Set Point Theory: Any Research to Clarify?

ucimigrate

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Hi Everyone,I'm curious as to the specifics of Set Point Theory.Here are the various answers I got over the years of researching, talking to bodybuilders, etc.:- Set point theory isn't very powerful; your body won't resist weight gain or weight loss based on your current weight, it's all calories in vs. calories out on a daily basis- Set point theory sets amount of adiposity (i.e. 30 lbs of fat mass)- Set point theory sets bodyweight (i.e. 180 lbs, regardless of body composition)- The 72 hour cycle holds true; the body ramps up TSH or lowers it depending on consumption of a 3-day cycle- Set point theory is 4-6 weeks; bodybuilders after competition can pig out for this time period and not gain much weightWhat do you guys think? Why do you think that?
 
xR1pp3Rx

xR1pp3Rx

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I feel like there is a point were your body likely does say to itself, enough is enough, and attempts to quit growing.
there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that you do in fact hit plateaus from time to time. if your body was able to just grow and grow we would all end up looking like a Belgium cow. that doesn't happen. yet we do see guys pack on the mass fairly continually with the use of anabolics and what not..
I always believed that this theory applied to breaking through plateaus and continuing progress once you have reached a stop limit on muscle growth.
 
HIT4ME

HIT4ME

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I'm not sure how you are applying this, or looking to apply this, and I've seen no studies that I can point to, but I wouldn't doubt some are out there.

In my experience I will say that I have many obese people in my family, and they got to a certain point and they just stop gaining weight. It seems as though there is a "set" point at which they stay if they are not trying to change anything. If this is entirely physiological I don't know - it could be argued that they eat a certain amount of food and that amount of food allows for a certain weight, etc. I'm sure it works both ways.

For myself, as I've been losing weight over the past year I've noticed that if I give myself longer to lose weight it appears as if my body tries to establish set points along the way (I am willing to take 2-3 years to actually get in the shape I want, which requires losing 100 pounds and putting on over 30 pounds of muscle). What seems to happen is that I lose about 5 pounds, then it stops for a while and then I suddenly lose about 5 pounds more, then it stops. The 5 pounds comes over the course of a day or 2 each time, and once it is gone, I seem to be able to gain back the 5 pounds if I increase my eating, but it stops again and then the 5 pounds is easier to lose. So, what I've been doing is letting myself lose the 5 pounds, stay there for a while, then refeed and gain 2-5 pounds (which takes longer than you think) and then go back to eating less and I lose 5 pounds fast and then suddenly another 5 pounds will come off. It is kind of weird, but it may be more psychological than physical. I am sure that if I continued to eat above maintenance for an extended period of time I would gain most of the weight back - but when I was at my heaviest I didn't watch anything I ate and was at the same point for years and years.

I don't know if I'm conveying my thoughts well - but in a nutshell I think our body (and our brains) tries to establish set points but calories in/calories out will always create changes.
 
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