Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best habits to have, in my opinion. Weight loss is actually quite easy but it’s keeping it off that is difficult for most people (including me at one point). But I’ve lost over 1.5 stone in a couple of years and most of that was in the first 12 months. I had a hard time trying to lose weight for years. You can read about the healthy weight loss habits I maintained here if you’d like where I talk about the smaller things that helped me to maintain weight loss.
But the reason I’m writing this post today is because I just weighed myself this morning and saw the same old number pop up just like it has been for months and months now. That number is 190 pounds. But for a long time, that number was 212 – 214 pounds and I didn’t realise how overweight I was. Sure, I wasn’t huge but I was much bigger than I realised. That’s obvious now when I look back at photos of myself at that higher weight.
That 212 pounds fluctuated slightly but it was always around 212. It was as if I could never move the needle far enough no matter what I tried. I was pretty good at losing some weight but then as soon as I ate one single ice cream, I would put on a bunch of weight (or at least that’s what it felt like at the time.)
And that 190 pounds goes up by 1 or 2 pounds from time to time and even goes down to 189 pounds on the odd occasion but it always goes back to 190 pounds. Weird. Even if I eat a lot in one week, my weight tries to come back down to 190.
So what’s going on?
The set point weight theory
There is a theory around this frustrating experience called “set point theory“. It’s never been proven (and I’m not sure how you would prove it) but it’s a very popular theory nonetheless. The idea is that your weight is set by your genetics and so if you eat less to try and lose weight, your metabolism will slow down to compensate. As soon as you start going back to your old eating habits (which most people do sooner than later) you’ll put all that weight you lose back on and then some.
Essentially, your body does not want to lose weight. It is designed to hang on to those calories. And many experts believe this to be a matter of fact. It does make sense…the colour of your eyes and hair are set by your genes or how tall you are so why wouldn’t they control your weight?
Your body weight set point does make things difficult
I believe the set point weight theory based on my own journey and what I have seen on the scales over the past 10 or so years. However, there is a problem with this theory or rather, what this theory causes…
And that’s confusion. Most people know of this theory and believe it’s why they can’t lose weight no matter what they try.
In my experience, your body really is trying to stay the same and it’s stubborn as hell, so stubborn in fact that you can give up very easily and say, “This is just the weight I am supposed to be.”
But I believe your weight is just like anything else.
- If you don’t stretch your hips will become stiff over time and you might say “I’m just getting old”.
- If you don’t run you’ll be less fit and think you just “Aren’t a fit person”.
- If you don’t sleep well over a long period of time you’ll get sick a lot and think, “I just get sick all the time because I’m unlucky.”
Your body adapts to your habits and environment. So I’m not sure if your genes set your weight. That hasn’t been my case. In fact, I think once you stay a certain weight for long enough and change your habits for long enough, your body readapts to that weight being “the new normal”.
How I reset my set point weight
As mentioned, changing my set point weight took a bit of time and trial and error but I have certainly done it. Here are the main things I believe helped me to change it.
Switch from “diet” to lifestyle change
The first hurdle is always a mental one. Most people think they need to “go on a diet” to change their set point weight – starve the body so it has to eat itself. But that is a silly outdated mindset. The real thing you’re going to need to do is change your lifestyle for the rest of your life, yep, for the rest of your life. This is why so many people go back to their old ways. The old ways are comfortable. Changing yourself is uncomfortable, at least, in the beginning.
You really can change your set weight range but it will only happen if you are consistent with your habits over time, for at least 3 months based on what I have experienced.
So treat changing your weight as a lifestyle switch rather than a short-term diet.
Switched out poison for real food
The biggest thing I think helped me reset my set point weight was chucking out anything that was processed or ultra-processed. And to be honest, that was a big learning curve. That’s because most of the food readily available in the food store is pre-packaged junk with a bazillion ingredients. It’s a big revelation and it’s kind of a scary one to realise that 90% of food is just there to make a profit, not to nourish you.
But it’s also empowering. When I switched up my eating habits, I felt a real sense of control over my own health, knowing I wasn’t eating added junk ingredients. I turned to a whole food diet consisting of meat, dairy, vegetables, and fruit, with nuts and dark chocolate as a treat.
Doing this completely changed my life.
It taught me so many things about nutrition and what a human body actually needs to function well, not what a human body wants. And it also gave me a higher sense of compassion for not only myself but the wider human species. It’s no wonder we get overweight and sick – we’re surrounded by the most delicious foods ever made and it’s hard to resist. You can’t blame people. It’s not always about willpower.
What it is about, at least in my experience, is education. When you learn what is real food and what isn’t, it’s easier to make a change.
Think of it as a fun experiment in the beginning. How much weight can you actually lose on a whole food natural diet? How much more energy will you have? How much better sleep will you enjoy?
Treat cutting out processed foods as a trial to see if you really can feel amazing after a few weeks.
Learned to cook
Eating a whole-food diet doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy food anymore. At least in my case, learning how awful most “food-like substances” you find in the store are gave me a greater appreciation for food and cooking. If you want to change your weight, in the long run, you’re going to have to learn to cook and it’s really not that difficult at all.
I think that Western culture has made it seem that way by making fast-food seem like “the easiest option” for “people on the go”.
But how on the go are you really? Do you actually not have time to cook in the evenings? What on Earth are you doing with your 24 hours?
Every man and his dog has time to cook in 24 hours, I don’t care who you are. All you need is some simple meat, vegetables and rice/noodles. And it doesn’t have to be expensive because you can use onions, garlic, rice, and broccoli for days in a row and make 3 different meals, for example.
Turning to Asia for dinner ideas was another game-changer for me when I was trying to lose weight. Asian food is some of the healthiest and also most delicious and it ain’t hard to cook. You just need meat (a lot of the time) and a bunch of vegetables.
Learning to use herbs and spices makes your whole-food diet just as tasty as processed junk and is my secret weapon every time I cook.
Keep learning to cook with single-ingredient items and it will change your life, I guarantee it.
Give yourself enough time and compassion
Do I still eat a pizza every now and again? Hell yeah! But that’s the difference. Because I eat one here and there, it doesn’t affect my weight. In fact, doing so makes me want to go back to whole-foods the next day because eating a pizza does not make me feel good.
And I think that’s an important point to drive home again from my own experience.
Once you notice how great you feel eating real food that nourishes you and your cells, you don’t want to eat highly processed junk anymore. Losing weight takes a bit of time to achieve so you have to be patient with yourself. If you do have a “bad day” show yourself a bit of compassion.
We all have bad days where we eat something that probably isn’t that great for us. In my own journey, I made sure I ate 75% – 90% whole foods. I believe eating this way creates a new normal your body expects and gets used to.
These days, 90% of my “diet” is whole food.
So how long did it take until I felt like I truly turned a corner? I’d say…
- At the 3 month mark, I was still struggling and probably eating too much each day in terms of carbs and potato chips
- 6 months I was feeling good and as if stubborn weight was coming off. I reduced processed foods even more and concentrated on 75% whole foods in each meal
- After 12 months I finally felt as if I was in control of the food I was eating. Cravings for junk went away completely and I stopped snacking on typical “treats” between meals
So how do I feel now?
Today I feel as if I have more control over what I’m eating. It’s been a long journey but a well worthy one and again, it’s not all been about losing weight. I feel better in myself. I have more energy and sleep way better than I ever have before. Resetting your set point weight does seem to be possible. I’ve seen how my body likes to stay at the same weight. It seems that after several months, your body adjusts to your new lifestyle and it’s quite an empowering thing to notice. The further you go, the more your body adjusts.
It’s reinforced to me the idea that you become what you give your attention to. If you are mindful of what you eat, you will become healthier. If you are mindful of how much you use your muscles, you will become and stay strong. If you are mindful of thinking positively, you will feel more positive.
The human body is capable of great changes, as long as you keep to the path.
Start creating better habits today.
If you’re ready to start organising your life so you have the space to create better habits, download your FREE Better Habits Bundle now.
Sean C is a writer, passionate about improving one’s self by maintaining healthy habits and doing the things that make life more meaningful.
