Managing and maintaining our weight can be difficult. Over 28% of adults within the UK are categorised obese (BMI over 30) (Body Mass Index) and a further 36.2% are categorised overweight (BMI between 25-30). Those of us that are categorised overweight or obese are more likely to have health risks such as:-
Diabetes
High Blood Pressure
Stroke
Heart Disease
To reduce these risks many try various weight loss programmes to manage their weight.
The set point theory is thought to be our bodies natural weight range, which it try's to maintain. Each and every persons set point is unique.
Based on this theory, if you are losing weight, your metabolism tapers off, leaving you feeling hunger, encouraging you to eat to stay within your set point range.
However if you overindulge, a feedback mechanism increases your metabolism reducing your hunger, to stay within your set point range.
Losing weight is complex and the set point is just one theory research discovered from animal studies with in rat's in the 1970's.
It is basic theory that may help explain why we find it complicated to lose weight and why 80% of people regain lost weight within 2-5 years.
The animal studies discovered the rats gained weight when over fed a high-fat, high-sugar diet, and once the rats returned to their standard diet, their bodies self-regulated to their original weights.
Scientists applied these findings to develop the set point theory. However the mechanisms within humans behind weight loss is not fully understood as we are not rats, which is why experts still work with theory's.
Advocates of the set point theory have acknowledged that identical twins tend to have similar BMI values, proposing that your genes possibly play a notable role in your weight.
Another point to the set point theory is that the hunger hormones i.e. Leptin helps regulate your hunger, depending on how much you've eaten.
Both points indicate biological weight control within humans, maintaining the set point theory to your bodies weight.
Scientist note that for every 1kg of weight lost, our hunger increases, encouraging us to consume an additional 95 calories a day.
Our bodies set point can be 'overridden' through constant over eating increasing our range accordingly. Especially if your food environment is of high-fat, high-sugar. Other factors that can over ride our set points include; Social classes, income, stress, and where we live. This indicates that if the set point does exist it can be changed in response to our environment.
Today the evidence indicates that if the set point exists, its easier to gain weight, than to lose it. It is thought this is down to the primary hunger hormone Leptin, that defends the body against fat loss. It does this by making you feel hungry, if you don't eat enough to fuel your body.
Not all scientists agree on the set point, whether it exists or not, or when it is set, i.e. hardwired in to your DNA, or influenced by the amount of fat in your mothers body while you were in the womb. It is all just theories, there is no solid evidence either way as yet.
According to the set point theory, if you gain weight slowly over time, this moves your set point up. If your slowly lose weight, this shifts your set point down, indicating slow and steady wins the race.
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