of us. It can be hard to continually make good choices.
Fix: Try writing down all your reasons for trying to lose weight, recommit yourself to a healthy lifestyle, and add some new foods and/or exercise into your life.
3. You are fearful. This is very common and not often acknowledged. I’ve seen this a lot and it usually occurs close to the mid-point of the journey.
Fix: Confront your fears and acknowledge that although it may be scary to lose weight, you are strong enough to handle the changes in your life that will occur as you continue to lose.
4. You have stress in your life. I found that stress was a very big predictor of weight loss success and the tendency to get stuck in a mini yo-yo cycle.
Fix: Acknowledge the stress and find ways to “destress.” Massage, yoga, time with friends or family, exercise, or even a hot bath can help.
5. You are purposefully maintaining for a while, even though you aren’t “done.” This is a good thing because this time gives you practice for lifetime maintenance.
Fix: Don’t let the temporary maintenance become permanent unless you are satisfied with your weight.
Remember that in order to get out of the mini yo-yo cycle, you have to figure out what is holding you back from forward progress. Oftentimes it is a combination of things rather than just one issue.
Understanding where you are is very important. The main point is to stay committed because if you just give up, you will likely end up regaining some or all of the weight you have lost.
Ever had a mini yo-yo cycle? Did you get past the cycle or did it cause you to stumble? Diane
This whole article explains me. I have been doing this for a LONG time though. I know it has to be something mental…but I can’t quite place my finger on it. Sometimes I feel like you have to really dislike yourself to make big changes. At 60 lbs in (previously almost 90) I felt happy with myself. My life has totally changed. I’m not 100% happy though..I especially don’t feel comfortable with myself after gaining 20 lbs., but I dont dislike myself enough to make the BIG changes. Make sense? I have a feeling it is far deeper than just not being able to practice some self restraint around food. I feel in a very dangerous situation with having gained 20 lbs back slowly… But hopefully, I have acknowledged it soon enough to get it back off and keep going. I need help! Great post… Thought provoking.
I’m a reformed yo-yo dieter so I find these tips extremely helpful and useful!
Thanks for this post
Excellent post, Diane! I am trying to break through a mini-yo-yo cycle right now. It’s a couple of your reasons above, and I’ve already begun working on a couple of your suggestions.
I know I can break through this. Have a good weekend!
I think everyone, EVERYONE, can relate to this. Confronting fears is no easy task — especially when hey are psychological fears. Lots of hiding places in our little minds…
I like the ramp up the exercise behavior. The 100 fewer calories a day concept doesn’t seem to work well when studied. Of course each person can make their own pathway.
I’ve always known the ‘exercise more or drop/add a few calories to shake things up’ theory, but never the others. Very informative! Thanks, Diane!
Off topic – your 25th anniversary photo of you and hubby was amazing:)
I’ve had a few mini set backs and I think making one tweak at a time works for me. I don’t take any drastic steps because for the most part my diet and exercise program is built on a solid foundation.
Sometimes I wish I could let people struggling with their weight see my scale every morning. The fact that the number sometimes bounces around doesn’t MEAN anything. It’s a bad idea to let it knock you off kilter to the point where you go off-track.
Now I know these are low-ish numbers, but I’m just saying this as an example. Yesterday, I got on the scale before I got into the shower, and it said 129.6. That’s what I consider acceptable. I got on twice, and it said 129.6 twice. (130 is my “eat light today” number.)
I got in the shower, got dressed, was wearing reasonable, unremarkable indoor clothing, and for the hell of it, got back on.
131.2.
I got on this morning. 129.6 again. No way was I wearing nearly 2lbs of clothing yesterday, but there you go.
Seriously people, stop panicking. Scales are at bottom cheap consumer electronics. You can’t expect them to be accurate to the thousandth part of something. If you diet for a week and the scale bounces up a bit, just let it. When people say it’s the trend that matters, they aren’t kidding or trying to lie to themselves. It’s the truth.
So I’ve made a list of your suggestions and now I will begin incorporating them into my plan. I’m at a standstill and need to ramp up the exercise. Winter just seems like such a lay on the couch kinda season. My TV is getting more exercise than I am these days… Ha! Thanks for the post, Diane. Lots of good food for thought here.
A great post Diane!!! For me the biggest challenge to date is the change in life & I do everything in the book to get past it – it is tough but it is worth it!
Great post Diane!
I can definitely relate to what you said. Love the fixes you suggested.
Once again a post I can relate to in so many ways. Thanks!
Your blogs are always so timely and right on target.
I keep going through this yo-yo phase, initially I would panic and get frustrated but over time I have learnt to manage it..I actually go through every point you mentioned..I start off with writing down everything I do and why I do it…just helps me recommit and this way I can also see if I have messed up somewhere..then I change my diet and my exercise plan a bit….I add just a few more minutes of exercise or I increase the resistance…finally one very important thing I realised really late was the stress..if I’m stressed or if I don’t sleep properly, even if I workout and eat right..it effects my weight…
Great points and very useful
The Thought of yo-yo dieting convinced me to go for the middle of my BMI this time. Remembering the struggles with the up and down of about 5 pounds around the top end of my BMI were not pleasant memories.
Since I know I’m now on weight maintenance , I look for upward trends and reversse the trend before it becomes a yo-yo situation. I usually look food first, then exercise sleep and Carb levels and total calories too. Being a tight range in weight maintenance the first year has really helped me with the habits that it takes not to yo-yo. Great Post as always.