Seoul, Korea – According to a survey, 80 to 90 percent of Korean women have dieted at least once. This shows just how much making or keeping their figure is a big part of women’s lives.

However, only 10 percent were able to keep the weight off for a year, and just 3 percent kept it off for two years. This means that 90 percent of those who lose weight experience the yo-yo effect. From this, we can see that maintainence is more important than dieting.

The reason the weight returns after losing it in a short time is that the focus was on losing weight. Our bodies are composed of water, muscle tissue, fats, etc., but the only things we lose through short-term diet are usually water and muscle. Water and muscle can be lost and gained quickly, so the risk of experiencing the yo-yo effect is very high.

Even one’s mental state can cause the yo-yo effect. It is common for people to return to their regular eating habits after losing weight through starvation or one-food diets, and after a certain time they think that they can eat more because of the work they think they have done, which results in their consuming even more food than they normally would have. Another problem is that once they see the yo-yo effect with their own eyes and realize they have failed, they go back to their old eating habits.

Thus, rather than blindly starving, it is better to eat three meals consisting of highly nutritious, low-calorie foods such as tomatoes, Korean bean paste, potatoes, apples, salads, mushrooms, tofu, and seaweed. Also, it is important to do cardiovascular exercise for 30 minutes to one hour per day at least three days a week, combined with muscle-building excercises such as walking, swimming, cycling, jumping rope, or climbing stairs to improve your metabolism.

Escaping the yo-yo effect is difficult without setting a goal to maintain an optimal weight. Without such a goal you will always go back to your original weight. It is said that achieving the goal you’ve set can take at least six months. It is more important to focus on achieving and maintaining your optimal weight rather than on losing weight.

Thus, it is better to set a certain goal for the long term rather than losing weight in a short time.


By Yoo Jin Hee (star@jtn.co.kr)

Source: JTN (Original article in Korean)
Translated by Timothy Nam / Korea.com

[기사제공 : 코리아닷컴 ]