Breaking the Cycle of Yo-Yo Dieting: Sustainable Nutrition for Women Over 40
This is the 2nd of 4 posts this month related to approaching nutrition without burning yourself out. In last week’s post, I talked about how ‘less is more’ in terms of ensuring that you can ‘Go Long’ by sticking to a fitness regimen you can do for years to come. This week’s post gets into more specifics around the perils of yo-yo dieting, particularly while going through perimenopause.
Dieting is often seen as a quick fix for weight loss, but many find that it leads to long-term weight gain. This counterintuitive outcome stems from several physiological and psychological factors that create a cycle difficult to escape. Let's explore why dieting can have this unintended effect and how focusing on nutrient-dense foods, particularly for women over 40 going through perimenopause, can be a healthier and more sustainable approach.
The Yo-Yo Effect: How Dieting Leads to Weight Gain
When you lose weight through dieting and then gain it back, your body becomes more efficient at storing fat. This is a survival mechanism: during periods of caloric restriction, the body conserves energy to protect against future food shortages. When normal eating resumes, the body stores more fat in anticipation of another possible calorie deficit. This makes subsequent weight loss more challenging with the nerdier term known as adaptive thermogenesis.
Crash diets often lead to rapid weight loss, which includes the loss of muscle mass. Again, it’s the “looking hot in the outfit on Saturday night” approach. Muscle tissue is metabolically active, meaning it burns more calories at rest compared to fat tissue. Therefore, losing muscle reduces your basal metabolic rate (BMR), making it easier to regain weight when you return to your usual eating patterns. The loss of muscle also means that any weight regained is likely to be more fat than muscle, altering body composition negatively. I’ll reiterate–the more muscle mass you have, the more your body is working for you when you’re not working out.
Yo-yo dieting affects hormones that regulate hunger and metabolism, such as leptin and ghrelin. Leptin, which suppresses hunger, decreases with weight loss, while ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, increases. This hormonal imbalance can lead to increased hunger and cravings, making it difficult to maintain weight loss. Furthermore, stress from dieting can elevate cortisol levels, contributing to fat gain, especially around the abdomen.
The Cycle of Burnout and Restriction
Dieting, especially extreme or restrictive diets, can be mentally and physically exhausting. The constant need to monitor food intake and resist cravings can lead to feelings of deprivation, frustration, and fatigue. This exhaustion often leads to burnout, making it difficult to stick to the diet and resulting in a return to old eating habits. It also exacerbates the “guilt” and/or “I’ve been good or bad” mindsets, neither of which are healthy.
Many dieters have unrealistic expectations about how quickly they can lose weight. When progress is slower than anticipated or when weight loss plateaus, it can be demotivating. This often leads to feelings of failure and a subsequent return to previous eating patterns, which contributes to the cycle of weight gain.
Yo-yo dieting is generally unsustainable. Extreme measures and short-term fixes do not support lasting lifestyle changes. When individuals realize their efforts are not producing long-term results, they become disillusioned and lose motivation. This highlights the need for sustainable, long-term approaches to health and wellness.
The Importance of Nutrient-Dense Foods
For women over 40, particularly those experiencing perimenopause, focusing on nutrient-dense foods rather than calorie-dense options is crucial. Nutrient-dense foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients but relatively low in calories. They provide the body with the necessary nutrients to function optimally without excessive calorie intake. Click on the image below to watch a video on the importance of nutritionally dense foods.
Here are some benefits of nutrient dense foods:
Support Hormonal Balance: Nutrient-dense foods like leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish contain essential vitamins and minerals that support hormonal health. For women in perimenopause, this can help manage symptoms such as mood swings and hot flashes.
Improved Energy Levels: Foods rich in nutrients help maintain stable energy levels throughout the day, reducing fatigue and supporting overall well-being.
Enhanced Immune Function: A diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can boost the immune system, helping the body fight off illnesses more effectively.
Adequate protein intake is especially important for women over 40. As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass, a condition known as sarcopenia. Protein helps maintain and build muscle, which is vital for metabolic health, physical strength, and overall function. Some of the benefits include:
Preserving Muscle Mass: Consuming enough protein helps preserve muscle mass, which is critical for maintaining a higher metabolic rate and supporting weight management.
Satiety and Appetite Control: Protein is more satiating than carbohydrates or fats, helping to control appetite and reduce overall calorie intake.
Bone Health: Protein is essential for bone health. It works in conjunction with calcium and vitamin D to maintain bone density, which is important for preventing osteoporosis, a common concern for postmenopausal women.
A Sustainable Approach to Health
To break the cycle of yo-yo dieting and achieve long-term health, it's essential to adopt sustainable habits. Let’s break them down into 3 buckets:
Balanced Eating Habits: Focus on a balanced diet rich in nutrient-dense foods and adequate protein. Avoid extreme diets and aim for gradual, sustainable changes. Practice mindful eating by paying attention to hunger and fullness cues and avoiding emotional eating.
Regular Physical Activity: Engage in regular physical activity, including strength training, to maintain muscle mass and boost metabolism. Mix things up with HIIT (high-intensity interval training) to go along with rest/recovery days.
Stress Management: Manage stress through techniques such as yoga, meditation, or spending time in nature to reduce cortisol levels and improve overall well-being. The added benefit of reducing stress will be having less of the “eating your feelings” mindset and improved sleep.
While dieting can lead to long-term weight gain due to physiological and psychological factors, focusing on nutrient-dense foods and adequate protein intake can support a healthier, more sustainable approach to weight management. For women over 40, particularly those going through perimenopause, these strategies are crucial for maintaining overall health and well-being.
You can make the changes you want to make.
Let’s get started.
As always, please check with your medical team before starting a new nutrition/diet program.
