Is Yo-Yo Dieting Unhealthy?

Word around diet land has it that yo-yo dieting–taking it off, putting it on, taking it off, putting it on–is generally bad for health. Could that be true?  Some inquisitive reader has put that question to New York Times Health Answer Person C. Claiborne Ray, who tells us to chill. Studies that suggest a connection between variations in body weight and illness and death do not distinguish between intentional and unintentional weight loss.
"Therefore," Ray’s cited panel of expert authors concludes, "obese individuals
should not allow concerns about hazards of weight cycling to deter them
from efforts to control their body weight."
Bottom line, however, is Ray’s reminder that losing excess weight slowly and
permanently, through reasonable calorie cuts and increased exercise, is
the ideal.
Read more about Yo-Yo dieting at MedicineNet.