"Set Point" Thoughts????

dmb0174

Okay, just really looking for any input. I have tried many many many times to lose weight. I am always consistently successful until I get to a certain weight at which point it seems that it does not matter what I do I can't break that particular weight barrier. I have talked with my trainer about it and he says it doesn't fit with a plateau but he thought I was battling a weight "set point" which my body for whatever reason is happy at and tries to stay at. (I had never even heard of this but after doing some reading it does sound possible???)

So needless to say I am FRUSTRATED!!! I always believed eat right and exercise and the weight will come off. Now I am questioning that because I can be 110% on my eating and working out and I will stay within two pounds of a weight and then as soon as I go back to like a normal work out/exercise routine I go right back to the exact same weight and just stay there.

HELP! Anyone else ever experience anything similar? Thoughts? Ideas? Like I said I have been down this road several times. I get to this exact same weight struggle, struggle, struggle, struggle... weight stays the same and I give up. Want this time to be different!!!

Thanks in advance for reading and any help you may have.

AR89

I have heard of this set point as well... Apparently there is a point where you're body wishes to maintain itself at, but it is also possible to 'retrain' your body so thats its set point is lower... However, I also have no idea how to do this!!!! I experience the same kind of thing as well... I'm in pretty good shape but it doesn't matter whether I'm eating really well and exercising every day or doing nothing and eating junk - I stay at pretty much the same weight!! It's really frustrating and makes it hard to keep up a healthy lifestyle when it feels like it makes no difference. I think you just have to do the best you can and remember that eating well and exercising has lots of other benefits other than number weight.... You also have to remember that when you're exercising more you will have more muscle which weighs more then if you're at the same weight with little muscle tone.... I know this probably hasn't been very helpful but I know exactly what you mean and am interested in what other people have to say....

dmb0174

Thanks for posting. You hit the nail on the head... I usually end up thinking "what's the point?!" but I do agree with the other benefits of healthy eating/exercise. Still just so hard! (especially when you are still considered overweight) Again, thanks for sharing. At least I know I am not alone!

reasonablyvain

google shangri-la diet.

myofibril

There is some debate if there is a biologically pre determined biological "set" point or if it is in fact a "settling point"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11803695?ordinalpos=4 itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

It's a subtle distinction but a "set point" describes the situation where the body seeks to defend body weight (or in reality body fat levels) by adjusting metabolic rate, hunger signals, activity function etc by reference to a specific body weight or composition. This tends to lean towards the conclusion that attempting to move beyond this point is pretty much impossible.

The other view is the body has a "settling point" which is determined mainly by environmental factors. The amount and nutritional values of food intake, exercise levels etc will cause the body to settle at a lower point (irrespective of biological set point) and importantly keep it there.

In reality it may well be that both conditions work closely together to create a specific level which budging from and maintaining is very, very difficult. It can be done but it takes a lot more finesse, effort and application. Most people I suspect will consider it is just not worth the fuss.

Check out this thread for a discussion of the various issues raised:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/113609-relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner