May we talk about set points?

GottaBurnEmAll

Everyone's weight ranges in a 4-5 pound maintenance range due to water/glycogen/retained waste fluctuations. That's normal.

I've always consider my weight to be the low weight I've achieved, because I know that scale weight isn't body fat gain but all that other noise. I'm very familiar with the fact that running harder or upping the weights or eating soy sauce can make the scale jump. The scale the day after Thanksgiving was appalling. Today it was 118, but for all intents and purposes, I know I weigh 116.2. Now I had a good hard run this morning and am lifting this afternoon. I fully expect the scale to be up tomorrow. Oh well.

Anyway, back to you, Deb. I believe you can get to any weight you want to be that's reasonable for your height and frame size and I think a very big part of anyone achieving their goals is firmly believing they can. That's really been key for me, I believe.

I wish I knew what to tell you. You can break past plateaus simply by counting calories. You might have to change your activity levels. We older folks have to become more active to compensate. That's just life. I'm a lot more active than I used to be, and I sort of have to be because of my arthritis. The thing is, I gradually upped my activity so that it became a natural part of my days. You don't have to necessarily get all your activity from exercise either. Just pacing around your house at a decent pace for 10 minutes or so every hour increases your TDEE. Look for little ways to increase your NEAT. Take the stairs. Park far away from the grocery store. Pace while something is cooking. Become inefficient in your daily life. Put laundry away one piece at a time. Do bodyweight squats while you're heating something in the microwave. It all adds up.

cocates

I find there is some legitmacy in 'set points'.

From the URL OP provided, the opening statement says, "Your body weight set point is the number on the scale your weight normally hovers around, give or take a few pounds." It doesn't say your body normally hovers around that weight if you are trying to gain or trying to lose.

Having said that, I have used the 'set point' theory as a crutch a long time ago instead of taking responsibility and ownership of eating >CI than CO.

ninerbuff

Set points are what people who DON'T do the things they need to to address their weight problems, a justification of why they are at where they are. Everyone has the ability to lose/gain/maintain weight. It's IF they are willing to do it that's the issue.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

gionrogado

i had been 70kg in my mid 20s, 80kg for the most of my adult life, peaked at 90kg, now maintaining just at 65kg. where's the set point in that?

schzoidman

I know very little about set point theory. But just thinking about exercising and burning calories. A person who weights 200 lbs. and walks a mile will burn more calories than the person who weighs 150. So as you lose weight, you have to walk further to burn the same number of calories. Either that or carry a backpack with the weight difference in it. That could contribute to the set point effect.

ninerbuff

schzoidman wrote: »

I know very little about set point theory. But just thinking about exercising and burning calories. A person who weights 200 lbs. and walks a mile will burn more calories than the person who weighs 150. So as you lose weight, you have to walk further to burn the same number of calories. Either that or carry a backpack with the weight difference in it. That could contribute to the set point effect.

Why would you have to burn more calories UNLESS you were eating more than you needed to at 150lbs. A smaller person needs less calories than someone bigger for maintenance. IF the goal was to continue to burn the same amount of calories all the time then yes that person would have to walk more, but to maintain they would need to eat back calories or they'd keep losing weight.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition