If you are trying to lose weight loss for a long time, it can become a cycle of strict diets, missed targets and constant frustration. Actor Melissa McCarthy says changing her relationship with weight, rather than constantly trying to control it, helped her approach the weight loss process differently.In a recent interview with CBS Mornings, the Bridesmaids star reflected on how she stopped fixating on her weight. “I finally said [to myself], 'Oh, for God's sake, stop worrying about it,' and it may be the best thing I've ever done,” she said.“I truly stopped worrying about [my weight]. I stopped over-analyzing, over-thinking, over-doing anything.” McCarthy added, “I just stopped constantly being worried about it, and I think there's something to kinda loosening up and not being so nervous and rigid about it that, bizarrely, has worked.”McCarthy's weight loss mindset sheds light on a less restrictive, more sustainable approach can help people break the cycle of repeated dieting and weight regain, also known as yo-yo dieting. Trapped In A Cycle Of Yo-Yo Dieting?Also read: Strong Enough for HYROX, But Is Your Heart Fit Enough?Yo-yo dieting, also known as weight cycling, refers to a constant process of repeatedly losing weight and regaining it. People may turn to restrictive diets for quick results, only to find that it is difficult to maintain over time and end up regaining all the lost weight.Weight loss triggers certain changes in appetite and energy expenditure that can make maintaining the new weight challenging. Hunger may shoot up, while the body may expend less energy than expected, making regaining lost weight more likely.Extremely restrictive eating plans can also be difficult to sustain alongside work, family responsibilities and social life. When a diet becomes too demanding, people may give up and return to previous eating patterns, sometimes interpreting weight regain as a personal failure rather than a sign that the approach was unsuitable for them.McCarthy has previously spoken about moving away from extreme approaches. In a 2018 interview with The Breakfast Club, she said, “If I can de-stress and just do it slower and stop constantly trying to be on something.” She added that this approach “actually worked better instead of being like, ‘I'm gonna not do this and do this and only drink this.’”She also said, “I'm just gonna mellow out, give myself a break.”According to a few studies, yo-yo dieting has also been associated with health problems like changes in blood pressure and cholesterol. However, a 2024 review of 23 studies found that most available evidence did not show consistent adverse effects of weight cycling itself on body composition or resting metabolic rate.A 2026 review published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology similarly concluded that current evidence does not strongly support a link between weight cycling itself and adverse changes in body weight, body composition or metabolic function.This does not mean repeated weight loss and regain is irrelevant to health and overall fitness. It means the effects should not automatically be attributed to weight fluctuations alone, and people should not be discouraged from making another attempt at improving their health. Mindset Shift Can Help Lose Weight SustainablyA less rigid approach may make weight management more manageable by reducing the constant pressure. Setting realistic goals, maintaining eating patterns that can be maintained over time and allowing flexibility may help avoid the all-or-nothing thinking that often comes with extremely restrictive dieting.However, McCarthy's personal experience does not prove that changing one's mindset alone causes weight loss or prevents weight regain. Weight management is influenced by genetics, hormones, medications, sleep, stress, environment and other factors.