What's a yo-yo diet and what are its effects, is a question most of us should understand before beginning a healthy weight loss journey. For instance, have you ever wondered why the girl next door, always plump and ever so cheerful, looked thin as a reed a couple of months ago? And a few months later, there she was, not very different from the girl you remembered earlier. Or are you a victim of a yo-yo diet too, where you lose a lot of weight and then let your euphoria prompt you to take it easy and put it all back on again?

That’s the yo-yo syndrome. The unfortunate state of drastic weight loss when you get motivated with a particular diet, which is so difficult to sustain, that the moment you are off it you’re back to your previous proportions.

For many people these diets lead to a lot of depression and heartache. Once the weight starts coming back before you even know it you are neither in the frame of mind nor at the levels of motivation required to really change what you are doing. The result is the ‘victim’ desperately researching yet another diet which he/she can follow and hopefully stick to. Only to be disappointed after all the hard work, once again.

There is an old statistic that says that 95% of diets fail. Though this statistic harkens from the late 50’s it nonetheless rings true with most people today.

But don’t let this dissuade you from working towards achieving that healthy and fit body that you’ve always wanted. If anything, this should make you want to achieve true health and fitness the right way. 

And how do you do it the right way?

A lifelong wellness plan is in order whereby you look at your health and wellness as a long-term prospect and not something a faddish diet can solve. Do you really think you can live on only watermelons or sprouts or even salads for the rest of your life? Do you think you can sustain not going back to your vices like snacking between meals for a long time? It’s not an easy prospect to always choose your mind over your stomach.

On the other hand, when you look at your health and overall wellbeing instead of just wanting to be thin, there are a lot of things you will start doing differently. Common sense will tell you to pick a more nutritious snack, which may even be higher in calories and thus more filling over oil free murmura (puffed rice) which is low in calories, but can't keep hunger at bay for long nor add any nutrients to your daily food intake, not to mention the fact that it is indeed not very tasty. Here are some snacking ideas that are smart and wholesome too. It is also a good idea to clear your house of regular snacking items like potato chips and fried puris and instead stock up on nuts and nut butters.

Incorporate being active into your lifestyle. It does not mean you need to go to a gym everyday but brisk walking, yoga paired with resistance training, or even a home workout. If dancing does it for you, then join a dance class instead of forcing yourself to the gym. If playing a sport gets you excited, then there is your answer. Any physical activity goes a long way in maintaining good health and sustaining efforts towards weight management.

Get enough rest, sleep and take out time for yourself and what makes you happy. You know for a fact that what makes you unhappy is indeed a diet. So with a little bit of common sense, by introducing healthy food into your diet, removing the empty calories and experimenting in finding the right fitness activities to suit your lifestyle and your passion, you could be on the path to fitness and good health.