Do you notice that at a certain weight your body seems to fight to keep you from gaining more weight

takemetosingapore19
takemetosingapore19 Posts: 86 Member
edited November 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Like a set point??

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    I don't think it's true - it's an excuse imo, either from people struggling to lose weight or those who struggle to gain. (I've used it myself when I was bigger...)

    You have to make more of an effort to eat more and keep your calories up, as well as training consistently to gain muscle.
  • takemetosingapore19
    takemetosingapore19 Posts: 86 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Your body has no will of its own, and it can't fight you - you have habits and preferences and a lifestyle that means that you, over time, are eating just enough to mantain your weight.

    I guess I meant if biologically some people are more disposed to being a certain weight due to genetics.. obviously lifestyle and environmental factors matter too. But don’t genetics count for something? My mom was very underweight naturally well into her 30s even though she had normal eating habits. I find I’m the same way. My weight now is on the low end of normal, I’m not particularly active and I eat 2500 calories a day.

  • karenlong7
    karenlong7 Posts: 15 Member
    I have no science to back it up, but as a serial gainer and loser, I do have several weights over a 100 pound range that I cling to on the way up and cling to on the way down. It's absolutely and obviously possible to get past those "set points" but there are specific weights my body prefers to stay at, and it's a struggle to break free of them.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I noticed this most recent bulk as my bodyfat increased and I gained to a certain level my body was basically telling me "ok enough" .. I lost all hunger, I felt sluggish, I started to develop taste aversions to most food, even highly palatable things. It was only about 15lbs gained and I didn't gain that much fat, but my body was just over it. I believe it's something to do with the hormone balance between ghrelin and leptin.

    However I wouldn't use it as a cop out or excuse not to gain.. I'm sure if I really force fed enough I could override those natural cues.

  • Jackie9003
    Jackie9003 Posts: 1,121 Member
    Pfft I wish!
  • Mithridites
    Mithridites Posts: 600 Member
    Nope
  • Poisonedpawn78
    Poisonedpawn78 Posts: 1,145 Member
    Your body burns calories based on many factors. One being the exersion level of lugging around say 50lbs of extra fat. This means your tdee is a certain number. If you eat less you lose weight. If you eat more you gain weight until your tdee matches your daily intake at which point you stop gaining and maintain.

    If you need 2000 calories to maintain 180 lbs. And 3000 calories to maintain 280 lbs. You will gain slowly from 180 to 280 and then stop gaining. Unless you eat more than 3000 calories per day.
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    Based on my personal experience, I don’t think so. There are probably many factors that can make it seem like we have a “setpoint” or “a weight my body likes”, like dieting down (or up) to that weight and feeling that it’s good enough (and there’s nothing wrong with that). Maybe it’s a weight that we could stay at with no effort at some point, I don’t know.
    Mine was 150. At my height its overweight, but my default eating/activity at the time kept me there, more or less, for quite a while. As years went on, I slowly gained 30 more. During this period of time, I would diet back to 150 and then stop dieting and proceed back up. Repeatedly.
    Early this year, I began doing what I always do and shot for 150. The difference is that I stumbled upon MyFitnessPal and began reading the boards and counting and logging my calories. The light went on. lol.
    I blew past 150, and am currently at 135-the lowest weight of my adult life (and still losing!).
    Another factor may just be that we underestimate the amount of time it actually takes to lose. Again, I’m no expert by any means, but I’ve thought a lot about this.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    I live in Canada, portions are huge and friends think I eat very little.
    I spend a lot of time with family and friends in the UK, portions are smaller, friends there think I eat a lot.

    In real life the only time I have gained weight is when I bought a car and my activity level dropped.
    Once I lost the weight, and upped my activity level, it was easy to stay at the weight I was most of my life.

    I don't believe in set points, I am just fortunate that my apitite naturally has kept me in a normal BMI range, even when I gained weight.

    Cheers, h.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    No. I think if I overeat enough calories I could keep gaining until I dies from it. My body responds to what I choose to put in it. It doesn't fight to stay any weight. I have never seen anything about set points that was convincing to me and my personal experience doesn't back up the idea either.
    I think I naturally self limit my eating to a certain level (portion sizes, types of food, number of meals eaten) so would probably stop gaining at my highest recorded weight unless I radically altered my habits.
  • amyepdx
    amyepdx Posts: 750 Member
    It’s not my body - it’s my head. I’ve been at my OK weight for over a year with the last 20 to go. Once I can wear M/size 10, the last 20 aren’t as critical somewhere in the back of my subconscious mind I guess.
    It is a victory that I’ve been able to maintain my 98 lb loss that long (never really done that before) but I need those last 20 gone to be normal BMI. More importantly, I need to hit the goal I set for myself 3 1/2 years ago. So, I have to be honest with myself and keep working at it!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Nope
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