Weight loss is a common health and lifestyle goal. But this doesn’t mean the process is easy.
For many, losing weight and keeping it off seems impossible. Among individuals who adhere to a low-calorie diet, only 25% are successful at long-term weight loss and maintenance. However, this doesn’t mean that reducing calories, in combination with other lifestyle strategies like sustained physical activity and behavioral management, doesn’t work.
Rather, there are several explanations for weight loss (or lack thereof) that go beyond personal goals and willpower. Among these is the set point weight theory. Below, we discuss this phenomenon and how to overcome it so you can lose weight successfully and sustainably.
What the set point weight theory is
Sometimes you find yourself regaining the weight you’ve lost, regardless of how consistently you’ve been monitoring your calories and working out. What’s worse is that despite all your weight loss efforts, the scale doesn’t seem to budge. This complex relationship with body weight can be explained by the set point weight theory, which posits that the human body is predisposed to a certain weight or amount of fat. If you try to lose weight and go below that number, your body essentially works against you to remain within its preferred weight range.
Your set point weight can be affected by a complex set of factors. Genetics can influence your body weight by regulating your appetite and insulin function, which is primarily responsible for converting glucose into energy. Your brain can also adjust your appetite inversely based on your variation from your set point, meaning weight loss is typically accompanied by increased appetite.
Additionally, changes in hormone levels for ghrelin, also known as the hunger hormone, and leptin, which signals feelings of satiety, can alter your set point. While aging and medical conditions can lead to hormonal changes, sleep duration as a modifiable lifestyle factor can also affect the regulation of leptin in particular. With shorter sleep periods, your body becomes resistant to leptin, increasing your appetite and the risk of gaining weight over time. This slow yet progressive weight gain is then detrimental to your set point weight.
How to lower your set point weight
Join a weight loss program
Being aware of the set point weight phenomenon shouldn’t induce despair. Fortunately, you can successfully lower your set point through slow and steady weight loss. Although there are do-it-yourself approaches to weight management, these can lead to dangerous decisions like eliminating carbohydrates, which are otherwise essential nutrients and a major source of energy levels.
You can instead be safer and more consistent with your behavioral changes in diet and exercise by joining structured weight loss programs, such as WeightWatchers or the State Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN). Whether commercial or community-based, such programs can be tailored to your unique health needs and weight goals to make sure your healthy habits work for you in the long term. Participation also opens you up to community and social support, which can help keep you motivated throughout your weight loss journey.
Get a good night’s sleep
As previously discussed, getting quality sleep ensures that your leptin levels for appetite control and satiety are in-check, thereby preventing weight gain caused by overeating. Moreover, recent research shows that sleep health also plays a significant role in adherence to the lifestyle components of weight loss programs. In the linked study, participants who had regular, interrupted sleep and a high sleep score were able to stick to their diet and exercise plans, mainly through reduced caloric intake and increased moderate-vigorous activity. This shows how taking control of your sleep can be a huge step toward supporting and maintaining your weight loss in response to your set point weight.
The bottom line is that your set point weight shouldn’t hold you back from making an effort to lose weight but instead help you reframe your mindset about weight loss and your health as a whole. With a better understanding of how your body responds to diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes, you can aim for gradual yet lasting changes to your body weight and composition.
