Set Points....Fact or Fiction?

debaloo

I was looking back on my weight entries from the last few years to see when I was at my current weight. I have been here a lot! I have been 20 lbs below, I have been 10 lbs above but this exact number seems to show up a bunch.

This of course has me worried that I will be here for awhile when .

Any insight about whether set points are fact or fiction?

JUDDDing

I would imagine that it is still a matter of caloric balance.

And a "set point" would be established when your normal intake matches your normal level of activity.

JewelsinBigD

I firmly believe in a set point and unfortunately for me - mine is high. I am about 100 pounds less than my highest ever (about 1999)but still about 75 from where I want to be and about 60 over my lowest in recent history about 12 years ago. My closet is FILLED with clothes at this size. I literally am wearing out the stuff and refuse to buy anything more than a top here or there!
I am struggling to get lower and my body is fighting me every ounce of the way. Anything lower than I am today is my TOTALLY against my internal scale. However I am working damn hard to convince my body that it is OK to lose this weight--- I will be fine. Unfortunately my body thinks I will starve to death or something if I get anywhere outside of plus sizes. No idea how I got to this set point - maybe ever getting 100 pounds heavier makes my body want to stop here - I have no idea but it sux.

DanaDark

Currently, the idea of "Set Point" is a theory. There is no determined conclusion on it yet.

The theory is that your body has an idealized weight that it attempts to maintain. So when you eat too much, it may rev up energy expenditure; or when you eat too little, it may slow things down, all in hopes of maintaining a certain weight.

There is additional aspects to this theory. One aspect (worth noting) is that it is possible to re-adjust your set point. After prolonged periods (1 year ish) of maintaining a weight that is not your current set point, your set point changes to be this new weight.

Now, this is all just theories, and not mine (learned from University nutrition classes). I have not looked into it further since then, so it may have been fully dis-proven or fully proven, or even expanded on since then.

debaloo

@Jewels- I feel for you. It's hard when you hit a plateau or set point because you think you are doing everything right but now you have to change something.

@Dana- I have learned the same thing. Maybe I am looking for that one story where someone tells me that they never stalled at their set point? LOL

debaloo

Bump

neanderthin

Total fiction.

TheRealParisLove

It sure feels real. I'm not really able to go much below where I am now. I've had short periods of time where I was 10-15 pounds lighter, but was never able to maintain that weight for more than a couple of months.

JesterMFP

I think it's all still pretty inconclusive. I found Lyle McDonald's article on it quite interesting: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/set-points-settling-points-and-bodyweight-regulation-part-1.html

Morgaath

I think it is false, and normally comes down to people getting lax on tracking. They get more vague in their measurements --- eyeballing food and calling it good - snacking just a bit here and there - grabbing a beer, don't put as much effort into the workouts like they used to but still say they burnt as many cals, plus a smaller/lighter bod burns fewer cals, but they have always said 200 cals burnt for 25 minutes of X workout, so they still claim that even though they are now 20lbs lighter, etc.

Unknown

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Hexahedra

Gosh, I wish I can find that research again. It says that most people who lose weight gain it back after a while, because the body has a certain weight it's content to be in. Those who manage to stay at the lower weight do so through sheer will and discipline, but are constantly in a state of hunger.

I believe that research, to a certain point. While I believe the body wants to maintain homeostasis at a set point, the exact point itself is not immutable. It's just that it takes time for the new equilibrium to take hold.

It's a fact that your stomach can stretch and shrink based on the volume of food you eat. People who do eating competition for a living train themselves by eating a lot and increasing the size of their stomach. When they stop eating as much, the stomach shrinks again. I can vouch for this because today in one sitting I can't eat nearly as much as I did six months ago.

debaloo

@Jester- This article was interesting. Thank you.
@Hexahedra- i tend to agree with you in general. Specifically, I wonder if we have set points along our journey that are hard to break out of and then really easy to go back to.

morticia16

that's what google produced. hmmm...

http://intl-jn.nutrition.org/content/127/9/1875S.full

Morgaath

It's a fact that your stomach can stretch and shrink based on the volume of food you eat. People who do eating competition for a living train themselves by eating a lot and increasing the size of their stomach. When they stop eating as much, the stomach shrinks again. I can vouch for this because today in one sitting I can't eat nearly as much as I did six months ago.

The difference is if you fill that space with something like plain lettuce vs deep fried cheese balls. Both can stretch your stomach, but only one is likely to make you gain weight. Hence all the post on here of people saying they can't eat 1200 cals eating dressing free salads and fruit.
So it ain't the volume of food you eat, it is the calories you put in that space.

Hexahedra

It's a fact that your stomach can stretch and shrink based on the volume of food you eat. People who do eating competition for a living train themselves by eating a lot and increasing the size of their stomach. When they stop eating as much, the stomach shrinks again. I can vouch for this because today in one sitting I can't eat nearly as much as I did six months ago.

The difference is if you fill that space with something like plain lettuce vs deep fried cheese balls. Both can stretch your stomach, but only one is likely to make you gain weight. Hence all the post on here of people saying they can't eat 1200 cals eating dressing free salads and fruit.
So it ain't the volume of food you eat, it is the calories you put in that space.

I'm just giving an example of how the body can eventually adjust to new eating habit. I agree that eating mostly veggies will get you full with less calories. It's also part of the reason they recommend drinking 8 cups of water a day.

ninerbuff

Fiction. Haven't really found any evidence to convince me it is just still a theory.

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

pcastagner

Phenotype is the intersection of environment and genetics.

So for the hypothesis (it's not a theory yet) to pan out, I don't believe there needs to be an internal mechanism regulating body weight.

Of course, for many people, unless the mechanism is internal and independent, it doesn't count.

VixenArgentum

I believe in the theory put forward by the Hacker's Diet, that there are several stable weight points that your body has. Some weights are hard to maintain, while others you settle at naturally. These points are also where you plateau, since it's a comfortable match for your body.

I know based on experience that I have ones at 250, 215, and 185. I always get hung up at these weights. I'm hoping I don't hit a wall at 215 the last 3 times I've tried to lose weight.

GiddyupTim

My experience, for whatever that is worth, tells me it is real. Very real.
I have never had a problem with my weight, and, when it has gone up, I lose all appetite and it fairly rapidly goes down again.
It is not a matter of my weight just staying the same no matter what I do. But, i find that if I gain a few pounds, I naturally want to run a little more and eat less. I cannot stand the feeling of heavy.