That yo-yo trend of on-again-off-again dieting actually isn't as bad for you as you think, according to a new study.

A team of researchers followed 1,000 people from their birth to age 64, tracking their weight. They found that those who fluctuated between body mass index groups (obese to overweight, or overweight to normal, etc) reduced their risk of heart disease - even if they gained the weight back.

"Losing anywhere from 3 to 10 percent of your body weight at any point in your life is helpful," study co-author Dr. Naveed Sattar told Health.  

This type of lifestyle is often seen in the media through celebrities. 

Kirstie Alley appeared on "The Today Show" on Monday to talk about losing a lot of weight - again. 

"This time it's different. My goal is to keep this and maintain this throughout my life. ... I feel like I've conquered that now. I'm sort of hardheaded. You know, when I used to do drugs, it took me a while to quit, quit, quit-and then it was done. And I feel like that's occurred for me [with my weight now]," Alley told Matt Lauer.

It may be annoying to watch this yo-yo style of dieting everywhere you look - from Alley, to that over-sharing co-worker, or even your uncle over family dinner - but at least now you know their hearts are healthy! 

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