How to CHANGE your SET POINT to LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF | Body Weight Set Point Theory SCIENCE

Summary

This video explores the body weight set point theory, challenging the idea that our bodies have a fixed weight they strive to maintain. The presenter discusses the role of leptin and other factors like gut health in weight regulation, critiquing the oversimplification of the set point model. They propose the 'settling point' theory, emphasizing the importance of lifestyle, genetics, and overall health in determining a healthy body weight range. The video also addresses common weight loss plateaus and suggests strategies like reverse dieting and resistance training to achieve sustainable fat loss.

Takeaways

• 📅 The speaker wishes viewers a happy Black Friday and Thanksgiving, and announces a sale on their ebooks.
• 🔄 The body weight set point theory suggests that our bodies have a natural weight they prefer to maintain, which can make it difficult to lose fat.
• 🌡 The body is compared to a thermostat, trying to maintain a set temperature, which in this analogy is the body's preferred weight.
• 🧬 Leptin, the satiety hormone, is highlighted as a key player in the set point theory, regulating hunger and metabolic rate based on body fat levels.
• 🤔 The script questions the set point theory's validity due to discrepancies found in individuals with obesity and the complexity of the body's regulatory mechanisms.
• 🔬 Research indicates that gut health and the balance of gut bacteria can significantly influence weight regulation, which the set point theory does not account for.
• 💡 The concept of 'settling point' is introduced as an alternative to set point, suggesting that body weight settles based on various factors rather than a fixed set point.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Resistance training is recommended for maintaining a faster metabolism and preventing metabolic adaptation during weight loss.
• 🍽 The importance of a healthy lifestyle, including whole foods, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and stress management, is emphasized for overall health and weight regulation.
• 🔄 The video discusses the normalcy of weight loss plateaus and the body's metabolic adaptation to calorie deficits.
• 💖 The psychological aspect of weight loss is touched upon, emphasizing the importance of a healthy relationship with food and body image.

Q & A

What is the body weight set point theory?

The body weight set point theory suggests that our bodies have a natural preferred weight that they try to maintain, which can make losing fat difficult.

What does the speaker suggest as an alternative to the set point theory?

The speaker suggests the 'settling point' model as an alternative, which posits that body weight will settle at a certain point based on various factors including genetics, environment, and lifestyle.

How does the speaker describe the role of leptin in the body's weight regulation?

Leptin, the satiety hormone, modulates hunger and fullness based on body fat levels. When body fat decreases, leptin levels drop, increasing hunger and potentially leading to weight gain.

What is the significance of gut health in weight management according to the script?

Gut health plays a critical role in weight management as certain gut bacteria can influence how the body responds to diets and can affect the production of hormones like leptin and ghrelin.

What is the 'current set point theory' as described by the speaker?

The 'current set point theory' suggests that the body always drives towards maintaining its current weight due to homeostatic mechanisms, regardless of whether that weight is within a healthy range.

What is the 'healthy set point' and how does it differ from the 'current set point'?

The 'healthy set point' refers to the weight and body fat percentage range where the body functions best. It differs from the 'current set point' in that it is based on a range of health rather than the body's immediate weight.

Why does the speaker argue that weight loss is not as simple as 'calories in versus calories out'?

The speaker argues that weight loss is more complex due to factors like metabolic adaptation, hormonal signals from fat tissue, and the interconnectedness of various bodily systems.

What are some of the factors that can disrupt the body's natural hunger and satiety cues?

Factors such as the consumption of processed foods, health issues, hormone imbalances, and modern life stressors can disrupt the body's natural hunger and satiety cues.

How does the speaker define 'reverse dieting' and why is it beneficial for weight loss?

Reverse dieting involves gradually increasing calorie intake while resistance training to speed up metabolism. It is beneficial because it helps prevent metabolic adaptation to lower calorie intakes, making it easier to lose weight.

What is the psychological aspect of weight loss mentioned in the script and why is it significant?

The psychological aspect involves overcoming diet culture and developing a healthy relationship with food and body image. It is significant because mental factors can greatly influence one's ability to maintain a healthy weight.

What are 'mini cut cycles' and how do they help in preventing metabolic adaptation during weight loss?

Mini cut cycles involve taking a week off from a calorie deficit every few weeks to return to maintenance calories. This practice helps prevent metabolic adaptation by not allowing the body to adjust to a consistently lower calorie intake.

Outlines

00:00

🛒 Black Friday Sale and Set Point Theory Introduction

The speaker begins by addressing the audience with a festive greeting for Black Friday and Thanksgiving, followed by an announcement of a sale on their ebooks, offering a 30% discount with the code 'fitfriday21'. The main topic, body weight set point theory, is introduced, suggesting that our bodies have a natural tendency to maintain a specific weight. The theory is likened to a thermostat, using leptin as a key hormone that influences our satiety and metabolic rate in response to body fat changes. The speaker promises to delve into the science behind this theory and share their thoughts on its validity.

05:01

🔍 Critiquing the Set Point Theory

This paragraph delves into a critique of the set point theory, highlighting discrepancies between the theory and real-life observations. The speaker points out that individuals with obesity, despite high leptin levels, do not experience a natural decrease in body fat. They also mention that while leptin injections can reduce body mass, the effect is not as significant as the set point theory would suggest. The complexity of the human body and the influence of various hormones and gut health on weight regulation are discussed, emphasizing that the set point theory may be an oversimplification of a much more intricate physiological process.

10:04

🌱 The Settling Point Model and Lifestyle Factors

The speaker introduces an alternative to the set point theory called the settling point model, which posits that body weight is influenced by a variety of factors, including genetics, environment, and lifestyle. They propose a nuanced view of settling points, distinguishing between a 'current set point' and a 'health set point'. The speaker argues that while our bodies strive for homeostasis, the concept of a fixed set point is misleading. They emphasize the importance of lifestyle changes and consistency in diet and exercise for altering one's settling point, and they acknowledge the role of genetics while also noting the rapid rise in obesity that suggests lifestyle factors play a significant part.

15:05

🔄 Metabolic Adaptation and Plateaus in Weight Loss

This paragraph explores why people often regain weight after losing it, focusing on metabolic adaptation. When a calorie deficit is introduced, the body adjusts its metabolism to match the deficit, leading to weight loss plateaus. The speaker explains that drastic reductions in calorie intake can lead to an unsustainable and unhealthy low calorie maintenance, which often results in weight regain once the individual returns to their previous eating habits. They also touch on the importance of not relying on crash diets for weight loss, as the body's drive towards homeostasis will counteract the efforts to maintain a lower weight.

20:06

🏋️‍♀️ Strategies for Healthy and Sustainable Weight Loss

The speaker outlines strategies for achieving sustainable weight loss without regaining it. They advocate for reverse dieting and mini cut cycles to prevent metabolic adaptation and maintain a healthy metabolism. The importance of resistance training is highlighted for its anabolic effects on muscle tissue, which can boost metabolism. The paragraph concludes with a call to focus on overall health optimization, including diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management, as these factors are all interconnected and contribute to the body's ability to settle into a lower body weight.

🧘‍♀️ The Psychological Aspect of Weight Loss and Body Positivity

In the final paragraph, the speaker addresses the psychological aspects of weight loss, emphasizing the importance of overcoming diet culture and developing a healthy relationship with food and one's body. They argue against the belief that achieving an ideal physique and enjoying food are mutually exclusive, citing examples of women who maintain a lean physique while consuming a balanced diet. The speaker encourages those struggling with body image or chronic dieting to focus on food freedom and the psychological benefits of not restricting food intake. They conclude by inviting feedback and questions from the audience and expressing a willingness to create follow-up content based on viewer interest.

Keywords

💡Body Weight Set Point Theory

The Body Weight Set Point Theory posits that the human body maintains a preferred weight within a small range, making significant weight loss difficult. This theory is central to the video's theme, as it explores the scientific basis and challenges of this concept. The script mentions that people believe their set point is a narrow range, like 150 to 155 pounds, and discusses how the body's physiological mechanisms, such as leptin production, might maintain this set point.

💡Leptin

Leptin is a hormone that regulates hunger and satiety. In the context of the video, it is described as the satiety hormone that decreases when body fat decreases, leading to increased hunger and potentially causing weight gain back to the set point. The script uses leptin as an example of a physiological mechanism that could support the set point theory.

💡Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)

Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) refers to the number of calories the body burns at rest. The script discusses how the body decreases RMR in response to fat loss, which can contribute to the set point theory by slowing down calorie burning and potentially leading to weight regain.

💡Gut Health

Gut health is mentioned in the script as a critical factor in weight management that is not considered in the set point theory. The video cites research showing that the ratio of certain gut bacteria can influence weight response to diets, indicating that gut health is a complex factor in weight regulation beyond the set point theory.

💡Settling Point Model

The Settling Point Model is an alternative to the set point theory, suggesting that body weight will settle at a certain point based on various factors, including genetics and environmental influences. The script presents this model as a more nuanced approach, considering a broader range of factors that affect body weight beyond a fixed set point.

💡Homeostasis

Homeostasis is the process by which the body maintains a stable internal environment. In the video, it is used to explain why the body might resist rapid weight changes, as it is always striving for stability. The script describes how the body's homeostatic mechanisms, such as leptin regulation and metabolic rate adjustments, can make it difficult to maintain weight loss.

💡Reverse Dieting

Reverse dieting is a strategy mentioned in the script to increase metabolic rate by gradually increasing calorie intake while engaging in resistance training. This method is suggested as a way to overcome the body's resistance to settling at a new, lower weight by avoiding the slowdown of metabolism associated with traditional calorie restriction.

💡Mini Cut Cycles

Mini cut cycles are a technique discussed in the script to prevent metabolic adaptation to a calorie deficit. By taking periodic breaks from the calorie-restricted diet and returning to maintenance calories, this method aims to keep the metabolism from slowing down, allowing for continued weight loss over time.

💡Resistance Training

Resistance training is a form of exercise that involves working against a force to build muscle strength. The script highlights resistance training as a way to increase metabolism and maintain muscle mass while losing fat, which is important for long-term weight management and avoiding weight regain.

💡Health Optimization

Health optimization refers to the overall improvement of one's health through various means such as regular exercise, consuming whole foods, managing stress, and optimizing gut health. In the video, it is emphasized that focusing on overall health, rather than just weight, is crucial for sustainable weight management and avoiding the pitfalls of the set point theory.

💡Psychological Aspect

The psychological aspect of weight management is briefly touched upon in the script, acknowledging the mental challenges associated with dieting and body image. The video suggests that overcoming diet culture and developing a healthy relationship with food and body is essential for successful and sustainable weight loss, which is a significant part of the overall message.

Highlights

Introduction to body weight set point theory and its implications on weight loss.

Announcement of a sale on ebooks for Black Friday and Thanksgiving.

Explanation of the set point theory, suggesting the body tries to maintain a preferred weight.

Comparison of the body's set point mechanism to a thermostat.

Role of leptin in modulating hunger and satiety based on body fat changes.

Critique of set point theory's simplicity and its discrepancies with real-life physiological data.

Discussion on the impact of gut health and bacteria on weight regulation.

The concept of 'settling point' as an alternative to set point theory.

Proposal of two types of settling points: current and health set points.

Importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle for weight management.

Discussion on the role of genetics in determining body weight set points.

Explanation of metabolic adaptation and its impact on weight loss plateaus.

Strategies to bypass homeostasis for healthy weight loss, such as reverse dieting and mini cut cycles.

Emphasis on the importance of resistance training for maintaining a high metabolism.

The psychological aspect of weight loss and overcoming diet culture.

Encouragement for a balanced approach to diet and exercise, rather than extreme measures.

Final thoughts on the complexity of body weight regulation and the need for a holistic approach.

Transcripts

hey guys today i wanted to tackle the

topic of body weight set point theory

the science behind it and my thoughts on

it for those of you who haven't heard of

this this is the theory that our bodies

have a natural set weight that they like

to stay at and that's what makes losing

fat so hard but first really quick i

want to wish you guys a happy black

friday and happy thanksgiving if you

celebrated thanksgiving i hope your

thanksgiving was full of delicious food

and the giving of the thanks and all of

those good things to celebrate black

friday i'm putting all of my ebooks on

sale they are 30 off which i think is

the biggest sale i've ever done between

now and cyber monday so you can get

project comeback that you can start now

or you know when you start to come back

in january you can use that or you can

get brains and gains both editions or my

adaptogen ebook all 30 off and let's

make the code fit friday 21 because it's

20 21. i'll leave a link to those down

in the description box below check them

out now before we get into the

nitty-gritty science of whether or not

setpoint is

real let's look at what the theory is

setpoint theory basically just states

that the human body will try to maintain

its preferred weight within a small

range this explains why when you try to

lose fat you put it right back on

because your body is trying to get you

to stay at your set point and usually

people refer to this set point as a very

narrow range like within five pounds

people say my set point is 150 to 155

and the current thought around the

physiological model of this is that the

body kind of operates like a thermostat

so if you set the thermostat to 75

degrees if it gets colder in the room

the thermostat will kick on turn up the

heat and bring you back to 75 if it gets

hot the thermostat will kick on you

bring it back to 75. and there are

physiological mechanisms in the body

that mirror this pretty well mainly how

leptin functions in response to changes

in the amount of body fat on your body

leptin is the satiety hormone so when

the amount of body fat on your body

decreases your body decreases the amount

of leptin in response to make you less

satiated therefore increasing your

hunger your body also decreases your rmr

or your resting metabolic rate so you

stop burning as many calories as well

and both of these things usually lead to

an increase in body fat again it

actually works the same in reverse as

well if the amount of fat on your body

increases your body increases the amount

of leptin making you more satiated

decreasing your hunger your body also

increases your rmr or your resting

metabolic rate so you burn more calories

as well and your body naturally loses

the fat and that's basically the summary

of setpoint theory that leptin modulates

whether or not we're hungry or full

based on how much body fat we gain or we

lose and it keeps us at our set point

but a close look at the physiological

and molecular data reveals a lot of

discrepancies between this model and

real life first and foremost individuals

with obesity who have ample amount of

body fat and produce a large amount of

leptin don't see their body fat

naturally come down in response to the

leptin additionally although we've seen

in studies that daily injections of

leptin do decrease body mass in a

dose-dependent manner the extent of

which is not the same scale as we would

expect if setpoint theory were 100

correct also it's really difficult to

imagine that such a simplistic system

can exist in the body when we know that

there's a lot of other regulatory

mechanisms so not only leptin but also

things like insulin glucose fatty and

amino acids guts hormones like so many

different things that are not only

affected by adiposity but also by other

things like food intake like what you're

eating and the timing of your food

speaking of gut hormones step point

theory doesn't even take into account

all of the current research that is

showing us that your gut health plays a

critical role in whether or not you're

prone to gaining or losing weight for

example there was a recent study that

demonstrated that there's a ratio of two

types of bacteria that can reside in

your gut that can determine how your

body is going to respond to a specific

diet they took 62 people and put them on

a high fiber whole grain based diet and

over the course of the study those with

a higher amount of the prevotella

bacteria plus 5.1 more pounds than those

with more bacteria dentists additionally

there's more research to show that

different gut bacteria can influence how

much leptin and ghrelin are produced and

the list goes on and on and on as to why

setpoint theory in itself cannot be a

full explanation for why it feels like

there is a set point that we're all at

when you're trying to lose weight or

even gain weight and there is no one

neat conclusive answer that science can

point to at this point it's all

hypothesis here's the problem here's why

it can't just be simplified down into

one nice

model that makes everything just make a

lot of sense when you just look at it in

a diagram it's like oh that explains it

with like everything in nutrition and

fitness we try to simplify a very

complex system the human body down to

like an equation like calories in versus

calories out we all know a calorie is

not a calorie i have a whole video on

that before you come at me in the

comment section of this video go watch

that video and come at me in the comment

section that video after you watched it

there's so much left to discover and

understand about how the human body

functions like we don't know how the

human metabolism works now here's my

opinion this discussion needs to be a

lot bigger it's getting boiled down to

one

numerical value your weight but it's so

much bigger than that i think we need to

be discussing set health instead of set

weight because here's the thing our

bodies are always fighting for us to be

the healthiest versions of ourselves so

that we can survive and procreate like

that is just evolution our bodies always

want us to be healthy and weight is only

one of so many so many factors in health

and like yes being in your healthy

weight range is probably going to make

you a healthier version of you than if

you were above it or below it but you

know you can also be healthy and not eat

vegetables is eating vegetables gonna

probably make you healthier probably but

you can definitely be perfectly healthy

without them and then within weight

itself you have to take body fat

percentage into account like i watched

so many videos about this topic before i

made this video and no one mentioned

body fat percentage it was just all

about

weight but like if you're 150 pounds and

45 body fat your body is going to be

doing much different things than if

you're 150 pounds and 22 body fat same

weight extremely different body

composition probably extremely different

metabolism and by metabolism i don't

just mean calories burned like calories

and versus calories out metabolism i

mean how your body takes in breaks down

and absorbs nutrients also there's a lot

of factors in the real world like

outside of a lab setting that affect our

bodies in ways that kind of nullify the

setpoint theory at least as far as how

we can apply it in real life first and

foremost being the prevalence of

processed foods and how they completely

hijack our hunger and satiety cues so if

you're eating a lot of processed foods

your hunger and tidy cues are going to

be off health issues can also disrupt

these cues and we live in a chronically

ill world like most people have some

sort of health issue whether they know

it or not hormone imbalance is too all

hormones are related so if you have a

hormone imbalance it's going to affect

your left and your ghrelin and like all

other hormones in your body this is why

i always say that if you have pms or

other sorts of hormonal symptoms i

recommend working on fixing those first

before trying to force your body to lose

weight because you're gonna be fighting

not necessarily a losing battle but for

a lot of people a losing battle because

your body's already fighting against you

and then lastly just modern life has

caused a lot of different chemical

physical environmental stressors to be

present in our lives that are also going

to affect our hunger and satiates and

this is why setpoint theory doesn't

appear to work in reverse where if you

gain weight you just lose it right away

because oftentimes that weight gain is

due to a lot of these other factors that

are kind of hijacking your leptin and

other cues and so it's not going to

settle back down because it's been

disrupted so if setpoint theory isn't

the answer what is the answer there is a

model that i like a lot better than set

point and it's called settling point the

settling point model postulates that

there is little active regulation

towards a specific body weight within

the body but rather that your body

weight will settle at a certain point

based on a varying number of

contributing factors mainly how your

genetic predisposition interacts with

environmental and socioeconomic factors

like diet and lifestyle now i want to

give you a breakdown on my version of

this model based on all of the research

that i've done as well as my experience

working one-on-one with actual real

people and seeing how this gets applied

again i think the current model is

majorly oversimplified so i'd like to

propose two different kinds of settling

points one is your current point and the

other is your health set point and in

this discussion we're going to just

assume that you're not doing anything

that's going to hijack your body's

natural cues because that would nullify

kind of any theory so let's just say

you're eating mostly whole and processed

foods you're exercising regularly you're

getting enough sleep you're doing your

stress reduction practices all of that

good stuff like you're maintaining an

overall healthy functioning physical

body so let's talk about marissa's

current set point theory our bodies are

not driving us to maintain a specific

weight within like a five pound range no

one has a genetic set point of 140 to

143 pounds but here's why it feels like

you have set points and that is that our

bodies are homeostasis machines our

bodies are always going to drive us to

maintain homeostasis wherever we're at

and that's why i'm calling this current

set point theory because your current

weight is always your set point weight

because your body is always driving

homeostasis if you're trying to lose

weight quickly or gain weight quickly or

just incorrectly your body is going to

fight you no matter where you're

starting from our bodies are not cool

with fast big changes it's just a

survival mechanism we have so many

mechanisms in our body that drive

homeostasis leptin is just one of them

another one is your metabolic rate and

this time i am talking about the

calories and versus calories out

calories burned metabolic rate if you

eat less your metabolism slows down to

keep you in homeostasis if you eat more

your metabolism actually speeds up to

keep you in homeostasis this is the

magic of reverse dieting resistance

training plus surplus calories equals

faster metabolism you can break the

cycle the body can also modulate how it

absorbs actual nutrients so it can

change if it's absorbing more or fewer

nutrients and also the research is

showing us that fat tissue functions a

lot more like an organ than just like

random cells that store fat fat cells

can integrate and send out hormonal

signals they can release out of a kind

they can communicate with the brain they

can receive hormonal signals from other

organs our adipose tissue is in

communication with the rest of our body

it's not just being told what to do so

your current weight is always your set

point in this sense it's always going to

be hard to lose 10 pounds or gain 10

pounds because your body is always going

to be pushing you towards your current

weight and if you were 20 pounds heavier

20 pounds lighter it would be the same

story this is why intuitive eating works

really well for maintenance because if

you're listening to your body it's going

to be telling you exactly what you need

to do to just maintain your weight now i

do want to acknowledge that genetics do

play a role in this it is one factor it

can affect how fast or slowly your body

will adapt to any of these various

changes your genetics may also make you

more or less prone to gaining or storing

excess body fat and that's why we see

such a range of how different diets and

different strategies affect people this

is evidenced by numerous twin studies

where they've just analyzed twins raised

in different environments that ended up

having very similar body composition but

genetics are not the only thing at play

when it comes to what it feels like your

set point is obesity is rising way too

rapidly for it to actually be genetics

like our genetics do not change as fast

as we're seeing obesity increase i'm

also going to say something that a lot

of people don't want to hear and that is

that a lot of what is set

in your set point is how sets your

lifestyle is your lifestyle plays a big

part in where your current settling

point is and it is hard to change your

lifestyle a lot of people feel stuck at

a certain weight or have managed to lose

weight and then get stuck at that weight

and they think that oh i've hit my set

point my body doesn't want to change

anymore but a lot of people and i'm not

saying this applies to everyone but a

lot of people

don't actually get real with themselves

and look at whether or not they've

maintained these lifestyle changes that

they need to make to change their body

weight you have to ask yourself have i

actually truly been consistent with the

diet lifestyle changes that i know that

i need to make for eight or more weeks

for most people the answer is no for

most people they try for like two weeks

feel stuck and then give up but two

weeks of a plateau is kind of a normal

thing if you're doing things correctly

and it doesn't mean that you failed it

doesn't mean that you're stuck and it

doesn't mean that it's time to just give

up so that's current settling point

health settling point i think is a lot

more straightforward and this is the

idea that we do have a healthy range of

weight and body fat percentage that our

body is going to function best in but

here's the thing that range is a lot

bigger than five or even 10 pounds for a

lot of people they can be healthy within

a range of like 30 to 60 pounds

depending on how tall you are and when

it comes to body fat percentage there

can be a healthy range of like 10 to 15

and genetics narrowed this down a little

so like some women for example might not

be able to be as healthy when they are

really really lean whereas some women

can be perfectly healthy and be really

lean same with the other end of the

spectrum and same with men as well so

being outside of your healthy set range

is where we see the exception to the

current settling point and this is where

if we believe that our bodies are always

fighting for us to be the healthiest

version of ourselves this is where we

will see people naturally lose weight or

gain weight if they end up outside of

their natural healthy set range and this

is assuming again there are no other

health issues no other factors going on

that are hijacking your body's hunger

and satiety cues these are the people

that are kind of otherwise healthy but

they start eating intuitively and their

bodies drive them back into their

healthy range so in summary of marissa's

theory on bodily homeostasis and health

we have a healthy set range that our

body is going to drive us to be within

beyond that if you're within your

healthy set range your current weight is

your set weight and your body will drive

homeostasis so one of the big questions

that this may leave you with is if our

body is always driving homeostasis when

we lose weight why do we gain it back

like why does our body not stay in

homeostasis at that lower weight one of

the big reasons for this is metabolic

adaptation when you go into a calorie

deficit your body adapts your metabolism

to match that calorie deficit so that

you stop losing weight so let's say

you're maintaining weight on 2500

calories you want to lose some weight so

you drop your calories to 2200 you're

losing weight you're losing weight you

start to plateau you're plateauing

because your body is slowing down your

metabolism before it was burning 2500

calories a day now it's burning 2200

calories a day you hit a plateau so you

drop your calories a little bit more so

you're dropping to 1800 you're losing

weight you're losing weight but your

metabolism slowing down and so you

plateau again now you're maintaining

weight on 1800 calories and before you

were maintaining weight on 2500 calories

and for a lot of people these numbers

keep getting lower and lower and lower

until you've lost weight but now you're

maintaining on 1200 calories that's just

not sustainable and certainly not

healthy and your body always looking to

make you the healthiest version of you

is going to drive you to eat more

calories because it is not going to be

happy and healthy on 1200 calories or

you get down to 1200 calories and

realize it's not sustainable for you or

you don't realize your body has adapted

to 1200 calories you go back to eating

the way you were before now you're in

what a 1300 calorie surplus you're gonna

gain that weight back

right away another big reason for

regaining weight is that there's no

permanent change in lifestyle if you

lose weight by sticking to a specific

regimen and then as soon as you lose the

weight you go back to your old lifestyle

your body weight's gonna go back to its

old body weight especially if you didn't

approach fat loss in the smartest way

for example if someone loses 60 pounds

by cutting your calories down to 1500

and doing cardio every day they get

their goal weight great then they stop

doing cardio every day and eat whatever

they want they're now moving less and

eating more which is the recipe for

waking if you adapted to low calories

and a ton of movement it does not take

much to put weight on the biggest loser

is exhibit a

in this like that is just the worst

approach to fat loss on the planet and

it's uh it kills me the fact that show

still exists just

no lastly another reason people tend to

regain the weight is that they use crash

diets to achieve their weight loss and

spoiler alert if you try to lose weight

you be fast you're gonna put it back on

really fast this is because with the

crash diet you're doing it so quickly

you're not giving your body time to

adapt to the lower weight so you can't

even settle into the lower weight your

body's just gonna keep driving

homeostasis back to your old weight like

if you're doing a two week crash diet

and you lose 10 pounds great your body's

still in the stage of driving you to

your original weight you haven't given

it time at all to adapt another question

you might have is if setpoint isn't real

why do we plateau in weight loss like if

our body is always adapting and changing

why do we plateau like we should just be

able to continually lose weight now

there is not a lot of clear science on

this unfortunately but i do have a few

things to say first plateaus are very

very normal like plateauing for two

weeks does not mean you're doing

anything wrong it does not mean your

body is doing something wrong does not

mean that you need to change anything

like that's normal but also your body

does not function on a 24 hour clock

when it comes to calories in versus

calories out it's not like if you eat in

a 300 calorie deficit one day the next

day you'll wake up 0.146 grams lighter i

don't know the actual math on that i

just threw out a random number but like

the numbers don't convert on a 24-hour

cycle and especially for people with

menstrual cycles where your body weight

is going to fluctuate naturally

throughout the month you might be losing

body fat in the last two weeks of your

cycle but you're storing a lot more

water weight because you're in the last

two weeks of your cycle so you might not

see the scale move even though your body

is actually changing but plateaus are

also often caused by metabolic

adaptation so again you're eating 2500

calories you cut down to 2 200 calories

your body's going to adapt to that and

once your body adapts to 2200 calories

and you're only burning 2200 calories

you plateau so what are the solutions

how do we bypass our body's natural

homeostasis mechanisms to lose fat in a

healthy way so that we won't regain it

everything that i've said so far is

basically why a lot of people in the

body positivity space say diets don't

work it's because most diets are done

really poorly don't take any of this

into account and are just like crash

diets or like 1000 calories for six

months like that

yeah that's not gonna work if you

actually want your body to settle into a

lower current settling point you can't

crash diet to get there crashing is the

opposite of settling so what do we do

first things first is reverse dieting is

magical and it's your best friend your

metabolism can adapt in both ways

unfortunate when it adapts lower but you

can also make it adapt to be a faster

metabolism i have a whole playlist on

reverse dieting so i'll leave a link to

that down the description box below but

in short you basically eat a little bit

more incrementally while resistance

training and this speeds up your

metabolism so yes this means you might

not necessarily lose fat initially but

if you're currently maintaining weight

on 1500 calories you're stuck at your

weight you want to lose 50 more pounds

you're either gonna have to cut down

1200 in plateau again or reverse diet up

to 2 500 then you can lose weight on 2

000 calories you're chilling you're

happy your body is healthy so basically

if you're currently maintaining on low

calories reverse diet first the next big

secret and again i have an entire video

about this so watch that to get this

more in depth but mini cut cycles this

is how to prevent the metabolic

adaptation and slow down that is going

to get you stuck at lower calories and

maybe a slightly lower weight but not

allow you to go any lower so how this

works is every two to four weeks ish you

take one week of just an entire diet

break you go back to your original

maintenance calories and this will keep

your metabolism from gradually slowing

down to your deficit so let's say again

you're maintaining weight on 2500

calories and then to lose weight you cut

at 2000 calories you do that for three

weeks after three weeks you go back to

2500 calories for a week and just repeat

that cycle because your body does not

adapt to lower calories instantaneously

it takes a couple weeks for your body to

catch up you should still be able to

maintain your weight on 2500 calories so

in those three weeks of eating 2000

calories let's say you lost a pound and

a half you go back up to 2500 calories

your maintenance is still 2500 calories

your body is still burning that amount

because you haven't given it enough time

to adapt to the 2 000 calories yeah so

now you're maintaining 1.5 pounds less

on 2500 calories repeat repeat repeat

you're good to go another thing that's

so important in being able to settle

into a lower body weight is to go slow

and steady if you try to do this as fast

as possible you will not be able to

settle fast fat loss often involves

implementing unhealthy mechanisms and

since your body is driving you to be the

healthiest version of you is going to be

fighting against what you're doing the

whole time if you are gentle with your

body your body is much more able to

accept changes and adapt them

accordingly another thing that's so

important is adding in resistance

training this is what keeps your

metabolism fired up cardio and

resistance training affect the body in

opposite ways resistance training is

anabolic meaning it builds building

tissue muscle tissue not fat tissue

requires extra calories maintaining that

muscle tissue requires extra calories

this means faster metabolism cardio on

the other hand is anabolic meaning it's

breaking down so yes it breaks down fat

cells resistance training can too if

you're in a deficit but it breaks down

fat cells but also slows down your

metabolism so i strongly recommend doing

at least two days a week of resistance

training if you are trying to lose fat

and then of course is the bigger one of

work on optimizing your health overall

because like i said at the beginning if

you're eating a ton of processed foods

if you have health issues if your

hormones are imbalanced if you have any

sort of other issues with your health

going on your body is going to

prioritize that not fat loss if you're

already within your healthy range so

make sure you're getting in regular

exercise make sure you're consuming

whole unprocessed foods make sure you're

getting enough sleep make sure you're

managing your stress optimize your gut

health like

everything is part of the process

because everything is connected that's

the big takeaway from this video is

everything in your body is connected we

cannot try to isolate one little system

and say this is the equation everything

is part of the equation so those are my

very extensive thoughts on bodyweight

setpoint and i do want to quickly touch

on the psychological aspect as well

because this whole discussion has just

been the like biological physiological

aspect of body weight but the

psychological aspect plays a huge part

like the mental aspect of conquering

diet culture is honestly what stands i

think in more people's way than actual

like current set point does when it

comes to fat loss so if you are a

chronic dieter or you are afraid of

weight gain or you are someone who has

just always really disliked your body

you may have some other steps that you

need to implement before you can

specifically like really focus on fat

loss in a healthy way here's what i want

to say for now to those of you who are

chronic dieters or have a disorder

relationship with your body or with food

or with exercise a lot of people think

that achieving their ideal physique and

eating anything they want are mutually

exclusive but this is not true the

average woman can get lean half curves

if you want have a little booty going on

and maintain that physique

on 2500 to 27 2800 calories like

no joke for example i'm 5'2 i maintained

this physique on

2500 calories like i'm short and you can

find so many examples on instagram and

youtube of other women who have

accomplished this like absolutely

possible there are just there's so many

examples out there when you can maintain

your weight on 2 700 calories you can

have that pizza you can have those fries

you can have that ice cream like

basically whatever you want and here's

the other thing is you might say but i

want those all the time but here's the

thing when you can have them all the

time and when you can give yourself the

freedom to have them all the time

guarantee you're not gonna want them

nearly as much as you do right now or as

you think you will that's the beauty of

food freedom when you don't restrict any

foods you don't want them nearly as much

anymore and how do you get there reverse

dieting mini cut cycles let me know if

you guys want a more in-depth video on

like this psychological aspect of weight

loss or if you have any questions about

what i just said about that or any

questions about any of this i'm sure

some of what i said is going to upset

some people but here's the thing is we

don't have the science yet to say

definitively how any of this works so

there is no right answer right now all

we can do is come up with the best

theory and the short answer of my theory

is that everything is connected and it's

a lot more complicated than we're trying

to make it and that's why there's so

much confusion around it so i will leave

it at that i will make a follow-up video

if you guys have a lot to say about this

so do let me know if you liked this

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very soon bye