3. The yo-yo diet
Committing yourself to lose weight should be a long-term strategy and not one where you gain and lose weight with the changing of the seasons. Like a yo-yo that travels up and down on a string, some people take the weight off and put it back on again repeatedly. That may be due to their inability or unwillingness to make the lifestyle changes that are required to lose weight and keep it off long term. The body often reacts badly to the constant changes that result from yo-yo dieting and that reaction can have serious consequences. A New England Journal of Medicine study concluded that yo-yo dieting increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and early death.