Nutrition Diva

“What do you think of the idea that we have a set point for weight? Are we destined to always stay around the same weight or it is possible for that to move?"

Is the Set Point for Real?

The idea of the body weight set point is that our bodies are programmed to be a certain weight or to store a certain amount of fat and that the body will “fight back” against any attempts to change this predetermined weight. And there is some evidence to support this idea.

When we significantly restrict our calorie intake for more than a few days (say, by going on a diet), our metabolism starts to slow down and we burn fewer calories. Likewise, if we significantly and suddenly increase our activity levels (say, by starting a new exercise program), our bodies compensate by burning fewer calories.

There have been experiments where lab rats were fed diets that caused them to either lose or gain a bunch of weight. As soon as the experiment was over, however, the rats tended to revert back to their original weight. And we all know that the vast majority of people who lose a lot of weight end up gaining it all back.

There are several factors that probably come into play here. Some of them, such as our genes and biological adaptations, are beyond our control. But that doesn’t mean that all attempts to lose weight are doomed to fail. There are other things that we can control.

4 Ways to Change Your Set Point

The following four strategies can help you lose weight. More importantly, they can help you permanently change your body weight set point.

1. Change the composition of your diet. If your diet currently includes a lot of sweets or refined carbohydrates (things like white bread, cereal, pasta, and pastry), consider cutting way back on these—and not just as a temporary weight loss strategy but as a permanent shift. This can lower your insulin levels, which can in turn reduce your appetite and your tendency to store fat.

You don’t have to go on an extreme low-carb diet. Try the more sustainable approach outlined in this episode.

2. Change the composition of your gut. The types of bacteria that flourish in your intestines may play a major role in your body weight set point. My best advice is to stop using artificial sweeteners, which appear to encourage the growth of bacteria associated with obesity. Instead, you want to cultivate the strains of bacteria associated with leaner bodies by eating a variety of fermented and cultured foods along with fiber-rich foods that nourish those friendly bacteria.

3. Change your environment. You can talk to me all you want about appetite hormones and how they sabotage weight loss. But the fact is that hunger is not what drives most of our consumption. We eat because we are constantly surrounded by cheap, tasty, high calorie foods that are literally engineered to be irresistible. We don’t just eat until we’re satisfied; we eat until the oversized package is empty or our oversized plate is clean. We eat because everyone around us is always eating.

If you want to permanently lower your body weight, you need to permanently change the habits and behaviors that lead you to overeat. And because this needs to be a sustainable shift, I suggest that you not rely on willpower alone but take steps to reengineer your personal environment in ways that remove all these external cues and calories of opportunity.

Use smaller plates and serving dishes. Don't eat in front of the television and computer. Keep tempting foods out of sight (or, better yet, out of the house altogether). You'll find more tips in my episodes Why we Overeat and Why Willpower is Not Enough.

4. Change your body weight more slowly. Another way to permanently reset your set point is not to change your body weight too much or too quickly. When your body weight changes slowly, your body is less likely to fight back. This, after all, is how most of us end up gaining weight (and may explain why our set point doesn’t seem to cause our bodies "fight back"!).

If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, a step down approach may work better than a long steady slide. Start by gradually losing no more than 10% of your total weight. If you're currently 200 pounds, for example, start by losing no more than 20 pounds. Then, spend two or three months maintaining that new lower weight before taking the next step down, again losing no more than 10% of your new weight. It will probably take you longer to reach your goal weight this way but you are so much more likely to maintain that goal weight once you get there!

See also: Weight Loss Myths

Slow and gradual weight loss can help you avoid the metabolic backlash that rapid weight loss can trigger. It also means that by the time you reach your goal weight, you have had much more time to master and internalize the healthy habits you’ll need to maintain the new slimmer you. I talked more about this strategy in How to Lose Weight Without Dieting and How to Break a Weight Loss Plateau.