To think you need to lower your set point in order to lose weight

[Cozytoesandtoast00]

I'll begin by saying I have tried every single weight loss method possible and I have come to the conclusion that these methods are futile and you may lose weight for a short while but this weight will go back on as you body attempts to get back up to its set point.
Intermittent fasting worked for the longest period (one year! ) But then I got ravenous and slowly put it back on again 🙈
You may have noticed that once you have lost weight, hunger becomes very pronounced and you eat your way back up to your original weight. Maybe more than before as you can increase your set weight by eating lots of processed food (me!)
Ironically, I now weigh much more since starting dieting ( I originally only needed to lose about half a stone and now I need to lose 3)
You can Google about the Set Point Theory and it seems to make sense.
I am now planning on lowering my set point by following these rules:

• I will aim to lose only 5-10% of my weight at a time
• Lose weight very slowly. I will lose half a pound a week.
• I will then maintain this for a period of 6 months before losing anymore
• I will begin by removing sugar and processed foods to start ( I accept this this will be difficult but I know I have a serious sugar addiction)
• I will not snack and have 3 meals a day
• I will drink lots of water
• I will focus on body acceptance and ways to increase happiness whilst completing this process

I’ve also found intermittent fasting quite easy. I have lunch and dinner then breakfast as my evening snack. Everything happens between 1pm and 9pm

I lost a lot of weight with IF and kept it of for a year.
Then suddenly got very hungry and put it all back in again. Back to my original weight,plus some more!
It might work for you though. I would suggest starting slowly to not upset your body 😂

Well sort of. to truly build muscle you need to feed your body, so the very best way to build muscle is to add a few extra calories and then go through a shred phase (like bodybuilders do). If you lift heavy weights at a consistent calorie deficit you’ll basically make yourself tired.

to be really sensible, you can go for maintenance which will build muscle and strip fat but take longer, it’s a change to body composition that you’re after

online calorie calculators are available and good

I do 16:8 when I am in routine with work etc. So I finish dinner at around 7pm and then I don't have breakfast so I don't eat until 11am/12pm the next day.

It's surprisingly easy actually, once you are into it. You can only really drink water, definitely not fruit.

I haven't seen great results weight loss wise tbh, but I do think it's helping to keep the wolf from the door as I get older!

I like it because unlike most 'Ways of Eating' it has only has a one single simple rule: no eating at all outside the window.

Thanks for the info - what is a shred phase? Sounds painful

High protein diet to lose fat while keeping the muscle you’ve built

I put on nearly 2 stone due to Prostap and a chemical menopause - I have always maintained a healthy weight but went from 9 stone 12 to 11 stone 9 in 6 months, I was doing my usual thing of eating 1500 calories a day and doing 2 x hour sessions and a 10 mile walk per week. It piled on. I am 5 foot 4 so it really showed. So maybe there is a set point based on hormonal and endocrine needs?

I was put on the waiting list for a hysterectomy in June so took myself off the prostap, and cut out sugar - carried on with the same calorie deficit and upped activity levels and I have lost 3 inches from my waist and about 4 from my hips. I honestly believe that sugar and snacking makes people overweight. If you stick to 3 balanced correctly portioned meals a day, maintain activity and a calorie deficit you maintain a lower weight. It isn't rocket science and once you override the brains false 'need' for snacks and sugar it doesn't feel that hard. It's hardest when you are on the slippery slope. Snacks are the devils work!

People scoff at calorie counting but, when I was fat after I took 'eating for two' literally learning how many calories I was actually eating was the only thing that helped me lose weight. I've never been overweight again.

@HailOWeen I agree. I will never, ever have a Costa seasonal hot chocolate again in my life, once I saw the calorie content and grams of sugar in them. Being mindful of what your daily amount is and balancing what you input and output is half the battle.

Absolutely, obviously once you have this knowledge you need to make permanent lifestyle changes but I wouldn't dismiss the importance of knowing how many calories you're putting away!

I imagine that hot chocolate is close to a full lunch. 😅

I lost 3 stone from cutting down on my calories whilst still eating the food I wanted to eat. I did also do 30 mins of walking every lunchtime.
For me, I just felt like cutting out certain foods or avoiding snacking didn’t work. It would work for about a week and then I’d get starving and go back to the way I was eating.
I think the correct wording is “eat less, move more”
I set my calories at about 1800 per day and just ate what I wanted within those calories ranges, making sure I had a balanced diet within those calories but not missing out on chocolate in, cake etc
By removing processed sugar, etc and making sure you don’t snack I really can’t see your diet sticking. Of course in an ideal work removing process food and sugar sounds healthier but when we’ve eaten it our whole lives it is very hard to cut it out and you’ll just end up craving it more.

Everything in moderation x

I sometimes get a bit disheartened - as a general rule let's take 2000 calories a day, it's very easy to rack up that number having not really 'gone all out'. A sandwich for example can easily be 500/600 calories.

Jason Fung ( intermittent fasting and lower carb scientist) would agree with you.
It's not just about calories.
He has said you can lower your set point by eating less frequently and lowering carbs to reduce insulin (which stops weight loss)

I think the key is to eat chocolate, etc. in moderation as I agree that if you deprive yourself of everything you enjoy, you'll just be miserable.

I can see your point but the Everything In Moderation doesn't work for everyone.
I am a sugar addict and I'm much happier if I don't touch the stuff. After a few days of not eating any (which I'll admit is hard but soon passes) I honestly don't want or crave it. Otherwise I'll eat it all day, every day and I'm desperately unhappy.

Really recommend reading all the weight loss resources on optimize.me.

He takes all the best scientific publications, condenses the main points and explains them.

Everybody is unique. You need to experiment to find what works for you, your biome, your hormones, your lifestyle, your mindset.

For me personally if I've just been a bit of a glutton then 2 weeks low carb will take off half a stone and give me the motivation to be sensible.

For resolving bad habits the only thing that works for me is 20/4 fasting. It's about health not weight and really does it for me.

On both of the above I'm still eating at least 2k calories a day. I can not do hungry!

I did 20:4 fasting. I lost a lot of weight but put it all on again
I really loved the lifestyle and it worked for a year, but I found that I put the weight back on 😥

Have you said how old you are? Could it be menopause related?

I do find my weight extremely stable for a long time until I have stress issues. I do stress eat but I also think it reduces my sleep which leads to weight gain and disrupts my hormones which also leads to weight gain. Triple whammy!

I am exactly the same. I think it's a personality thing maybe? I have one chocolate biscuit, then I want another. Then a bit later I want a celebration or 5. Then I want a slice of cake. Then I fancy a glass of wine, then I want another. It's like my brain and physiology start at the top of a slide and just keep going. Or it could just our bodies are more sensitive to insulin production maybe?

Whereas if I just don't have it I just don't think about it or crave it IYSWIM. I am a big believer in your body telling you what it needs ever since I had hyperemesis when I was pregnant. I needed the most bizarre foods (to throw up again) such as Bovril, crushed ice, strawberry crusha and Irish Stew because I was deficient in B12, Thiamin, Iron, Calcium, potassium. If you can override habitual stuff like snacks and sugar I think your body knows what it's doing but consumerism almost forces people to ignore their bodies actual needs so companies make money.

This is my logic too - have you read Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole? Sounds similar to the research you've done so far but it breaks down why dieting isn't a permanent weight loss solution and talks about set point weight. I finally got sick of the cycle and stopped dieting at the start of the year and my weight has plateaued, but funnily enough I am way less restrictive with what I eat. I've also started weight lifting recently and lost a few inches, so (very, very) slow and steady is the way I'm going from now on.

I’m menopausal and now realise that for the rest of my life I simply won’t be able to eat the portions sizes I was used to. I have a dessert plate rather than a dinner plate and that’s enough. It takes a lot to get your head round and I get cross about the massive size of scones and cake portions. Luckily DH is on the same page and we usually share if we’re out.
I think that restaurants should offer menopause portions as well as a kids menu!

I wanted to give you some encouragement by letting you know that I have taken a similar approach since the spring OP and am happy with my slow but steady progress. I'm eating well and I've lost just over a stone and am still losing a pound or so every 3 - 4 weeks. I need to lose another 10 pounds to get to my ideal weight.

I'm a shortie and so the maths wasn't in my favour - loosing a pound a week would have meant 1100 calories a day which wouldn't have been sustainable.

What finally clicked for me was the Andrew Jenkinson book, where he suggests starting with what you would eat once you had achieved your desired weight. So not being miserable but eating well.

I've mostly cut out processed foods, reduced carbs/swapped for whole grains where I can and cut back a lot on sugar. Plenty of veg, some fruit, full fat Greek yoghurt, fish at least twice a week and extra virgin olive oil for cooking. Grass fed meat twice a week. I still have wine and a small pudding at the weekend.

Today I have had a milky coffee for breakfast, a red pepper omelette and salad + an apple for lunch, Greek yoghurt & berries as an afternoon snack and left over roast beef with a small jacket potato & salad for tea.

Good luck OP - it's great once you finally find a way that works for you.