Body Weight and Set Point Theory?
keeponkickin
Posts: 1,520 Member
I'm very curious if it's true that our bodies have a set weight point. I've lost 112 pounds in one year and now for the past 4 1/2 months I've been completely stuck. My body doesn't want to lose the last 10 pounds that I want to lose. No matter what I do I go up and down the same 3 or so pounds. I've done everything in bust past this. Has me wondering if we do have a set weight point. If so, how does one move past it? I'm sure I've done it all, but just curious as to what you think.
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I've heard the last 10 are indeed the hardest. Your body is telling you enough...it might be that this is the weight for you. But you have to make that decision, based on how hard it is to maintain the lower weight.
The other thing is, in order to lose the last 10, you may have to shock your system with different foods or exercise routines.
Congratulations on your success, that's fantastic!0 -
This is good advice, change it up, both exercise and food. This worked for me.0
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I'm very curious if it's true that our bodies have a set weight point. I've lost 112 pounds in one year and now for the past 4 1/2 months I've been completely stuck. My body doesn't want to lose the last 10 pounds that I want to lose. No matter what I do I go up and down the same 3 or so pounds. I've done everything in bust past this. Has me wondering if we do have a set weight point. If so, how does one move past it? I'm sure I've done it all, but just curious as to what you think.
Typically, the last few pounds require a smaller deficit and patience.0 -
Mine has a set weight point, but that's more associated with the level of food I tend to eat without thinking about it and the level of exercise I tend to do.
If I'm not tracking food, in 6 months I'll weigh 225. And there I'll sit.0 -
Personally, when and if I get to that last 10lbs, I would just focus on strength training and see if I'm okay with that extra 10lbs or if it's going to make me pull my hair out. 10lbs is nothing to fret over if you're doing everything you need to do and exercising regularly. I'm not sure about the theory, but just be easy and enjoy where you are. The harder that 10lbs is to drop, the harder it will be to maintain. Also, who is the say that that last 10lbs isn't muscle?0
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I'm a big believer in set point theory, which is why I say we have to lose slowly so that our metabolism can adjust. Could you try increasing your calories some, and increasing your exercise, too? Do you lift weights?0
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Yes we most definitely do have a set point that our body tends to stay at. Although the mechanism for what determines that set point and exactly how it is regulated is unclear. One of the most obvious things is that the hormone leptin is secreted by the fat cells and after you lose weight, it tends to become deficient (compared to someone who is naturally at the same size) and that causes your metabolism to slow down and hunger to increase. This is one of the primary reasons people have trouble maintaining their eating habits long term and regain lost weight.
Aside from leptin replacement therapy (which is known to be effective, but not available to just anyone), you can get around this by making simple lifestyle changes like exercising regularly and trying to eat more nutritious whole foods.0 -
I'm a big believer in set point theory, which is why I say we have to lose slowly so that our metabolism can adjust. Could you try increasing your calories some, and increasing your exercise, too? Do you lift weights?
I'm a big time exercise person. I do some hard cardio and I lift heavy weights.0 -
I'm very curious if it's true that our bodies have a set weight point. I've lost 112 pounds in one year and now for the past 4 1/2 months I've been completely stuck. My body doesn't want to lose the last 10 pounds that I want to lose. No matter what I do I go up and down the same 3 or so pounds. I've done everything in bust past this. Has me wondering if we do have a set weight point. If so, how does one move past it? I'm sure I've done it all, but just curious as to what you think.
Yes, set point (or settling points) exists but ...
“The combination of these data with George’s insightful idea, has merged into a modification of the popular Set-Point Theory of the regulation of body weight. The alternative “Settling Zone” Theory suggests that whereas biology may determine a range of body weights (adiposity) that are maintained fairly constant for long periods of time, within this “zone”, the behaviors responsible for controlling energy intake and energy expenditure are influenced primarily by environmental and cognitive stimuli.”
If you're stuck there are a few things you can do:
(1) Diet Break - Usually two weeks at maintenance helps normalize hormones that are negatively effected during a caloric deficit. I've used this many times and have went from 208 to 150 using this method while pretty much always being at the same calories. Some people are lucky enough that they can cut consistently but they do this by continually lowering calories, which is number two ...
(2) Lower calories - If you don't want to take a break then drop calories. Unfortunately, some people have to eat a lowish amount of calories to get where they want. It's either that or number three ...
(3) Increase activity - Sometimes eating less is no feasible, so you'll have to create a deficit somewhere.
As a side note, a set point does not mean that you cannot go below your set point. Rather, it means that you will have an incredibly difficult time remaining below your set point as your biology will attempt to get you back above it via hormones and such. This is why bodybuilders have a hellish time getting into contest shape (3-5% BF). It's simply not feasible for some people to maintain such a low level of body fat because the biology cannot allow it. But some people just get the biological shaft and may never be able to be as lean or small as they want to.
You being stuck simply means you need to employ different tactics to get below it. Once you are below, you wil find out if you are able to maintain it or not. If you want to read more about this, I recommend reading Lyle McDonald's piece on it:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/set-points-settling-points-and-bodyweight-regulation-part-2.html0 -
(1) Diet Break - Usually two weeks at maintenance helps normalize hormones that are negatively effected during a caloric deficit. I've used this many times and have went from 208 to 150 using this method while pretty much always being at the same calories. Some people are lucky enough that they can cut consistently but they do this by continually lowering calories, which is number two ...
(2) Lower calories - If you don't want to take a break then drop calories. Unfortunately, some people have to eat a lowish amount of calories to get where they want. It's either that or number three ...
(3) Increase activity - Sometimes eating less is no feasible, so you'll have to create a deficit somewhere.
Thank you for your response. I'm going to read up further on the link you provided. As for the 3 things to try. Been there, done that many times over. I've gone on maintenance and then dropped back down. I've done exercise breaks, I've done zigzagging, spiking, increased exercise, decreased exercise, I drink plenty of water, I don't eat below BMR, I've done it all. All the tricks to get things moving and I am sitting at the same weight for 4 1/2 long months. I've gradually started increasing my calories to be set at a 1/2 pound loss a week. We shall see if this works. Frustrating.0 -
I feel your pain. I am in the same boat. It seems the day I start adding more calories the scale jumps three pounds and I freak out and go right back to "diet mode". I have been counting calories and exercising for over a year and i am getting really upset with myself. Beginning to wonder if I will ever have a healthy relationship with my body and the food I put into it.0
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I'm expecting advise with various approach on this, and many of these will contrast with one another. One advise from me: Change everything for some period of time, if your eating low, try to eat higher calories. If your low in protein try to eat higher protein... etc... just change. for workout, if your doing the same workout for such a long time try to either change the workout from yoga, weight training based or cardio, plyo based, etc or just take a rest for couple of weeks or so...
You may think that this is counter intuitive from your objective but i think this will work, you might not lose weight for a month or so when doing this but I think you will do so once you get back to that strict diet and workout that you used to do when you lose weight.0 -
Thank you for your response. I'm going to read up further on the link you provided. As for the 3 things to try. Been there, done that many times over. I've gone on maintenance and then dropped back down. I've done exercise breaks, I've done zigzagging, spiking, increased exercise, decreased exercise, I drink plenty of water, I don't eat below BMR, I've done it all. All the tricks to get things moving and I am sitting at the same weight for 4 1/2 long months. I've gradually started increasing my calories to be set at a 1/2 pound loss a week. We shall see if this works. Frustrating.
How meticulous are you with counting your calories and how do you measure it? Do you use cups or do you weigh in grams/ounces?0 -
Thank you for your response. I'm going to read up further on the link you provided. As for the 3 things to try. Been there, done that many times over. I've gone on maintenance and then dropped back down. I've done exercise breaks, I've done zigzagging, spiking, increased exercise, decreased exercise, I drink plenty of water, I don't eat below BMR, I've done it all. All the tricks to get things moving and I am sitting at the same weight for 4 1/2 long months. I've gradually started increasing my calories to be set at a 1/2 pound loss a week. We shall see if this works. Frustrating.
How meticulous are you with counting your calories and how do you measure it? Do you use cups or do you weigh in grams/ounces?
I'm meticulous. I weigh my food on a digital scale. I log every thing I eat and drink.0 -
First off... fantastic job on your loss! :drinker:
What I've realized is that the weight I might have set in my mind is no longer a realistic weight for my body. About 10 years ago, I was 120 pounds, but with the increased muscle mass I have now, it's no longer attainable unless I had crazy-low bf% or lost a lot of muscle. On the other hand, I'm the same size now as I was then, weighing about 10 pounds more. I also noticed when I stopped trying to lose weight, I gained a few pounds, but continued to get smaller... That's when I decided, "Screw you, stupid scale!"0 -
It took me 1 year to lose 10 pounds and the next 5 will probably be as slow0
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I'm less than five pounds from goal and it is excruciatingly slow going. I'm actually thinking about dropping my goal another five but that would take a year at this rate. It's nice to read all this advice.0
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I'm very curious if it's true that our bodies have a set weight point. I've lost 112 pounds in one year and now for the past 4 1/2 months I've been completely stuck. My body doesn't want to lose the last 10 pounds that I want to lose. No matter what I do I go up and down the same 3 or so pounds. I've done everything in bust past this. Has me wondering if we do have a set weight point. If so, how does one move past it? I'm sure I've done it all, but just curious as to what you think.
They may have a preferred point, where it will make you feel more hungry than normal if you go below it.
But if you truly have a deficit of calories to your true activity level burn, you will lose no matter what. Can't help it.
What does change is you start working out more for instance, but don't increase food.
If you just caused the metabolism to slow down, you may actually have less deficit than before, because your BMR lowers and therefore your true activity burn lowers, and suddenly you are eating at maintenance.
But is that a true set point because you slowed your metabolism down?
Or rather a false one based on the body protecting itself?
And the fact eating more or exercising less get's around it for most people that are willing to attempt it.
I had a winter 10 lbs I needed to drop for race weight.
Calmed the workouts down to totally recovery zone, while eating about the same, in essence NETing more where I should have been. Dropped the fat in 3 weeks. Was doing Zone diet at the time, and it just begged for being matched up with a slower training routine.
During this 3 weeks, my pace in running also came back up to where it was previously, despite the same HR effort in recovery zone. Immensely helped that recovery zone was about as much fat-burning as possible, and with 5-6 workouts a week, some days double, just needed it.0 -
Absolutely believe in this. Last August, I stalled out at 150 lbs. For months, I struggled, trying to lose any more. Finally quit and ate what I wanted for a few months. I put on 9 pounds. This year, I started back again. And guess what? I am back at 150 pounds and have been stuck here for 2 months. I've even changed up my cardio, added heavy weight lifting, and nada...no change on that scale. YES, I am losing inches, but the scale is not budging even a little.
Very frustrating. I do believe that eventually the scale has to go down, so I'm sticking to it...but oh man, it's hard to persevere.
I have to say that I know this is not my body's best weight. I was never overweight until the last 10 years, my normal weight ranged from 125-135, so 150 is higher than what is normal for me. It's not that I'm trying to make myself be slimmer than I should be, I just want to get to what is my usual.
And dang it, I have flab to lose!0 -
Absolutely believe in this. Last August, I stalled out at 150 lbs. For months, I struggled, trying to lose any more. Finally quit and ate what I wanted for a few months. I put on 9 pounds. This year, I started back again. And guess what? I am back at 150 pounds and have been stuck here for 2 months. I've even changed up my cardio, added heavy weight lifting, and nada...no change on that scale. YES, I am losing inches, but the scale is not budging even a little.
Very frustrating. I do believe that eventually the scale has to go down, so I'm sticking to it...but oh man, it's hard to persevere.
I have to say that I know this is not my body's best weight. I was never overweight until the last 10 years, my normal weight ranged from 125-135, so 150 is higher than what is normal for me. It's not that I'm trying to make myself be slimmer than I should be, I just want to get to what is my usual.
And dang it, I have flab to lose!
Eating the same amount you did back then?
Increase it at all with more exercise?
And inches lost is a loss. Once your workload has been met with level of muscle you have to do it, fat can be lost by itself without improvements to other things. If you keep making workouts harder, body must improve even more to meet that load.0 -
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Absolutely believe in this. Last August, I stalled out at 150 lbs. For months, I struggled, trying to lose any more. Finally quit and ate what I wanted for a few months. I put on 9 pounds. This year, I started back again. And guess what? I am back at 150 pounds and have been stuck here for 2 months. I've even changed up my cardio, added heavy weight lifting, and nada...no change on that scale. YES, I am losing inches, but the scale is not budging even a little.
Very frustrating. I do believe that eventually the scale has to go down, so I'm sticking to it...but oh man, it's hard to persevere.
I have to say that I know this is not my body's best weight. I was never overweight until the last 10 years, my normal weight ranged from 125-135, so 150 is higher than what is normal for me. It's not that I'm trying to make myself be slimmer than I should be, I just want to get to what is my usual.
And dang it, I have flab to lose!
Eating the same amount you did back then?
Increase it at all with more exercise?
And inches lost is a loss. Once your workload has been met with level of muscle you have to do it, fat can be lost by itself without improvements to other things. If you keep making workouts harder, body must improve even more to meet that load.
I am eating about the same, averaging 1500 or so (more on higher workout days, less on lower ones). Keep in mind that I don't burn a lot from exercising (in spite of giving it 110%), and have an extremely sedentary lifestyle (2 desk jobs).
I am very happy with the inches lost, but it is so frustrating to see week after week go by with no change on the scale (or on my ticker!). I know, I know....just shut up about the scale and focus on the inches. But I don't understand how I can get smaller and smaller and yet the scale stays steady. And I don't understand the physiology. I'm at a deficit so I can't be building muscle. Can I?
Where are the inches going if they're not pounds lost?
I'm eating 30% protein and doing the Stronglifts 5x5 program, which is lifting a steadily increasing weight in 5 compound lifts. And I eat at maintenance for a week, once every three months.
Just...:mad:0 -
I am eating about the same, averaging 1500 or so (more on higher workout days, less on lower ones). Keep in mind that I don't burn a lot from exercising (in spite of giving it 110%), and have an extremely sedentary lifestyle (2 desk jobs).
I am very happy with the inches lost, but it is so frustrating to see week after week go by with no change on the scale (or on my ticker!). I know, I know....just shut up about the scale and focus on the inches. But I don't understand how I can get smaller and smaller and yet the scale stays steady. And I don't understand the physiology. I'm at a deficit so I can't be building muscle. Can I?
Where are the inches going if they're not pounds lost?
I'm eating 30% protein and doing the Stronglifts 5x5 program, which is lifting a steadily increasing weight in 5 compound lifts. And I eat at maintenance for a week, once every three months.
Just...:mad:
Shhhhhhh.
You actually can gain muscle on a realistic deficit (0.7% weight loss goal), unless:
You are netting below your BMR. If body can't take care of basic functions of life, can't build muscle.
You are already trim and lifting. Not enough fat to supply energy for building.
All others may apply!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447514-athletes-can-gain-muscle-while-losing-fat-on-deficit-diet
You also could be adding energy stores, but there is a limit to adding glucose/water storage, unless you are really just getting into aerobic shape first time.0 -
I just found this post. I have a set point and it has been the point of defeat for me. I reach it and it seems to be all over. I am coming back and this time around I AM GOING TO BEAT IT. I hope someone here will have some ideas that will help me, encourage me about it. I have heard it all for a reason... including age. I am not siting down and doing nothing. I dance 5 times a week in the evening but I am bored by exercise-exercise. My hubby has a man-cave with filled with exercise stuff but I dust it. Boring for me. Perhaps someone might have ideas to make it UNBORING. That exercise thing might be the key to changing the set point. I reached my set point this morning. I gotta get under it. This time I gotta do it.0
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I just found this post. I have a set point and it has been the point of defeat for me. I reach it and it seems to be all over. I am coming back and this time around I AM GOING TO BEAT IT. I hope someone here will have some ideas that will help me, encourage me about it. I have heard it all for a reason... including age. I am not siting down and doing nothing. I dance 5 times a week in the evening but I am bored by exercise-exercise. My hubby has a man-cave with filled with exercise stuff but I dust it. Boring for me. Perhaps someone might have ideas to make it UNBORING. That exercise thing might be the key to changing the set point. I reached my set point this morning. I gotta get under it. This time I gotta do it.
Take a realistic deficit for amount to lose and amount/type of activity, eat enough protein, and do some resistance training.
Do NOT do it the same way as in the past, as it sounds like you know this is ultimately a failure in the long and possibly short run.
Also separate diet and exercise for what it is and is not going to do for weight loss, hopefully you mean fat loss.
Diet is for weight loss - done right only fat loss, done wrong includes muscle mass loss. Don't want that at older age.
Exercise is for heart health and body improvements - done right can assist fat loss, done wrong can encourage muscle mass loss.
Only thing exercise helps with for diet is the fact it increases what you burn each day, so that when you eat less than that, it hopefully will be enough to still be sustainable. Compared to eating less than you burn when you do not exercise.
For help on deficit, protein amounts for you and your routine, check out the spreadsheet on my profile page.
Resistance training can be classes, DVD programs, youtube even. Starting could be body weight or light dumbbells, but may need more weight. Circuit training best for losing fat but having enough burn to eat more to adhere to diet.0
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