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Dieting to slim down can be a demoralizing slog. Whether you count calories, cut out carbs, or intermittently fast, the weight always seems to creep back eventually. So what’s the point? Well, new research published in BMC Medicine suggests yo-yo dieting might not be such a Sisyphean exercise in futility after all.
Researchers from Ben-Gurion University in Israel conducted five- and 10-year follow-ups of participants from two consecutive trials examining Mediterranean diet-based interventions and physical activity compared with control diets, which included detailed before and after MRI scans.
Surprisingly, they found that even though participants entered the second trial with a similar weight that they entered the first, showing no sustained weight loss, they still showed internal improvements. Their abdominal fat profiles and metabolic markers improved by 15 to 25 percent, their insulin sensitivity was enhanced, and their lipid panels were more favorable.
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They also had better health outcomes in the long term, with a five-year follow-up showing that those who participated in both trials regained less weight and accumulated less abdominal fat than those who only participated in only one.
“Body weight alone does not capture 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. Importantly, even when weight loss is attenuated during a second attempt, the cumulative benefits for abdominal fat and metabolic health are substantial.”
So don’t lose hope, yo-yo dieting may be paying off even if you don’t get rewarded with a svelte physique. After all, it’s what’s on the inside that counts anyway. 
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Lead image: Tatjana Baibakova / Shutterstock
