Have you dabbled with diets over the years (or been a chronic dieter like myself) and ended up gaining back more weight than when you began dieting? This might explain why…
Have you ever heard of the Set Point Theory? It’s the weight your body is meant to be!
Before understanding Set Point Theory, we must understand BMI and why we should honour our set point rather than our place on the BMI scale.
A Brief History of BMI
The BMI chart is not only ridiculously outdated but also incredibly flawed.
Adolphe Quetelet, a mathematician and astronomer (no, not a health professional), established the BMI over 200 years ago to measure the characteristics of a ‘normal man’. It was based on statistics and data collected from white European men (meaning it doesn’t take into account gender or race), and it does not measure overall fat, muscle content, bone density or water retention. Therefore, according to the BMI chart, you could be ‘overweight’ but be healthy, or you could be ‘underweight’ and be unhealthy.
The BMI scale was never intended for clinical use on individuals. Yet, over 200 years later, we are still gate-keeping healthcare for individuals because of it.
When I was young, I wished someone had explained Set Point Theory to me. It would have prevented a lifetime of dieting and constantly feeling like a failure with no willpower. Years of comparison and hating my body could have been an adult life of body appreciation if I had known. So, if I can ask one thing of you, please share this with your children…
What is Set Point Theory?
Your set point is an average weight that your body comfortably sits at, with about 14-20lbs either way. It’s where your weight happily hovers without restriction or dieting, exercising without obligation or a goal, honouring hunger and fullness cues and being free from tracking anything.
Do We All Have Different Set Points?
Yes, because we all have different lifestyles and cultures that contribute to our health and wellbeing.
This is why representation of Body Diversity in the media is crucial - it normalises different shapes, genders, and races and prevents the glamorisation of appearance ideals. The problem with the BMI scale is that it doesn’t represent diverse body types and cultures. We are not all European men!
What Contributes to My Set Point?
Yo-yo dieting
Fertility/Childbirth
Sleep Patterns
Environment
Hormones
Ageing
Disease/Physical Health
Medications
Genetics
Trust the Process
It’s important to understand that your Set Point is personal to you and your lifestyle, and that might mean it doesn't sit perfectly on the BMI scale. It’s natural to fear that once you give up restriction and control, you will keep gaining weight and never stop. I felt that way too! Learning to eat intuitively (from your body’s signals) can feel daunting and even impossible if you’ve spent years training yourself to ignore them. But your body will know what weight to settle at. If you work with a coach who will guide you to eat and exercise intuitively, your body will find peace at a weight that takes no effort to maintain. Imagine that…
Also, trusting that people won’t outcast you if you gain weight is a valid fear. We live in a fat-phobic society that romanticises thinness, but over time, you will learn that the people who really matter will always be there. They’re not your friends because you have a small waist, toned arms or lost weight at some point in the past! You will soon realise the diet industry are the only people that desperately want you to lose weight because they profit off it!
I think my Set Point is higher than it should be; why is that?
Here are some questions to be curious about if you’re above your Set Point:
Do you eat in response to stress, boredom, or specific emotions?
Do you find yourself eating out of control, anticipating you will start the diet soon?
How often do you eat while distracted, such as watching TV or scrolling on your phone?
Are there certain foods you avoid or restrict, and how does that influence your relationship with eating?
Do you skip meals to save up for a feast?
Do you notice any patterns between your sleep quality and how much or what you eat?
When you eat, do you notice your hunger and fullness signals?
How often do you skip meals, and what tends to happen with your hunger and eating later in the day?
Do you eat a forbidden food/quantity, feel like you’ve blown your diet, and then continue to overeat?
Do you feel guilt or shame around specific foods or eating behaviours? How does that affect your choices?
Do you fluctuate between nourishing yourself through nutritious eating and eating out of control?
Does a typical meal provide both satisfaction and nourishment for you?
Where Do I Start?
I have helped many women learn how to tune into the messages from their bodies and finally stop the war with the reflection in the mirror.
Working with me will enable you to transform your view of your body. You will appreciate her, respect her and honour her. And you will never regret it!
If you’re between 18-45 and would like to be in the best mindset of your life, contact me here to begin your magic 💫
This is a beautiful video of how someone living with an eating disorder finally made peace with their body after learning about the Set Point Theory. Take a look!
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