Yo-Yo Dieting Not So Bad After All

Losing a significant amount of weight and then gaining it back soon after -- aka "yo-yo" dieting or weight cycling -- appears to be better than remaining overweight/obese, according to a new study. The research, done on mice, shows that yo-yo dieting may not be as bad for your health as previously thought... at least not when compared just being fat and doing nothing!

Experts say that maintaining a healthy weight is still ideal. But, if you're overweight, it's definitely a good idea to try to lose the extra pounds, even if it's only temporary. That's important advice considering hundreds of millions of Americanas -- or about 2/3 of the total population -- are currently overweight.

The bottom line is that even a little bit of weight loss, maintained over only a relatively short amount of time, is better than no weight loss at all. You don't have to be totally skinny before you start seeing health benefits.

We say: Focusing on dieting only is what causes most "yo yo" weight gain/weight loss cycles. Regular exercise combined with a healthy diet is the real key to losing weight and keeping it off over time!

Learn some mo': Yo-yo dieting better than staying obese