Weight Loss: Why Won't It Stick?

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August 6, 2026 • 39 mins

If you have ever tried to lose weight only to find the weight crept back on, you’re not alone. In fact, for tons of people, this happens over and over again. This is called “weight cycling,” and a bunch of influencers are saying that this is terrible for us. They say that it can ruin your metabolism forever and that it can lead to stuff like diabetes and scary muscle loss. So could that be true?? And why does this happen at all? We find out with nutritionist Prof. Faidon Magkos, immunologist Prof. Alyssa Hasty, and health policy researcher Dr. Jamie Hartmann-Boyce. Note: In this episode we discuss weight and weight loss. Please take care when listening, and here are some resources: National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) helpline: 1(888)-375-7767 Crisis support: United States: US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Dial 988 (Online chat available); https://www.crisistextline.org/text-us/ Text “HOME” to 741741 Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (Online chat available) Canada: Call or text 988 United Kingdom: Samaritans 116 123 (UK and ROI) Full list of international hotlines here Other help available: spotify.com/resources Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsWeightCycling In this episode, we cover: (00:00) What we’re hearing about weight cycling (07:14) Why is it so hard to keep the weight off? (12:45) Does weight cycling break your metabolism? (18:58) Will you gain fat and lose muscle? (23:17) Weight cycling and inflammation? (28:35) Will weight cycling make you sick? This episode was produced by Rose Rimler, with help from Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Meryl Horn, and Michelle Dang. Wendy Zukerman is our executive producer. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, So Wylie, Emma Munger and Peter Leonard. Thanks so much to all the experts we spoke with for this episode, including Dr. Heidi Silver and Dr. Andrea Rossi. Special thanks to Jennifer C. Wolfe and Sasha Borissenko. And big big thanks to all the folks who called in to tell us about their weight cycling experiences. Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. Follow Wendy on TikTok @wendyzuk Science Vs on Youtube @ScienceVsPodcast Science Vs on Instagram @science_vs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Weight Loss: Why Won't It Stick?