Why You Keep Losing and Gaining the Same 5 Kilos (Over and Over Again)

Most people don’t struggle with weight once.

They struggle with the same few kilos - lost and regained over and over again. This cycle is often described as the “yo-yo effect.” But the name itself can be misleading, because it suggests randomness or lack of discipline.

In reality, the pattern is highly predictable.

Most approaches to weight loss are built on extremes. For a limited period of time, calories are reduced aggressively, activity is increased—often through cardio—and food choices become more restrictive. This can lead to relatively fast weight loss, which initially feels effective.

But what is often lost during this phase is not only fat.

The body also loses water and, importantly, muscle mass - especially when strength training is not a central part of the process. This matters because muscle is metabolically active tissue. It plays a key role in how much energy the body uses at rest.

When the diet ends, the situation has changed.

The body now requires fewer calories than before - not only because it weighs less, but because it has less muscle. At the same time, the restrictive phase has often increased hunger, cravings, and mental fatigue. Returning to “normal eating” in this state can quickly lead to weight regain.

What feels like a lack of discipline is often the body responding to a lower metabolic baseline and a period of deprivation.

Over time, repeating this cycle makes each attempt more difficult. The starting point is no longer the same. With less muscle and a slower metabolism, the body becomes less responsive, and more restriction is often required to achieve the same result.

The issue is not weight loss itself.

It is the method.

Sustainable results require a different approach - one that preserves muscle, supports the body with sufficient fuel, and can be maintained beyond a short-term phase.

Because the goal is not just to lose weight.

It is to stop losing and gaining the same kilos over and over again.

Results that hold in real life are not built through extremes.
They are built through repeatable structure.