yo-yo dieting

American

noun

a repeated cycle of weight loss followed by weight gain.

yo-yo dieting British

noun

the practice of repeatedly going on slimming diets, and putting on weight in the interim

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A new qualitative study highlights the negative interpersonal and psychological consequences associated with "yo-yo dieting," also known as weight cycling.

From Science Daily • Jan. 29, 2024

In the longer term, restriction also increases the risk of developing or worsening eating disorders, as well as yo-yo dieting.

From Salon • Jan. 6, 2023

For example, a study published last month concluded that physical activity promotes health more effectively than weight loss — with the added benefit of reducing the health risks associated with yo-yo dieting.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 18, 2021

This is yo-yo dieting for the good of a species.

From Washington Post • Oct. 9, 2018

Q. Don’t want to talk about weight: I am a fat person who is finally, after years of self-hate, making an effort to love my body as it is instead of constantly yo-yo dieting.

From Slate • Aug. 28, 2018

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023