Weight Cycling: Is 'Yo-Yo Dieting' Dangerous?
Science Vs

Weight Cycling: Is 'Yo-Yo Dieting' Dangerous?

B1IntermediateAugust 6, 202639 min
  • Health

If you have ever tried to lose weight only to find the weight crept back on, you’re not alone. In fact, for tons of people, this happens over and over again. This is called “weight cycling,” and a bunch of influencers are saying that this is terrible for us. They say that it can ruin your metabolism forever and that it can lead to stuff like diabetes and scary muscle loss. So could that be true?? And why does this happen at all? We find out with nutritionist Prof. Faidon Magkos, immunologist Prof. Alyssa Hasty, and health policy resear...

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0:00

Wow! Wow, wow. So it's weird. It is true. It is true that weight cycling can mess up your metabolism. Not so fast. Hi, I'm Wendy Zuckerman and this is Science Versus. Today on the show, why is it so hard to lose weight and keep it off? Plus, what happens to your body when you lose a bunch of weight and put it back on and lose a bunch of weight and put it back on?

0:31

Because the internet is saying that this cycle, which is very common, is actually really, really bad for your health. But is it true? And just quickly before we get started, I do want to say that if this is a sensitive topic for you, please take care while you're listening to the show and we're going to put some resources in our show notes.

0:50

Okay. To get into the science here, we have senior producer Rose Rimler. Hello, Rose. Hi, Wendy.

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