WEIGHT LOSS: it’s not your will-power, your “SET-POINT” needs a reset
Do you believe you don’t lose weight because you lack will power? (spoiler alert – it’s not true!) The reason you start a diet and don’t stick to it has nothing to do with will power.
If you feel this way, don’t feel alone. Clients who come to see me to lose weight all believe they lack will-power. When I delve deeper, every single one of them has will-power in spades which in evidence in many other areas of their lives.
One of the reasons you are struggling to lose weight is nothing to do with will power, and everything to do with your “SET-POINT”. Put simply, your set-point needs a reset.
What is your “SET-POINT”?
Everyone has a unique metabolic “set-point”, a weight range that your body fights to maintain. This set-point may not be an acceptable or healthy weight for you, but it is what your body is used to. When you either lose or gain weight, your body will make every effort to get you back there.
Why is my SET-POINT too high?
If you are over-weight, your body has become accustomed to a higher weight. Your SET-POINT may be too high for a number of reasons:
- sedentary lifestyle
- lack of exercise
- frequent consumption of sugar combined with saturated fats
- inadequate protein
- consistently over-eating
- poor sleep
- stress or anxiety
- poor gut health
- high toxin exposure
Surely if I lose weight, my set-point will reduce automatically?
Over time, your set-point will reduce as you lose weight. However, if you do a dramatic weight loss programme, and shed weight quickly, your body thinks you are starving. Your body thinks your original set-point is correct, and will do what it can to get you back there. It will make you want all the food, plus more, to get you back to your set point. This is why you can often gain back weight you have lost quite quickly, sometimes with interest.
So am I doomed to be stuck at a “too high” set-point?
NO! Definitely not. The key is to lose weight gradually, and have pauses in your weight loss, allowing your body to sit at a plateau for a short while so that it re-adjusts it’s set point.
During that time, it is also important to address the lifestyle factors that made your set-point too high in the first place.
TAKE HOME MESSAGES:
- Weight loss is never about will-power.
- A key to weight loss is lowering your set-point.
- Your set point is the weight that your body thinks is correct for you based on what it’s used to.
- If you lose weight too quickly, you body does everything it can to get you back to your set-point (it’s a bit mean that way!)
- The key to lowering your set-point is gradual weight loss, with periods of plateau to allow your set-point to readjust to a lower level.
- Slow and steady really does win the race!
Need help?
If you need help with weight loss, and to lower your set-point, why don’t you sign up for my 6-week weight loss package where we will start the journey together? Click here for more details:
https://perthnaturopath.com.au/packages/
If you have any questions, or would like to have a chat, please contact me or make an appointment:
Please contact me on 0431917728