Don't give up: Study gives yo-yo dieters new hope for success

Yo-yo dieters can lose as much weight as people who don't have a history of losing and regaining, a new study finds -- encouraging news for people who fear they've damaged their metabolism and won't succeed the next time.

The study involved 438 overweight women. Some were non-yo-yo dieters; others were yo-yo dieters who lost and regained 10 or more pounds three or more times.

The women were placed in one of four plans to lose weight. The yo-yo dieters lost about the same amount as non-yo-yo dieters.

The message to dieters- Don't give up trying, says researcher Caitlin Mason.

Gannett News Service