Breaking a Set Point?

[Rsegrwr]

I've been eating clean, working out and still can't break this crazy mid life set point LOL. I've read books on it that say to lose 10%, keep that weight for 6 months and then do it again. My question is how to lose the 10% without starving, eating 1000 calories...etc. I've considered hiring a fitness nutritionist, just unsure on what direction to take.

Fighting with the same 15-20 pounds for a year now . I did lose 18 in a week from the flu LOL.....sadly the second you even smell food again your body goes right back to that set weight it's comfy at.

[Sarah-lara]

Sigh, you and me both, sister. I remembered seeing this post on researcher Krista Varady's FB page on this issue:

https://www.facebook.com/TheEveryOth...94689777400405

(I already lift as heavy as I can, so who knows what the answer is)

[Vintage VFer]

I haven't heard the term "set point" in years! It was a real diet/fitness buzzword way back when.

I figure a set point is the same as a plateau. You need to change things up. Try a different focus. If you do mostly strength, try more cardio and vice versa. If you can, do more workouts outdoors. (I know that weather is nuts this year.) Don't sit when you can stand, don't stand when you can walk. Keep moving when you can during the day.

If I get a phone call, I use it as a chance to walk around the house.

After dinner, DH and I try to go for a walk and then do Wii Bowling for about 45 minutes. It really makes a big difference to not just land on the couch right after a meal.

Keeping moving is a lot easier than counting calories.

(Hey, I now have a new sig!)

[Rsegrwr]

Thanks .....and Alta-tude, looks like the 'buzzword' is coming back. Amazon has quite a few books on the subject of mid life weight set points, especially for women going through Pre-Menopause.

Sara, I'm just really stuck. If I already eat clean, I'm wondering how I'm supposed to lose 10% more body weight LOL to start the cycle again. I lost while doing the Ultimate Reset BUT there isn't any way I could keep up with that caloric intake forever. The second I added dairy and meat back in, back to my set point. Maybe there isn't a way....guess I should have started exercising before I hit my mid 30's.

I'm swapping workouts up a bit, been doing strength for a year so I'm adding in more cardio again. We will see if I'm just destined to stay at this weight forever .

[seabliss]

I think hormones play a huge factor in weight and setpoints. I first realized that during pregnancy and after.

My weight will just stay at a weight and not vary much no matter how much (within reason) or little I eat or exercise. So that's not really a plateau, but a setpoint. It has gone up two times in recent years. I couldn't get it to drop even with very careful calorie monitoring. Then about 5 months ago I got sick and my weight dropped 4 lbs and stayed there even through the holidays (yay!) so that seems to be my new setpoint. To me, this data and other experiences I've had point to the idea that weight levels can have to do with factors beyond diet and exercise.

If you are not opposed to getting your hormones checked and maybe taking some measures to bring balance in that regard, that's something to consider!

[Rsegrwr]

Thank you .....seabliss. And yes, just recently had the flu and survived off broth and gingerale for a week, lost 18 pounds!!!! Once I started eating again (salads, lean meats, veggies...etc) I gained all of it back in a matter of days. I know in my head that starving your body is BAD and can lead to metabolic damage but at the same time I saw that 18 pound weight loss and went.....'hey, I can lose weight, I just don't need to eat' LOL.

I've had my sugar checked and some other basic test to kind of rule out Thyroid issues and diabetes but what else would the doctor need to run?

[summer breeze]

I'm very hesitant to post here because what I have to say is pretty annoying because I used to get annoyed when people posted what I am about to say in the past. I am 56 years old and have lost over 40 lbs this past year by carefully monitoring my portions and calorie intake and walking every day. I also did some core fusion and Margaret Richard. I was a little bit overweight according to the charts, maybe 5 or 8 lbs. so it wasn't like I had a huge amount to lose. I wanted to get to a mid- bmi range as I had been quite thin when I was younger but steadily gained weight over the last 10 peri-menopausal/menopausal years. The annoying part is that I went pretty low calorie and did journal all my food intake which a lot of people don't like to do. I didn't necessarily eliminate any foods though I did have to cut way down on certain things (I don't want to go into too much detail here). I have since upped my calorie intake quite a bit but have been able to maintain the weight loss so far with the increased eating. I am still walking around an hour 6 - 7 days a week. I hope this is helpful to you in some way. Best of luck to you.

[slysam]

Originally Posted by Rsegrwr

I've been eating clean, working out and still can't break this crazy mid life set point LOL. I've read books on it that say to lose 10%, keep that weight for 6 months and then do it again. My question is how to lose the 10% without starving, eating 1000 calories...etc. I've considered hiring a fitness nutritionist, just unsure on what direction to take.

Fighting with the same 15-20 pounds for a year now . I did lose 18 in a week from the flu LOL.....sadly the second you even smell food again your body goes right back to that set weight it's comfy at.

I am not going to comment on the time of life aspect as I am sure it effects things as do other hormonal changes. But am not sure to what extent. I do think there is a natural weight our body wants to be--and that weight can change throughout life.

I find if I put weight on due to overeating, inactivity it is quite easy for me to lose that extra weight *if* I notice and correct my behavior fairly quickly. If I have a good activity level my weight tends to creep down until it reaches a certain point. If I become inactive it does tend to creep up. After about 6 months either way, my weight has always been about 10 pounds lighter if I am active daily. This is with no intended diet modifications, eating when hungry and not eating to or beyond fullness. But at a certain point, the loss from activity, general healthy eating without overeating, etc stops.

To get to a lower weight (even one that previously was my natural weight), I need to diet. I don't follow specific diets--more keeping a food log, portion control, being mindful about the nutrition in my food, eating a little less than I want (often feeling a little hungry), etc. This along with a good activity level do work for me though I still reach stall, but every month I do this I weigh a little less than previous. As I lose, I also need to further reduce portions a little. At some point, this becomes difficult for me as I do enjoy cooking and eating and drinking wine with the girls. I tend to get discouraged if I stall too long, then I switch to trying to maintain that weight. I so far, have found if I maintain a new low for a while, it becomes my "natural weight" that I can maintain if I am active and eat according to my hunger but not beyond. I think it may take a while for the body and mind to get use to the nutrition and lifestyle I need to maintain the new lower weight. When I return to dieting, I tend to lose similar to before. So I guess I think the advice of losing a certain amount then maintaining makes sense to me from my personal experience. I am not sure it is a magic number like 10% loss and six months maintain--I don't think there is really a one size fits all. And I think it may be as much psychological as physical--but maybe it is all about the hormones and brain cues. I don't know. I do think that taking mainanance breaks can be a positive thing for some people for long term weight loss, health or fitness. I find I can really see some good fitness gains when maintaining too.

I am not sure about "set point" exactly, but I think there is some truth to some of it whether it be physical (i.e. hormone balance) or due to the psychology involved in forming new habits and lifestyle changes.

[shoegoddess]

I was able to keep my weight in check up to and through 2009. Hovering between 113-117 at 5'3". Then life got in the way plus an injury and I gained 23 pounds. I have a milestone birthday Feb. 2nd. I'll be the big 6-0 I was bound and determined to not turn 60 overweight (in my mind). I joined Weight Watchers in October and track everything on their e-tools site plus I also track on loseit.com because I'm a calorie oriented and Type A person and this dual tracking has helped immensely. I have to know what is exactly going in my mouth! I am now down within 2 pounds of goal with is 114 and I am
getting into my cute clothes again I'm sure I'll be at goal by THE BIG DAY I have worked out consistently also trying new instructors and new workout genre's. I've been doing KCM strength, Fusion such as Bodyfit 360 and Ellen and Charlene's PiYO, and cardio mixing it up between killer and not so killer. Ignite, Breathless Body, Leslie. I firmly believe portion control, eating the good stuff and working out are key.

[slysam]

Originally Posted by Rsegrwr

Thank you .....seabliss. And yes, just recently had the flu and survived off broth and gingerale for a week, lost 18 pounds!!!! Once I started eating again (salads, lean meats, veggies...etc) I gained all of it back in a matter of days. I know in my head that starving your body is BAD and can lead to metabolic damage but at the same time I saw that 18 pound weight loss and went.....'hey, I can lose weight, I just don't need to eat' LOL.

I've had my sugar checked and some other basic test to kind of rule out Thyroid issues and diabetes but what else would the doctor need to run?

My guess is that flu weight loss wasn't a true weight loss--meaning fat loss obviously it was a weight loss. It was more likely weight loss due to dehydration (which happens during the flu hence why it is natural to want to consume things like on broth and gingerale, etc while fighting flu). After the bug was gone, and you returned to eating you regained some of the fluids retained in your body. It probably isn't possible to lose 18 pounds of body fat in a week. Dramatic ups and downs are more commonly related to fluctuations in water weight and other temporary forms of body weight. Just saying, there is no point in criticizing yourself for losing weight while sick and then regaining while healthy. It is quite possible you lost some fat being sick for a week but more likely just a couple pounds more or less not 18 pounds.