Set Point Theory Weight: Discover Your Ideal Body Weight
Warning: This is going to sound a little crazy… this is the exact opposite of what most of us have learned in our lifetime.
There is a weight-regulation mechanism in our bodies that controls our weight. That’s right, all of that time and energy spent trying to control our weight was… well… a big waste of time… and may have actually done some harm to our bodies.
Our bodies are big control freaks that don’t want to be messed with! In this post, I discuss the set point theory of weight and how to get the body back to its ideal weight.
What is Set Point Theory of Weight?
Is there a person in your life who seems to easily maintain their weight? Without dieting?
For me, that person was my grandmother. Over the 20 years I had with my grandmother, her weight stayed the same, maybe gaining 5 pounds over the years.
Impressive right?
Let’s say my grandmother ate around 2,000 calories a day, over the course of twenty years she took in about 14.6 million calories. By gaining 5 pounds of body fat, the body stores around 17,500 calories. That means her body was JUST 0.1% off in balancing energy in vs. energy out.
0.1%! That comes down to a difference of about 70 calories per month - about the same amount of calories in one egg. WOW. Her body balanced her weight at 99.9% accuracy.
So, how exactly does this work?
There are hundreds of things going on in our bodies that control our weight. Not all are understood but we do know a few things.
We all have an internal thermostat that regulates our weight. This “thermostat” works by increasing the metabolism when the body begins to gain weight or when we eat excessive calories. The “thermostat” is turned down and the metabolism is slowed when we lose weight or go through a starvation period (hello dieting!) (1, 2, 3, 4).
The body also regulates weight using hormones. The body sends out hormones in response to how much we eat, what we eat, and body weight. Two of these hormones include insulin and leptin. When the bodyweight increases, the body sends out insulin and leptin. This, in turn, reduces the appetite and food intake. When we reduce our calorie intake, these hormones are decreased, causing the appetite to increase (5, 6, 7)!
Okay, but why do people gain weight?
This is typically the next question I get. If we all have this thermostat, then why do some people maintain weight while others struggle?
When we mess with the thermostat too much, it breaks.
Its like having a bunch of roommates in one house. One roommate loves to have the house freezing, so they go and turn that temp down to 60 F. Another roommate loves it boiling, sees it at 60 F, and turns it wayyyy up to 80 F. The next roommate, a practical one, goes and turns it to 75 F…but can’t because the dang thing broke jumping up and down.
This is exactly what happens when we try to restrict ourselves through dieting. The body thinks we are in starvation mode and switches the metabolism down. Then, the diet is over, we overeat, causing the metabolism to turn up…for a little bit… but the body is still worried there is another starvation period coming…which causes the metabolism to slow back down (1, 2, 3, 4).
When we chronically diet, we are constantly throwing curveballs at our metabolism. Eventually, it gives up and stays in “safe mode,” which means storing all of the energy it can.
But dieting has worked for me in the past…
This is what I typically hear next. The first diet is always the easiest. The body usually loses weight fast, but slowly, the weight comes back…even as you continue to reduce calories and exercise like crazy.
This typically causes someone to reduce their calories even more and turn up the exercise, which is unsustainable. Eventually, the diet is hard to keep up with and we revert back to our old habits.
Which causes the body to gain weight… and which leads to more dieting… and so the cycle continues. Soon, the body is fed up and no amount of dieting will cause the weight to budge.
So, ask yourself. Did dieting really work for you?
What do we do?
Don’t fight it. Give up on counting calories.
The body first needs to trust you again. It needs to know it isn’t going through another starvation period.
This means eating. Often. Listening to hunger and honoring it by feeding the body.
Yes, eating more is the answer. Which is a lot more fun than counting calories.
But, this is easier said than done. Often, we have ignored our bodies needs for so long, we forget how to listen to it. This is where Intuitive Eating steps in. In short, intuitive eating is a way of using mindful eating practices to make peace with food.
To learn more about intuitive eating, CLICK HERE to get a complete breakdown.
How do I know if I have made it to my Set Point Weight?
Some people’s set point range is higher than others. For example, one person who is 5’5” may have a set range of 125-145 pounds. Another 5’5” person may have a set range of 145-165 pounds. This is just where the body likes to be. Genetics mostly decides our set points.
Let me make it clear. No one person is better than the other. High set point or low set point… it doesn’t matter. You can be healthy at any size.
It may take only months to reach your set point. It may take a year. It depends on genetics and how long your “thermostat” has been broken.
You will know you have reached your set point when you are honoring your body’s needs and no longer see your weight fluctuating.
What about hormone imbalances? Like diabetes?
As I mentioned earlier, insulin is a hormone that helps regulate the appetite.
In type II diabetes, the body can be resistant to insulin. When the body is resistant to insulin, it isn’t properly storing energy. This can cause the appetite to increase because the body’s energy (calorie) needs are not met (10, 11).
Insulin is also a hormone that typically causes the appetite to decrease.
In this case, the body is confused. It needs energy causing the appetite to increase. It is also producing more and more insulin, which is telling the appetite to decrease (10, 11).
So, what does it do?
It typically goes for the safest option, which is storing fat while continuing to increase the appetite (12, 13, 14).
The first thing to do in working towards your set point weight is to address insulin resistance. This can be done in a few different ways. Medication, exercise, changing the way we eat, or a combination of them all.
What should you not do: DIET.
Again, dieting causes weight cycling. Weight cycling is known to increase insulin resistance (15, 16).
Good news is you can address your insulin resistance through intuitive eating. If you haven’t already…make sure to check out this article on intuitive eating!
You can also learn more about intuitive eating for diabetes on instagram @dietfreediabetes. I look forward to hanging out with you there :-)
Start your journey
This can all be a bit shocking the first time you hear it. But over time, it is peaceful to know that you can just trust your body to take care of your weight.
In time, you can be just like my grandmother and enjoy life without worrying about weight.
You just have to take the first step away from dieting.
And if you are looking for some help, you can always reach out to me :-)
Additional resources:
TRIBOLE, EVELYN, and Elyse Resch. INTUITIVE EATING: a Revolutionary Program That Works. ST MARTINS ESSENTIALS, 2020.
Bacon, Linda. Health at Every Size: the Surprising Truth about Your Weight. BenBella Books, 2010.