The Surprising Benefits of Yo-Yo Dieting

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DWanting to lose weight can be a demoralizing task. Whether you count calories, cut out carbs, or do intermittent fasting, the weight always seems to come back eventually. So what is it for? Well, new research published in BMC Medicine suggests that yo-yo dieting may not be such a Sisyphean exercise in futility after all.

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University in Israel followed participants in two consecutive trials examining interventions based on the Mediterranean diet and physical activity versus control diets for five and 10 years, which included detailed before and after MRI scans.

Surprisingly, they found that even though participants entered the second trial at a similar weight to the first, without showing lasting weight loss, they still showed internal improvements. Their abdominal fat profiles and metabolic markers improved by 15 to 25 percent, their insulin sensitivity was improved, and their lipid profiles were more favorable.

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They also had better long-term health outcomes, with a five-year follow-up showing that those who took part in both trials gained back less weight and accumulated less abdominal fat than those who took part in just one.

“Body weight alone does not reflect changes in visceral fat or metabolic biomarkers,” study author Hadar Klein said in a statement. “Even when weight is regained, cardiometabolic health may remain improved, and success should not be defined solely by the number on the scale. It is important to note that even when weight loss is attenuated on a second attempt, the cumulative benefits for abdominal fat and metabolic health are substantial.”

So don’t lose hope, yo-yo dieting can pay off even if you aren’t rewarded with a slim physique. After all, it’s what’s inside that counts anyway.

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Main image: Tatjana Baibakova / Shutterstock

• Jake Currie

  Published on February 25, 2026

  Jake Currie is a writer based in Brooklyn, New York.