Set point theory
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ashleygroizard
Posts: 181 Member
Has anyone heard of set point theory? It Is a set point weight. When you get enough nutrients for your body and you don’t starve and don’t over eat and drink water and your body goes to a normal healthy weight and maintains that weight for the rest of your life. I’m learning about it with my therapist. I also googled set point theory and apparently it’s the fat loss no one talks about
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Replies
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It's not a thing that exists.38
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What makes you say that? I’ve been talking to an eating disorder psychotherapist who has 15 years experience who says it doesMalkinMagic71 wrote: »It's not a thing that exists.
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I prefer the theory that you choose the weight you want to be by how much you eat and how much you move.
Not a popular theory as it involves effort as opposed to being a passive victim of circumstance.
Yes some people can maintain a healthy weight with intuitive eating, former fat people are rarer cases than people who have never been fat.54 -
ashleygroizard wrote: »
What makes you say that? I’ve been talking to an eating disorder psychotherapist who has 15 years experience who says it doesMalkinMagic71 wrote: »It's not a thing that exists.
Well, logically, then people wouldn't starve to death. So, obviously, you can go below your "set point" if it exists. You can maintain at any weight you choose doing what your therapist says. It is seen as an excuse more than anything.15 -
I prefer the theory that you choose the weight you want to be by how much you eat and how much you move.
Not a popular theory as it involves effort as opposed to being a passive victim of circumstance.
Yes some people can maintain a healthy weight with intuitive eating, former fat people are rarer cases than people who have never been fat.
What do you mean former fat people are rarer cases then people who have never been fat?8 -
I've heard this, the body finds a weight it likes and will contrive to make you comply. It does give reasons for some plateaus, once you do get the weight moving again the body will adjust downwards. Regrettably I can't remember an origin or advocate for this happening. I found when I was at my most sensitive to foods my body would rebound to the starting weight with not help from me. Probably came down to inflammation, fluid retention and the rest but I am only one person and the science I am thinking of related to quite a few if not many20
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What do you mean it’s seen as an excuse more than anything what is?snowflake954 wrote: »ashleygroizard wrote: »
What makes you say that? I’ve been talking to an eating disorder psychotherapist who has 15 years experience who says it doesMalkinMagic71 wrote: »It's not a thing that exists.
Well, logically, then people wouldn't starve to death. So, obviously, you can go below your "set point" if it exists. You can maintain at any weight you choose doing what your therapist says. It is seen as an excuse more than anything.
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ashleygroizard wrote: »I prefer the theory that you choose the weight you want to be by how much you eat and how much you move.
Not a popular theory as it involves effort as opposed to being a passive victim of circumstance.
Yes some people can maintain a healthy weight with intuitive eating, former fat people are rarer cases than people who have never been fat.
What do you mean former fat people are rarer cases then people who have never been fat?
If someone is a genuine intuitive eater who regulates their intake naturally they are less likely to get fat.
Like my son, he eats more when he does more, he eats less when he does less - never been fat.
Former fat people (generally) can (but often fail to...) learn to control or mitigate the behaviours that led to getting overweight but that's not the same as intuitive eating or a naturally occurring healthy weight. We are hard-wired for survival and unfortunately that means eating more when food is available to store energy away to get us through times when food is in short supply. But in the first world food is always in abundant supply.
Your therapist is selling a dream in my opinion.
If it works for you then great, but suggest you keep monitoring your weight in case the dream turns sour.
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ashleygroizard wrote: »Sounds like everyone is having a go at me for some reason
Not at you - at set point theory.37 -
Of course if you dont starve or over eat you will be at a healthy weight. Not starving yoruself or overeating is the hard part, imo it is very hard not to overeat naturally what with the abundance of highly appealing foods available.
I have seen therapists for EDs and none of them have brought set points up, I would be questioning whether to continue seeing her, have you seen her qualification? How is she using this theory to help you?19 -
ashleygroizard wrote: »
What do you mean it’s seen as an excuse more than anything what is?snowflake954 wrote: »ashleygroizard wrote: »
What makes you say that? I’ve been talking to an eating disorder psychotherapist who has 15 years experience who says it doesMalkinMagic71 wrote: »It's not a thing that exists.
Well, logically, then people wouldn't starve to death. So, obviously, you can go below your "set point" if it exists. You can maintain at any weight you choose doing what your therapist says. It is seen as an excuse more than anything.
I mean that other threads on MFP have mentioned it and people usually say it's just an excuse to stay overweight (my body likes this weight). You'll find that your body will tend to arrive at another, even higher "set point" if you let it. Choose what weight you like for yourself and try to stay there, within a healthy weight, of course.19 -
Energy balance doesn't 'care' about a set point. While there may be some truth that the body "likes" a certain weight, it seems to me that would simply mean that a person's brain signals hunger and movement to that end. To the extent that a person relies on those things, other than making conscious choices regarding intake and movement, I suppose it's a thing.
But in the long run, set points are not relevant to a person's goal - other than to have influence on the choices you make. The choices you make, however, can be completely independent of the brain's signals.
So I would ask your therapist (after finding out what they mean by "starving", and assuming that your body gets 'enough nutrients'): "If a person was underweight, how does a body go to a normal weight if you are in a deficit?" Or: "If a person was overweight, how does a body go to a normal weight if you are in a surplus?"
This is only speculative on my part, but it seems the body's set point is a mental thing. It would only be important if it's something that blocks you from your healthy goals.19 -
I came accross this some time ago and had it bookmarked.
See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2990627/
I do think hormonal changes from one or more pregnancies can change/influence this set point.
And there is a small segment of women my opinion who with pregnancies go back to original set point due to their genes. As is the women who like remain the weight they had at young age regardless of any circumstance.
Rx meds also influence weight and usually in patient folder is stated weight gain.
Delving a bit further one finds in the meds info aimed at the medical folks things like slows metabolism.
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ashleygroizard wrote: »
Sorry I didn’t realize you have qualifications and your an expert in health like my psychotherapistashleygroizard wrote: »I prefer the theory that you choose the weight you want to be by how much you eat and how much you move.
Not a popular theory as it involves effort as opposed to being a passive victim of circumstance.
Yes some people can maintain a healthy weight with intuitive eating, former fat people are rarer cases than people who have never been fat.
What do you mean former fat people are rarer cases then people who have never been fat?
If someone is a genuine intuitive eater who regulates their intake naturally they are less likely to get fat.
Like my son, he eats more when he does more, he eats less when he does less - never been fat.
Former fat people (generally) can (but often fail to...) learn to control or mitigate the behaviours that led to getting overweight but that's not the same as intuitive eating or a naturally occurring healthy weight. We are hard-wired for survival and unfortunately that means eating more when food is available to store energy away to get us through times when food is in short supply. But in the first world food is always in abundant supply.
Your therapist is selling a dream in my opinion.
If it works for you then great, but suggest you keep monitoring your weight in case the dream turns sour.
Nobody needs qualifications to have a legitimate opinion about something. They just need to have some knowledge. I don't believe @sijomial was being rude at all. He stated it was "in my opinion".
I tend to also be a little cynical about unsupported assertions - especially those that are cited that would benefit the person saying them. It's like all of the fad diet gurus, who have all of this knowledge, but only the supplements that they sell would make you healthy.
Again, I would ask your therapist this; "Assuming set point theory is true, what do you suggest I do about it?"26 -
snowflake954 wrote: »ashleygroizard wrote: »
What do you mean it’s seen as an excuse more than anything what is?snowflake954 wrote: »ashleygroizard wrote: »
What makes you say that? I’ve been talking to an eating disorder psychotherapist who has 15 years experience who says it doesMalkinMagic71 wrote: »It's not a thing that exists.
Well, logically, then people wouldn't starve to death. So, obviously, you can go below your "set point" if it exists. You can maintain at any weight you choose doing what your therapist says. It is seen as an excuse more than anything.
I mean that other threads on MFP have mentioned it and people usually say it's just an excuse to stay overweight (my body likes this weight). You'll find that your body will tend to arrive at another, even higher "set point" if you let it. Choose what weight you like for yourself and try to stay there, within a healthy weight, of course.
A set point weight is suppose to get you to a healthy weight not keep you overweight26 -
ashleygroizard wrote: »Some medications like I was on four at once caused weight gain. It’s called a side effect for a reason. Not having someone teach you healthy eating and exercise is also another reason people get fat. Some people can’t help but get fat. ....
I'm going to be just a little bit nit picky here. I know it seems like I'm parsing your words (I am), but there is a point to it.
Medications do not cause weight gain. They claim there are side effects, but in reality the claimed side effects are indirect. The one and only thing that causes weight gain (I'm talking about fat, not fluid), is a caloric surplus. There can be no other cause. What medications may cause is one of two things, or both: increased hunger and/or decreased metabolism (especially if they cause drowsiness). They do not make you fat in and of themselves. So if somebody goes on medication long-term, it would be important for those folks to monitor their caloric intake and activity and make appropriate adjustments. Because energy balance is always true.
To the second point, nobody taught me how to eat healthy. I was 53 when I started to use this website. I was 50 pounds overweight and instinctively knew that I was eating too much. But my mind was cluttered with pseudoscience and me blaming everything but the true cause of why I was obese. Everybody can help but getting fat. Yes, some have it harder for many legitimate reasons. But the science is the same for everybody.36 -
Look everyone I was only asking about it and each one of you are having a go at me. I’m only trying to see if people have heard about it. I’m not sure if I should be letting my body choose what weight it wants to be that’s why I’m asking and I don’t want to be losing my obsession with weight lose and my life goals and a passion I enjoy health and fitness to try the set point theory my therapist has suggested. You have all been quite mean to me and I don’t appreciate it one bit. I am here for a reason to get help to lose weight. I might be a fat person but hey I’m here trying to get help. I was a drug addict I’ve had eating disorders and I’ve quit cigarettes and I’ve been on medications that have caused weight gain excessive weight gain and not only that I have borderline personality disorder which has binge eating symptom so my body has been thru a hell of a lot and I have been skinny and huge and atm I’ve just over a kg to a healthy bmi at the higher end. I’m 77.7kgs and 175cm tall and a 32 year old woman. I’m here bloody trying to lose weight like most people on here. I think it’s absolutely so mean people having a go at me about something I’m trying to find out about. I’m sorry I come on my fitness pal because how I’ve been treated. I’m here to get help and I get abused for it. How *kitten* rude referring to me and people overweight as fat people52
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@ashleygroizard I'm sorry you feel this way. I don't see anybody going after you. I see people going after the theory. You don't need to be defensive or lash out because again, it's the theory that you brought up and asked about.
I hope you at least get what you're looking for in terms of having an idea about set point theory. And I would encourage you to read the points that people are making independent of emotion. I think you are seeing intent (people being mean) when there is none.
Good luck to you.29 -
ashleygroizard wrote: »
Sorry I didn’t realize you have qualifications and your an expert in health like my psychotherapistashleygroizard wrote: »I prefer the theory that you choose the weight you want to be by how much you eat and how much you move.
Not a popular theory as it involves effort as opposed to being a passive victim of circumstance.
Yes some people can maintain a healthy weight with intuitive eating, former fat people are rarer cases than people who have never been fat.
What do you mean former fat people are rarer cases then people who have never been fat?
If someone is a genuine intuitive eater who regulates their intake naturally they are less likely to get fat.
Like my son, he eats more when he does more, he eats less when he does less - never been fat.
Former fat people (generally) can (but often fail to...) learn to control or mitigate the behaviours that led to getting overweight but that's not the same as intuitive eating or a naturally occurring healthy weight. We are hard-wired for survival and unfortunately that means eating more when food is available to store energy away to get us through times when food is in short supply. But in the first world food is always in abundant supply.
Your therapist is selling a dream in my opinion.
If it works for you then great, but suggest you keep monitoring your weight in case the dream turns sour.
I apologise for having an education, experience and an opinion.
Any more personal attacks or are we done?
I thought you were attacking me27 -
ashleygroizard wrote: »Look everyone I was only asking about it and each one of you are having a go at me. I’m only trying to see if people have heard about it. I’m not sure if I should be letting my body choose what weight it wants to be that’s why I’m asking and I don’t want to be losing my obsession with weight lose and my life goals and a passion I enjoy health and fitness to try the set point theory my therapist has suggested. You have all been quite mean to me and I don’t appreciate it one bit. I am here for a reason to get help to lose weight. I might be a fat person but hey I’m here trying to get help. I was a drug addict I’ve had eating disorders and I’ve quit cigarettes and I’ve been on medications that have caused weight gain excessive weight gain and not only that I have borderline personality disorder which has binge eating symptom so my body has been thru a hell of a lot and I have been skinny and huge and atm I’ve just over a kg to a healthy bmi at the higher end. I’m 77.7kgs and 175cm tall and a 32 year old woman. I’m here bloody trying to lose weight like most people on here. I think it’s absolutely so mean people having a go at me about something I’m trying to find out about. I’m sorry I come on my fitness pal because how I’ve been treated. I’m here to get help and I get abused for it. How *kitten* rude referring to me and people overweight as fat people
I have heard of set point theory. In my opinion, it's not something to count on. Though your body tends to mitigate to a certain weight point, that is highly dependent on several factors such as activity level, history, hormones etc. Our bodies dont train us to follow its cues, we train our bodies to follow ours. If we abuse our bodies with several or even just one unhealthy habit, anything that's going to help improve health the body will react positively too. However, ultimately we make the choices and our bodies follow.
Set point theory is demonstrating our physical need to be healthy and of a good weight. However, that theory is highly subjective.
Btw, I'm a psychologist.18
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