Yesterday, both my patient and a dear friend came to visit me. Although she was very pleased with her great weight loss, she talked about her fear of gaining weight again, as with all other weight losers. It is normal to have such fear. The famous yo-yo effect, which has emerged with some strict regimes so far, has a very high share in this fear. So what is this yoyo effect? In order to explain this, I think it is necessary to define obesity first.
Body fat mass weight above normal is called obesity. Obesity is a disease that must be treated insidiously affecting all systems in the human body – such as the heart and vascular system, respiratory system, hormonal system, and digestive system – and paving the way for many important ailments. In fact, everyone knows this definition, no one doubts the results, but for some reason, excess weight still remains as the biggest problem of our day. Based on my many years of experience, I can say that losing weight is actually not a problem. The biggest problem is to maintain this weight. Fast weight loss is achieved with strict regimens that are mostly done. However, a short time after starting to eat normally, the lost weight is regained quickly. We call this problem the “yo-yo effect” by comparing it to the yo-yo that children play.
I want to repeat what I am trying to express each time. As of our creation, when situations that cause hunger occur, energy consumption decreases and even the small amount of food it takes becomes extremely efficient. So there is nothing more natural than losing weight when a person falls into the desert. As the body mass decreases, the daily calorie requirement decreases. If the people in question continue to eat as much calories as before after the diet, the hormones that control the energy efficiency in our body come into play and every calorie taken is used for fat storage. Of course, a body with reduced calorie needs will not only replace the lost weight, but will also add to it. If we go back to the example of the person who fell into the desert, when he gets rid of the desert, he will store every calorie he receives from it as fat, saying that I may fall into the desert again and starve again.
This will definitely be seen in people who have not been able to establish their eating habits. Especially in abnormal calorie-restricted diets, this situation appears as a systematic failure. While dieting, calorie restriction will be made. But while doing this, it is necessary to do this by establishing a balanced and controlled healthy diet. In other words, in addition to taking as much protein, fat and carbohydrates as necessary, at the same time, taking sweets, alcohol and chocolate when necessary, developing small adaptation habits that will not disrupt social life is a part of this system.
In the light of all these, before deciding on a diet and starting the application, it is necessary to determine the target very well in order not to encounter the yo-yo effect. The Body Mass Index, which determines the ratio between height and weight, which we use widely today, helps us in this regard. But it varies according to the person’s structure, whether he does sports or not, ethnic origin and race. A star like Brad Pitt would be overweight, the notorious terminator would be obese if we tried to set this target based on BMI alone. Evaluating only with BMI can seriously mislead us. In order to determine this difference, we calculate the ideal weight by determining the body fat mass. What is body fat mass?
Our body needs a certain amount of fat in order to stay active and healthy. Fats undertake tasks such as supporting our joints, protecting our organs, supplying vitamins, controlling our body temperature, energy reserve (in case of starvation). Therefore, it is necessary to have a certain amount of fat mass in our body. While excess fat causes serious health problems, less fat is a life-threatening risk. That is, the fat rate should not fall below 10%-12% in women and 5%-6% in men. If it falls below these figures, some very serious problems may be encountered. It is very important to know this situation and to emphasize its importance, especially at a time when extreme thinness is confused with being healthy.
Sometimes the image can also be misleading. A person who looks very thin. Figures A and B have the same weight. C appears to be more voluminous and oilier. When the fat ratios of all three types are measured, it is seen that the fat ratios of B and C are at a normal level, and A has a very high oil value. Therefore, A is included in the risk group even though it looks weak.
If a person who has reached his ideal weight goal in this direction and in a balanced way can continue his healthy eating habits, he will definitely not encounter the yo-yo effect. It is important not only to lose 8-10 kg of weight, but also to achieve the weight target we set at the beginning under all circumstances. Unless we learn to walk towards this goal correctly, the crutches (miracle shock diets, food-replacement space mixes, etc.)
Stay with Light and Love….
Dr Bilgin SILAN
