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Body Fat Storage - Set Point Theory
Many dieters will tell you that most of their weight was lost at the
beginning of their diet. What is particularly frustrating is that the weight
loss slows or stops completely after several weeks. This is called the
weight loss plateau effect. Worse, approximately 95% of dieters regain the
lost weight. Why? Because the body is trying to retain its set point.
Bennett and Gurin developed the set point theory in 1982 as a means of
explaining why diets often fail to change body weight and shape. They
suggested that the body is biologically and genetically predisposed to
maintain a specific weight range and level of body fat. Although the set
point varies from person to person, medical evidence suggests that most
people have a 65% chance of being in the same weight range as their family
members. Scientists speculate that the number of fat cells the body contains
at the end of the first year of life determines the set point. The amount we
eat, the fat content of our diet and the level of physical activity
determine how large those fat cells will become, and how heavy we will be.
This means that no matter how many fat cells we all have it is possible to
shrink the amount of fat storage they contain, although, we still need to
select the correct exercise and diet suited to our unique needs.
Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is a program designed to help lower the
fat set point and limit the physiological adjustments our body makes in
order to maintain present weight. A lower set point allows us to lose body
fat easier than following a program that doesn't attempt to stop set point
adjustments!
Learn more about this program here!
More on the Body Fat Set Point Theory
There are three sides to the set point theory. Some researchers believe that
it is psychological. They suggest that it is determined by personal and
cultural preferences, such as body image,
clothing size (“bikini season,”
for example), and health reasons. Some researchers believe that the set
point is physical. They are, in turn, divided as to its origin. Some say
that a hormone secreted by adipose tissue determines the set point. Others
have suggested that the hypothalamus, a hormone-secreting gland at the base
of the brain, contains a sort of "adipostat", the regulatory mechanism which
controls fat stores. The hormone leptin helps the brain determine how much
fat is being stored. Recently, much attention has been focused on
environmental factors for the 4% annual increase in the obesity rate.
Industrialization, central heating, vaccinations, reductions in infectious
diseases, increased availability of food, and changing attitudes have
altered our set points.
The adipostat monitors and maintains body fat stores by adjusting appetite,
physical activity, and the
resting metabolic rate to conserve or expend
energy. Think of the body as having a thermostat. When you start to go below
your natural weight, it reacts by slowing down your metabolism. It reduces
your energy expenditures. Your body temperature will drop as less energy is
expended on warmth. You may become lethargic as your body continues to
conserve calories. You will want to sleep more. Some women will stop having
their periods. Your body may start to think you’re starving and
trigger
uncontrollable binges to get you to eat more. If you go above your natural
weight, your metabolism will increase. The body will do what it can to burn
off the extra calories by raising your temperature. Either way, your body
will always try to maintain its set point.
The way off this roller coaster is a healthy diet and regular exercise. The
healthy diet will provide the proper nutrition we need. A sustained exercise
program will lower the set point and result in a body weight that can be
reached and maintained with proper dieting. This has been borne out by
international research studies undertaken by the late Dr. Roland L. Weinsier,
Director, Clinical Nutrition Research Center of the University of Alabama at
Birmingham, and many other noted researchers.
While appetite suppressors might seem appropriate tools for losing weight,
many have dangerous side effects. Leaving these aside, there is another
built in risk to using appetite suppressors. As soon as you stop taking
them, your body will attempt to regain its set point and you will put back
on the pounds you have shed. We don’t need a short term weight loss diet. We
need to develop a long term strategy that will allow us to take the weight
off and keep it off.
References
Heimburger, Douglas C. et al. (2002) A Festschrift for Roland L. Weinsier:
Nutrition Scientist, Educator, and Clinician.
http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/full/11/10/1246
Oxford University Press. (2007) Set Point Theory. Answers.com.
http://www.answers.com/topic/set-point-theory?cat=health
Riess, Helen and Dockray-Miller, Mary. (no date) Set Point Theory. Center
for Health Promotion and Wellness at MIT.
http://web.mit.edu/medical/pdf/set_point_theory.pdf
Schneider, Danna. (no date) What’s in Your Weight Destiny: The Set Point
Theory. Selfgrowth.Com.
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Schneider13.html
Stark, Todd I. (1998) The Body Fat Set Point: Can it be Changed Permanently?
http://members.aol.com/starkreal/bodyfat.htm
Thompson, Colleen. (1996) Set Point.
http://www.mirror-mirror.org/set.htm
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