Natural setpoint vs goal weight

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karengetsfit
karengetsfit Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My whole adult life I've been battling the same 10 lbs. At 5' 5", if I eat what I want I'm around 130. When I consciously limit my intake I'm 120, but I have to be vigilant about it. Does anyone else feel like they have a natural set point and when you go below that weight, your body resists? I think my set point is around 127-133, and maintaining anything below 125 takes some effort and as soon as I ease up I go back up to ~130.
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  • Mistapholeezkat
    Mistapholeezkat Posts: 80 Member
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    Same for me. I am the same height and if I eat what I want(within reason) I am 135-140. Eating whatever I wanted and often got me up to 165 five years ago. I have to make an effort to log everyday to stay at 130. I would love 125 but that takes a lot of exercise and still eating 1200 cals a day, so I feel that is not sustainable for me because I love food and drink :)
  • Zedeff
    Zedeff Posts: 651 Member
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    Your BMI at both weights (120, 130) is within the healthy range so I wouldn't stress too much about the "battle." There is some evidence for the set point theory but when you're talking about 5-8 lbs, this is probably more of a lifestyle issue. Kevin Hall's obesity model suggests that each pound of fat accounts for 10 calories per day of maintenance; you're nickle and diming when it comes to a 50-80 calorie per day maintenance change.
  • overin2015
    overin2015 Posts: 94 Member
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    I wonder if it just is a decision about whether the 10 extra pounds is worth the crazy effort it takes to maintain that at your healthy already weight. I bet you look fantastic at 130 so i wouldn't spend my life wasting one more day trying to kill myself to be "120" if you are healthy.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
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    I know for me I can eat just about whatever I want and stay at 170. When I cut to 160 for the summer I have to be very very diligent in counting my intake.
  • minties82
    minties82 Posts: 907 Member
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    I've never had a set point. I'm very short (148.5cm or about 4'11") but have a large frame as measured by wrist abd elbow. I wonder what mine will be?

    My goal is 52kg/115lbs which is at the heavy end of a normal BMI for my height.
  • rhonderoo
    rhonderoo Posts: 145 Member
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    I'm shorter, at 5'1" and have lost close to 100 lbs this year. But at 133 - 135, still at 1200 calories... my body seems to be done. I know I can shock my system and lose the last 15 lbs, but I hope that I don't have to do that to maintain 120... I'm hoping with the better weather and more activity, I can kick the last 10 - 15 lbs on 1200 - 1400 calories (depending on exercise). To answer the question, it appears my setpoint is 135... *sigh*
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    not sure I subscribe to "set point"...I have weighed anywhere from 135-205 and based on my own experience I am comfortable anywhere between 135-165 and it doesn't take much effort to be at that weight range...and still eat whatever I want but not "over eating" that's when I gain. But I agree with a PP that said that the range is fine..not sure why at 5ft 5 you would want to be on the low end.

    If you want to be smaller and can get past the "scale" start lifting.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited March 2015
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    overin2015 wrote: »
    I wonder if it just is a decision about whether the 10 extra pounds is worth the crazy effort it takes to maintain that at your healthy already weight. I bet you look fantastic at 130 so i wouldn't spend my life wasting one more day trying to kill myself to be "120" if you are healthy.

    I've been battling this for close to two decades and the "set point" slowly kept creeping up. I could get to the low 120s (I'm 5'3 with a medium-large frame) but as soon as I lost focus I'd be at 130+ again. This is exactly the reason I started lifting weights. Now I'm in the mid-130s, can wear the clothes I was wearing when I weighed in the mid-120s, and I don't have to deprive myself to maintain that weight. I'm much happier.
  • andielyn
    andielyn Posts: 233 Member
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    karengetsfit wrote: »
    My whole adult life I've been battling the same 10 lbs. At 5' 5", if I eat what I want I'm around 130. When I consciously limit my intake I'm 120, but I have to be vigilant about it. Does anyone else feel like they have a natural set point and when you go below that weight, your body resists? I think my set point is around 127-133, and maintaining anything below 125 takes some effort and as soon as I ease up I go back up to ~130.

    Until I hit my mid-40's this was me, EXACTLY. I had to reply because it is uncanny--I literally was always 127-133, same height. I never "dieted". I really never tried to get below 125.

  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,721 Member
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    I believe my body gets comfortable with certain weights once it has reached them. It hasn't budged off 136 for a month. Once it gets going again it's fine. I want the set point to be lower though ;)
  • Gska17
    Gska17 Posts: 752 Member
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    I was just wondering this same thing this morning as I'm two pounds away from my goal. I'm sure when I reach 135 I'll bounce between 135 and 140 during maintenance. FTR I'm 5'8.

    (I've been down into the low 120s but it wasn't as a result of healthy habits. (Stress and anxiety, basically ate nothing. That weight just wasn't right for me.)
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    970Mikaela1 wrote: »
    I know for me I can eat just about whatever I want and stay at 170. When I cut to 160 for the summer I have to be very very diligent in counting my intake.

    Because you are losing weight. Requires less food. Being lighter also requires less food to maintain.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Starving african children natural setpoint 50lbs right?

    You maintain "easily" on x weight because that's a calorie goal you are happy and comfortable eating for your activity levels. If being 10lbs lighter also means eating 100-200 calories less every day you may find it harder to maintain that new caloric intake thus it's not worth it. Your body doesn't defy physics so it's not going to NOT lose weight when you eat at a deficit. Once you eat at that new weight's maintenance, you're not going to gain just because your body for osme reason prefers when you're 160 vs 150lbs if you are eating calories to maintain your 150lb frame. Eat to maintain a 160lb frame at 150lbs and you will gain weight.

    Simple.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Setpoint is BS and the body doesn't "know" or "want" anything; it just reacts to what you do to it. It's very simple. Food tastes great and for most of us, we who love to eat, it takes more effort - calorie deprivation and/or exercise - to maintain a lower weight than a higher weight. The smaller body needs less calories too.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    Setpoint is not BS, it's a hypothesis to explain how it is that weight tends to be relatively easily maintained within certain ranges and that these ranges seem to be person specific. The main thing is that there will be a weight below which you need to work inordinately hard to get to and stay at, and for most people, it's not worth it to aim for a goal weight below that level.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
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    Set points are bunk.

    You can be, within reason and with little effort, any weight you choose to be.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    SergeantSausage wrote: »
    Set points are bunk.

    You can be, within reason and with little effort, any weight you choose to be.

    Why the "within reason" qualifier?

  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    970Mikaela1 wrote: »
    I know for me I can eat just about whatever I want and stay at 170. When I cut to 160 for the summer I have to be very very diligent in counting my intake.

    Because you are losing weight. Requires less food. Being lighter also requires less food to maintain.

    Less food makes me hangry...
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    girlviernes wrote: »
    SergeantSausage wrote: »
    Set points are bunk.

    You can be, within reason and with little effort, any weight you choose to be.

    Why the "within reason" qualifier?

    5'7 female wanting to be 80lbs isn't within reason. I'm taking it to mean you need to keep bodily health in mind when deciding on goal weight
  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
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    I read in "The Best Life Diet" book by Bob Greene, that our set point in tied into our chemical impulses. Your body sends signals to other parts, your stomach, your brain to tell you when to eat, when to stop eating. I would imagine our set point is directly tied into our metabolism, how we use the food, and how it is stored. We are an amazing machine :-)

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