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Is there a "set weight" for people?

135

Replies

  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    nachiame wrote: »
    psychod787 wrote: »
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    To to clarify...

    The is some confusion about what the term "set point" means/refers to. Some people use it when discussing the idea that there is some weight or body composition that we are pre-disposed to, be it genetic or evolutionary. Other people use it as OP did - when talking about difficulty managing weight, especially losing weight at or below a certain number.

    From what I've read, there is merit to the first scenario. The body wants to be at a healthy body composition. Too much fat and/or too little muscle and the body will respond, and it will be easier to drop fat or add muscle. Similarly, too little fat or too much muscle is also not healthy (from an evolutionary/survival standpoint), and the body will also adjust. The important thing to note here is that it goes BOTH ways. It's not just about getting lighter/leaner, it also adapts, when necessary, making it easier to get heavier/fatter.

    Scenario 2, there is no merit to that from a biological perspective. The validity in this conversation is related entirely to habits and behaviors. People have a way the like to eat. A little change to that is relatively easy. A big change is relatively hard. Same with exercise. Where those points intersect (diet and exercise) is where your weight will tend to hover. The more you want to shift your weight, the harder you'll have to work and the greater changes you'll need to make to your habits related to both eating and exercise.

    I agree. There is a body of evidence that shows that the body gets "used" to a certain bf lvl and will fight to defend it. People just don't like to admit it.

    Then how do people get overweight to begin with if their body defends (...somehow) their bodyfat?

    Because things like reduced hunger cues don't always stop people from eating.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited September 2018
    nevermind.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    flippy1234 wrote: »
    Seems no matter what I do short of starving myself, I cannot seem to get under a certain weight. I eat well, most of the time, I don't drink and I work out almost daily. I do stick to or under my calories regularly. I have read that people have a "set weight". The weight that they body is comfortable at and it will stay there unless you take extreme measures, i.e.: starve yourself, ...
    Any truth to this?

    There is no truth to this. If this was true then why are extreme measures not required to gain weight?

    Your weight is an output of behavior.

    Are you using a food scale to weigh your caloric intake?

    Ehh... might not be as common, but there are plenty of people who struggle with weight gain. Myself included. I see it in the gaining forum everyday. There is even a stickie in there to help people out who struggle.

    Not muscle specific. If you eat at a surplus you don't gain weight?

    This sounds like confirmation bias in action. I see it as well, but just as with those who cannot lose, but aren't weighing food consistently, the same root cause applies to those who cannot gain. People don't think they eat as much/less than they do.

    I would love objective evidence to the contrary. I have searched multiple scholarly articles claiming proof of a set point, but I have yet to find one that controls the caloric intake of the participants.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    flippy1234 wrote: »
    Seems no matter what I do short of starving myself, I cannot seem to get under a certain weight. I eat well, most of the time, I don't drink and I work out almost daily. I do stick to or under my calories regularly. I have read that people have a "set weight". The weight that they body is comfortable at and it will stay there unless you take extreme measures, i.e.: starve yourself, ...
    Any truth to this?

    There is no truth to this. If this was true then why are extreme measures not required to gain weight?

    Your weight is an output of behavior.

    Are you using a food scale to weigh your caloric intake?

    Ehh... might not be as common, but there are plenty of people who struggle with weight gain. Myself included. I see it in the gaining forum everyday. There is even a stickie in there to help people out who struggle.

    Not muscle specific. If you eat at a surplus you don't gain weight?

    This sounds like confirmation bias in action. I see it as well, but just as with those who cannot lose, but aren't weighing food consistently, the same root cause applies to those who cannot gain. People don't think they eat as much/less than they do.

    I would love objective evidence to the contrary. I have searched multiple scholarly articles claiming proof of a set point, but I have yet to find one that controls the caloric intake of the participants.

    Oh definitely, not arguing with that. But that doesn't mean it isn't a struggle for people to get into a surplus or deficit. When I am trying to gain and get to a certain bodyfat% I feel uncomfortably full all the time, I start to develop taste aversions and don't even want to look at food anymore. My body craves more movement. So no, it isn't a set point in the sense that my body actually stops putting on weight in a surplus, but that I fail to be in a surplus because of lack of hunger and my body wanting to move more. To overcome this possible of course, but it is very very uncomfortable, for me at least.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    nachiame wrote: »
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    nachiame wrote: »
    psychod787 wrote: »
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    To to clarify...

    The is some confusion about what the term "set point" means/refers to. Some people use it when discussing the idea that there is some weight or body composition that we are pre-disposed to, be it genetic or evolutionary. Other people use it as OP did - when talking about difficulty managing weight, especially losing weight at or below a certain number.

    From what I've read, there is merit to the first scenario. The body wants to be at a healthy body composition. Too much fat and/or too little muscle and the body will respond, and it will be easier to drop fat or add muscle. Similarly, too little fat or too much muscle is also not healthy (from an evolutionary/survival standpoint), and the body will also adjust. The important thing to note here is that it goes BOTH ways. It's not just about getting lighter/leaner, it also adapts, when necessary, making it easier to get heavier/fatter.

    Scenario 2, there is no merit to that from a biological perspective. The validity in this conversation is related entirely to habits and behaviors. People have a way the like to eat. A little change to that is relatively easy. A big change is relatively hard. Same with exercise. Where those points intersect (diet and exercise) is where your weight will tend to hover. The more you want to shift your weight, the harder you'll have to work and the greater changes you'll need to make to your habits related to both eating and exercise.

    I agree. There is a body of evidence that shows that the body gets "used" to a certain bf lvl and will fight to defend it. People just don't like to admit it.

    Then how do people get overweight to begin with if their body defends (...somehow) their bodyfat?

    Because things like reduced hunger cues don't always stop people from eating.

    You can say that the other way around too. Increased hunger doesn't always make people eat more.

    Right. I guess I'm not sure what your point is.

    People who subscribe to the biological set point theory (not sure what else to call it, but I want to clearly separate it from the habitual or lifestyle set point which some are talking about in this thread) aren't saying that the body prevents weight loss or gain, only that it "responds" to current state of leanness with signals/hormones in an attempt to get the person to eat more or less. But yes, it does go both ways - gaining weight and losing weight. However, what the person actually does is a completely separate issue.

    That's a good breakdown!
    I think the problem with set point, like so many other diet and weight loss ummm "things" is that it means different things to different people. I can assure you there are people out there who believe the body will not allow them to get below a certain weight, no matter what they do, how little they eat. And there is ample evidence that this simply isn't the case.

    I could possibly get on board the idea that your body "becomes accustomed" to you being a certain weight, in that it's energy usage, hormonal patterns, etc become synced to that weight and your appetite signals will attempt to keep you at the CI and CO to maintain homeostasis. And I could see where it would be easier and more common for a person to override those signals and eat more, less so to eat less and lose weight. It would require determination, attention to detail, and patience to override it so it would be more difficult for some people than for others. I'm not sure it's a thing, but I could see it being a thing :smile:

    Habitual or lifestyle set point I think is self evident, and honestly is most often the case. There are so many little habits that we don't even realize we fall into, and someone can feel like their body is fighting them until they figure out and change those inconspicuous patterns we come to think are just life happening but are really choices we make.

    Honestly though, if your goal weight is healthy but you feel you are stuck at a set point, whether it's a homeostasis set point or a lifestyle set point, I think the fix is the same - attention to detail, habit change, critical thinking, and patience. And 100% of those are tough!