Yo-Yo Dieting
Yo-yo dieting — also called weight cycling — is the repeated loss and regain of weight through cycles of strict dieting and relapse.
Plain English
Patient-Friendly Explanation
Yo-yo dieting — also called weight cycling — is the repeated loss and regain of weight through cycles of strict dieting and relapse. It is common, and it is not a sign of weak willpower.
Medical
Clinical Definition
Weight cycling is repeated intentional weight loss followed by regain. Studies on its metabolic consequences are mixed, but cycling is consistently associated with poorer long-term weight outcomes and higher psychological burden. The biology of regain — elevated hunger signalling, reduced energy expenditure and fat-mass overshoot — makes each successive cycle harder.
Key Insight
Why It Matters
The most important lesson of yo-yo dieting is that the approach matters more than the effort: crash diets that cannot be sustained set up the next cycle. Structured, medically supervised programmes with a maintenance phase break the pattern.
Sources
Reviewed against standard medical references.
Medically reviewed by
Family Physician & Registered Acupuncturist, Accord Medical Clinic. MBBS (NUS), Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine (NUS), Graduate Diploma in Acupuncture (Singapore College of TCM).
Last reviewed: August 2026
This page is general health education, not medical advice. Whether any treatment is appropriate for you is a decision made in consultation after assessment.
