Sorry this isn’t a tennis lesson…
When talking about set point I’m talking about your body weight. That number in kilos or pounds that your body just seems to settle at – be happy with – and sometimes frustratingly does not budge from !! Your body likes consistency and maintaining status quo. A set point is defined as “the amount of adipose (fat) tissue that your body perceives to be right for you at any particular time.” (Dr. A. Sainsbury-Sallis/2007)
For those that have spent many years trying many diets….let me describe what may be a similar scenario to you .
Jane is 47 years old and had been hovering around 74kgs for almost 5 years, with most of her weight sitting uncomfortably around her stomach and wobbly thigh bits! She has decided that enough is enough and it’s time – she wants to look good and feel good again. A healthy weight for Jane (taking into consideration, height, body frame and reality…!) would be approx. 8 kgs lighter.
So motivated, Jane starts to watch what she eats, pays attention to eating only when hungry and stopping before she is full. She cuts out any food that is overly processed and increases her vegetable, fruit and water intake. She decides that her exercise to date has been non existent, so schedules a brisk 45 minute walk into her day 4 days a week.
Over the next six weeks she loses… 4 kilos… but then seems to hit a wall. Nothing budges and she’s noticing she is much hungrier than usual! And all that energy she had to exercise has gone out the window and suddenly Jane feels lethargic and that morning run is no more . She doesn’t understand why things have changed.
It is due to her set point.
Those hunger pangs are a sign – an internal physiological sign – a panic button – her body weight has moved away from her set point (74kgs) and her body’s fat thermostat – the adipostat – does not like it!!
As the kilos move further away (down) from your set point again, the body will do everything in its power to ensure you have enough energy to keep all vital organs running and general survival. Your body’s set point is your body’s own inbuilt survival mechanism.
So to the good news!! Our set point is not an immovable beast! You just need to know the subtle tricks to coax it into a false sense of security so that the numbers go down while your spirits stay up! You can move your set point down, slowly and surely, to your ideal weight (as long a it is realistic).
Weight loss and more specifically fat loss doesn’t have to be complicated. There are simple ways to do it – you just have to know how!!
Have you or anyone you know had success in changing their set point …permanently?
Let me know in the comments below.
Be Healthy & HappyÂ
Caroline x