What Really Determines How Much You Weigh?
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- May 7, 2019
- 3 min read
What Really Determines How Much You Weigh?
At certain stage of weight loss plan, your body hits a "plateau" or in another word makes a "block" when the weight does not change on the scale!
Dietitians and nutritonist always find ways to remove plateau even by increasing energy intakes or by increasing exercise level. Well!
Plateau or block is caused mainly by a theory called: Body weight set theory when the body find itself comfortable with a certain weight.
What's the Body-Weight Set Point Theory?
Simply put, the set point theory suggests that your body weight is regulated to a predetermined or preffered range.
"Think of it as a weight thermostat," "If you set the thermostat in your home to 72 degrees, when gets too cold inside, the heat will kick on to keep things at 72 degrees. If it gets too hot inside, the air conditioner will kick on to also keep things at 72 degrees."
Your weight similarly as thermostat as your set point will initiate different biological mechanisms to kick on so that your weight stays fairly stable, not letting you fluctuate too much in one direction or the other. This could be good news for some while bad for others.
What Determines Your Body's Set Point?
It is based on feedback regulation when the body receives feedback from the brain and sets off a cascade of responses in order to regulate the mechanism we are receiving information about, in this case, our adiposity or body fatness.
In another word, your set point is an extension of homeostasis where your body keeps all your body system in balance. For example, when your weight is out of balance, your brain sends signal to body organs in order to slow metabolism and to prevent weight loss. The same for weight gain but for a certain point!!
Set weight is determined by many factors like physiological (genetics and how each body system functions), cultural (the type of foods and eating habits you grew up with) and environmental (stress levels and availability of certain foods), there's much more science has yet to explain.
Is a Set Point the Same as Your “Happy Weight”?
"Happy weight” is a number on the scale where you sit comfortably and confidently without having to perform two-a-day workouts or practice restrictive eating. A place where maintenance meets body confidence.
“Your happy weight and your set-point are two different things if only in your mind,” says Kingsford. While your happy weight and set point might be the same number on the scale, your happy weight relies much more heavily on how you feel about that number. Alternatively, your happy weight may be higher or lower than your set point, if you're satisfied with the level of diet and exercise it takes to maintain that weight.
Regardless of your set point, your true happy weight is whatever weight you are when you're doing the following things Kingsford outlines:
1. Making food choices that help you feel good emotionally and physically and don't leave you feeling shame or guilt after eating.
2. Getting regular physical activity of some sort daily or at least 5 times weekly
3. Choose exercise not as punishement but for making your body happy and feels good!
4. keep yourself at that weight either physically or emotionally.
Are All Weight-Loss and Weight-Gain Efforts Doomed?
It's absolutely possible for you to adjust your weight thermostat back down, but it is not a quick fix. Your biology will work against you but with consistency, this can be accomplished.
If you commit to consistent behavioural changes you'll be able to adjust your thermostat.
Some examples of some of the things you can do to make sure you're adjusting your thermostat in a healthy way:
1.Ensure that your are not overeating, try applications that track your food intake like My Plate.
2. Increase your activity level (incrementally) either duration or intensity so that your metabolism starts to support a higher caloric burn.
3. Modify your diet to reduce your consumption of processed foods that unnaturally stimulate the same biological responses that trigger overeating.
4. Increase your consumption of nutrient-dense whole foods in order to regulate your insulin levels and kick-start your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues.
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