Are you losing and then gaining weight in a dangerous cycle? Constant dieting and relapsing jeopardizes your health and puts you at risk for an eating disorder. “Research tells us that weight cycling may elevate blood pressure, reduce good cholesterol, deplete the body of heart-protective omega-3 fatty acids and increase risk for gall bladder disease and kidney and breast cancer,” says Juliet Zuercher, RD, director of nutrition services at Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders. “The repeated failure of diets can be demoralizing and psychologically damaging, which can lead to a full-blown eating disorder.”

To lose weight safely or maintain an optimal weight, you need to know the truth behind the most popular diet myths:

Losing weight through dieting will improve your health. Truth is, 95% of diets fail. Instead, shift your efforts to caring for your body as a whole to achieve overall fitness. Get active, eat healthfully and in moderation and get plenty of rest.

You need rules around eating to lose weight: Truth is, normal, natural eating involves trusting your body’s cues regarding hunger and fullness. Eat when you’re hungry or are experiencing a craving; stop eating when you’re satisfied. If you eat when your emotions are running high, use the acronym HALT to ask yourself if you’re truly hungry or just angry, lonely or tired. Eat only when hungry.

You’ll lose weight as long as you diet and exercise. The truth is that one of the strongest determinants of a healthy body weight for you is written in your genes. You can only alter this by a small amount with diet and exercise. Trust your body to achieve a healthy weight that’s right for you.

Avoiding bad foods is essential to having a healthy weight. Truth is, labeling foods as good or bad only brings feelings of guilt and bad behaviors, such as binging or purging, to compensate for the guilt. Keeping foods neutral and without a moral value is key to keeping food in its proper place in your life.

Dieting is OK—everyone does it. Truth is, most people on diets are irritable and fatigued, have difficulty concentrating and struggle in social situations with food. Instead, break the dieting cycle and tune into your body instead, following its cues and needs for healthy foods to keep you feeling satisfied and energized everyday.