You may not know what set point weight is, but it could be the reason why you are not losing the weight you should be losing. Like most people, I had never heard of the term. And like many, I’ve definitely experienced it. Most importantly, this term explains why you’re not losing weight and why your body keeps fighting you from losing them.
What Is Set Point Weight?
Set point weight or set point theory is your body’s ideal weight range for it to perform optimally. We all know that our weight can be affected by what we eat. On the other hand, our weight range is also determined by genetics, hormones and the environment. With that in mind, you body tries its best to keep you at this weight. Your body will actually fight to stay at this range by slowing down your metabolism. This explains why people have so many challenges losing weight. As a result, no matter what you do to lose weight, these biological factors can hinder your progress. But there are some things you can do to help.
1. Battling Genetics
Genetics play a huge role in your weight range. In fact, 40% to 70% of the obesity rate is determined by genetics. The study suggests that parents pass their set point weight down to their children. So if you have your parents are obese, then you’ll more than likely be obese. However, this could be due to the habits your parents created that are passed on you. Maybe you ate a lot of fast food or processed food when you were younger. For example, when I was younger, I had to eat everything on my plate before I was allowed to get up from the table. This was even if I wasn’t really hungry. In due time, this led to a habit of overeating. As an adult, I would eat everything on my plate even if I was full.
When I realized this was happening, I was able to correct the behavior I learned as a child. By changing your lifestyle and environment, you can turn off the gene associated with your weight range. You can manage it by adopting a healthy lifestyle. In addition, pay attention to your triggers and adjust accordingly.
2. Battling Hormones
The hormones in your body send signals to your brain affecting how you eat. They can tell your brain that you are not full or to go into starvation mode. These signals are produced by three main hormones; ghrelin, leptin and cortisol.
Ghrelin is known as the hunger hormone. In short, it tells you when it’s time to eat. It’s the hormone that can kick your body into starvation mode. This will make you feel hungry. On the other hand, it can tell your brain that you are not hungry. Often times, this hormone will tell your body that it’s hungry when it’s actually thirsty. Increasing your water intake can help.
Leptin is known as the full hormone. It signals to the brain when you’ve had enough to eat. Remember when I talked about eating everything on my plate. For years, my body grew accustomed to not feeling full when I ate pushing leptin levels in my body. A few changes on preventing overeating, helped to lower my leptin levels.
This is a big one, the stress hormone or cortisol. This hormone affects your metabolism. Your cortisol levels increase when you are stressed which in turn slows down your metabolism. Often, it can cause you to crave foods that are bad for you.
For women, life changes such as pregnancy, childbirth, your period and menopause can affect your set point weight as well. Our bodies are consistently shifting with these changes. Depending on your which you’re experiencing, your body may store more or less fat.
