Many women struggle with the cycle of "yo-yo dieting." Recent studies have linked the gain-lose-gain cycle to such potentially life-threatening conditions as diabetes, depression and cancer. Many experts believe a yo-yo pattern is often the result of a diet that's too restrictive, but even on a sensible diet, your body sheds pounds reluctantly. "One reason it's difficult to keep weight off is because there is a metabolic overcompensation for weight loss," says Gary Foster, director of Temple’s Center of Obesity Research and Education. "If you decrease your body mass by 10 percent, you would expect your metabolic rate to decrease by 10 percent, but it actually slows down more than that, by about 11 to 15 percent."