Originally Posted by WarChild

The reason your weight goes up and down when you try and control it with diet alone is because you're not doing anything to change your body compisition.

If you're quite over weight, you're probably eating not only unhealthy food, but too much of it. When you cut the intake to a restrictive level, of course you lose weight. The problem is, you haven't changed your metabolism, if anything you've made it even slower. As soon as you stop the caloric deficit, bam you put the weight right back on.

The _ONLY_ effective way to control your weight is through diet AND exercise. Food is a fuel, not a comfort.

When you build lean muscle, cheat days, weeks or even months will have almost no effect on you.

I stopped the restrictive diet for most of the summer, and haven't gained a pound.