Due to a family situation, I am on a blogging break.
Many thanks to Merry from Sheesh and Cranky Fitness for today’s guest post.
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This morning my scale told me I lost 3 pounds. I told it to shut up.
I mean, it’s not as if it hasn’t told me the same thing before. It said I lost 3 pounds last week, and that I had gained the 3 pounds back, then lost and gained the same damn 3 pounds again — all in one week. That’s a total of 2 losses, 2 gains, all of the same 3 pounds. And I’m beginning to think it is the same 3 pounds. I suspect my body is having fun at my expense. Good to know it has a sense of humor.
I’m not really upset. Maybe a bit exasperated. I’ve been reading up on what the human body does when you ask it to lose weight. The concept of Set Point has been covered in everything from physiology text books to fad diets. My body has clearly decided its set point is right at my current weight.
The only point where I disagree with the majority of what I’ve read out there is when I come across the opinion that a Set Point is something that is immutable, laid down from the dawn of time, engraved in stone and you’re damned to be at that weight for all of your life so get used to it already.
Sheesh. I think not.
Covert Bailey lists five mechanisms that your body uses to control your set point, and how exercise can be used to lower each one. (Fit or Fat) This makes sense to me. My set point wasn’t this weight when I was 20. Why shouldn’t it be something I could change again? But this time, change it in the direction I want. (Though I must say, I don’t agree with Covert Bailey’s comment that “couch potato Mary needs only a moderate amount of exercise to see a big improvement.” It takes about two hours of exercise a day for me to see signs of change on the scale or the measuring tape.)
Interestingly, some psychologists think that your individual level of happiness has a set point too. Not sure how happy I feel about that. I suppose it’s good to know that winning the lottery won’t make me any happier. But I’d like the chance to find out, all the same.
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I have a natural resistance to the idea of a “set point”. It seems so very unfair. I’ve been struggling with the same “loose and gain” issue lately, although I’m hoping that this week I’ll break the plateau.
How frustrating!
I think it’s a bit of both: I don’t think set points are immutable, but I think some folks have it harder than others. It’s really not fair that some people need to exercise 2 hours a day and keep calories to a minimum to get the same results someone else might with much less effort. I’m sort of in the middle, myself, but I totally sympathize with those who have to work so much harder.
Always good Cranky and Merry! Thank you!
Mark Salinass last blog post..Flab Fighting Foods
This is great, thanks Merry! I like your thoughts on this.
A couple days ago I lost a few lbs and couldn’t decide if it was from drinking too much wine or from all the aikido and walking I’ve been doing. Judging by the fact that those lbs are now up to my normal weight, I’m going to guess I indulged a wee bit too much on the alcohol last weekend
Sagans last blog post..Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla with Hummus and Red Pepper
My body decided to set point my weight at 2 lbs short of every new weight decade as I go down……….frustrating! Trying to break through one at the moment
Annettes last blog post..Almost 4
I think the idea of a “set point” for weight is extremely fishy. If this were true then no one would be morbidly obese because after they exceeded their set point their weight would magically come back down without effort. Because it should work both ways, right?
I think there’s a weight I’m going to maintain at my current activity and stress levels, taking into account my eating habits…and about a million other factors. If any of those things change I may maintain a different weight. Is that really a “set point” at all at that point?
I’m currently reading few books about happiness…and
winning the lottery will make you happy in short term, because of adaptation process.
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