Former Yo-Yo Dieters Reveal the 7 Habits That Worked

If you’ve been on one diet, chances are you’ve been on another. And likely a dozen more before that, with a roller-coaster ride of weight loss and weight gain following each one. It’s not just you. Research reveals that yo-yo dieting—or what nutrition experts call weight cycling—can lead to swings in weight from as little as 5 pounds to as many as 50 pounds. These repeated ups and downs can also take a serious emotional toll, leading to feelings of depression and failure.

The good news is that there are strategies that can help you break the cycle. If you’ve been caught up in the exhausting cycle of dieting and are ready to take steps toward sustainable weight loss, it can be helpful to see what’s worked for others. And while we don’t recommend going to Reddit for all your nutrition advice, sometimes it can be a surprisingly helpful source of inspiration. Like in this Reddit threadwhere former yo-yo dieters share the habits that helped them finally put an end to the fruitless cycle of yo-yo dieting and finally find sustainable success.

Read on to learn the seven habits that helped these Redditors break the cycle, and why dietitians say these strategies can help you say goodbye to yo-yo dieting for good.

1. Drinking Water First Thing in the Morning

The first thing you do in the morning helps set the tone for your day, and rehydrating after a long night is a great place to start. Starting your day with a big glass of water helps to rehydrate your body after waking and may be an easy way to support weight loss. “Sounds simple, but it woke up my system, helped with digestion, and honestly made me snack less during the day,” says the Redditor who started the post.

Turns out, there’s research to back up the weight-loss benefits of drinking water. For instance, one 12-week study reported that drinking 500 milliliters of water before each meal reduced feelings of hunger among people with overweight or obesity. This, in turn, helped them eat less and lose weight. Another review study found that people who consumed a total of 1.5 liters of water before meals daily for 12 weeks to one year lost 44% to 100% more weight than people who didn’t drink additional water before meals.

How much should you aim for? Most women and men need to drink at least 2.2 to 3.0 liters of fluid daily, and possibly more depending on their activity level and individual health needs.

2. Eating 30 Grams of Protein for Breakfast

If you skip breakfast or start your day with a carb-forward piece of toast or fruit, adding some protein to your morning could make a big difference. Many Redditors report that this one habit significantly improved their energy and hunger levels. High-protein breakfast favorites included eggs, strained (Greek-style) yogurt with peanut butter, fruit or chia seeds, oatmeal with protein powder (and, again, more chia seeds) and protein shakes.

Dietitians fully support this habit. “Protein in the morning helps stabilize blood sugar, reduces cravings and keeps you feeling satisfied until lunch,” says Ali McGowan, M.S., RD.And if you’re active, or trying to lose weight or build muscle, making sure you get some of your day’s protein in the morning could help. For instance, one study found that evenly spacing protein throughout the day may improve whole-body protein balance in older adults compared to eating most of your protein at once (which, for many people, tends to be at dinner or later in the day).

3. A Daily Walk

Another part of the “all-or-nothing” weight-loss mindset is exercise. Many people feel that if they’re not exercising for an hour, working up a sweat or feeling sore afterward, it’s not worth bothering. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Many former yo-yo dieters report that shifting their mindset to a place where all movement “counts” was key to making exercise a daily habit. For many, walking 10 minutes led to walking 20 minutes or more. And in some cases, it led to running or adding in entirely new types of exercise, like weight training.

Plus, walking does so much more than help you lose weight. Walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, is associated with a lower risk of several chronic diseases, improved well-being, better sleep, protection from dementia and even a longer lifespan. If that weren’t enough, it’s free to do inside or outside, and requires no equipment aside from a pair of shoes.

4. Prepping One Weekly High-Protein Meal

Spending an entire Saturday or Sunday prepping a refrigerator full of perfectly portioned meals is the start of lots of short-lived diets. But committing to prepping one healthy high-protein meal each week is a habit worth keeping.

One Reddit user reports that after a night of poor sleep, having a prepped, ready-to-go option was a “game-changer,” making it easy to eat a balanced, healthy meal instead of reaching for less-nutritious foods they would have otherwise turned to. Whether you prep a meal on the weekend or make a dish with lots of leftovers early in the week, planning for days when you don’t have the time or motivation to cook ensures you always have a nourishing meal on hand. If you could use some inspiration, try one of these easy high-protein meal prep recipes!

5. Keeping a Food & Mood Journal

The Redditor who started this thread credits keeping a food and mood journal for clarifying the triggers and feelings behind their daily food choices. After all, journaling is an incredible way to tap into what you’re feeling and thinking before, during and after eating. Those insights can help you break old habits and build new, healthy and sustainable ones.

“Connecting motivation to eating is enormously helpful for processing why we are reaching for another bite,” says Alexandria Hardy, RDN, LDN. When you can identify patterns, you can take steps to meet your needs with choices that support your goals. “Whether it’s a list jotted in the Notes app of your phone or an actual journal, writing out your habits distills what you do regularly and can illuminate why,” says Hardy.

6. Throwing Out Old Ideas About “Bad” Foods

One counterintuitive habit that works surprisingly well is to stop labeling foods as “good” or “bad.” When users began allowing themselves to start eating foods they had previously considered problematic for weight loss, they found they actually wanted those foods less. “I stopped eating so much chocolate by always having chocolate in the house,” said one Redditor. “If I can have it at any time, it loses its appeal.”

While this habit seems to go against every diet’s rulebook, dietitians explain why it works so well. “When you can move toward a neutral approach to food, it actually takes the power away from those foods that feel so tempting,” says Sarah Anzlovar, M.S., RDN, LDN. Conversely, research has shown that when people try to avoid or limit a certain food, that food becomes more appealing to them.

7. Consistently Showing Up

Whether it’s eating more than you originally planned or skipping workouts, it’s easy to want to throw in the towel and give up when things go sideways. “Yo-yo dieting thrives on all-or-nothing thinking and quick fixes,” says Amy Brownstein, M.S., RDN. A common theme among Reddit users who have put yo-yo dieting behind them is learning to give themselves grace and pick things right back up at the next meal or the next day to keep moving forward. “Focus on progress over perfection, and when life gets in the way, focus on small things you can do to support your body and your health, and return to healthy habits at the next meal or as soon as you’re able to,” says Anzlovar.

Our Expert Take

When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s all too easy to fall into a vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting. While we don’t recommend getting all your nutrition advice from Reddit, there are some Redditors who have found the key to finally getting off the yo-yo dieting merry-go-round. In short, it’s building small, sustainable habits that you can actually stick with for the long term. The Redditors who successfully ended their cycle of yo-yo dieting did it by showing up consistently, being kind to themselves when things didn’t go as planned, and prioritizing small shifts rather than giant overhauls. Whether you start with just one of these habits or try several at once, remind yourself that lasting change happens gradually, and the goal is progress, not perfection.