What Is a Body Weight Setpoint, and How Can You Change It?

In this article: 

• Set-point theory says that your body tries to return to a weight or weight range when you try to lose weight. 
• Genetics, epigenetics, obesogenics, and an obesogenic environment, like the availability of low-cost processed and high-calorie food, can all affect set-point. 
• Your body’s set-point is not likely to be the same forever. Instead, the set-point is where your body settles under a given set of circumstances. A person’s setpoint may change over life. 
• Here are 10 ways to lower your body’s setpoint to help with weight loss and maintenance.
• Your Lark coach is available 24/7 to help you make healthy choices around nutrition, activity, and more. 

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You may want to lose weight, but does your body have other ideas? Sometimes, it feels like your body actively wants to be at a certain weight, and it’s fighting to stay there. The setpoint is the term for the weight that your body gravitates towards.

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As published on StatPearls, experts are still defining and learning about set-points and related concepts. Here’s what some experts believe affects set-point, and how you can apply this knowledge to change your own set-point.

Are Set-Points Real?

So far, it appears the body resists change, but it’s not so straightforward. Instead of a single set-point, there’s likely a range in which your body works to stay. In addition, the human body’s resistance to weight loss seems stronger than its resistance to weight gain. There’s also a lot of emerging evidence that a wide variety of factors affect set-point. 

Determinants of Set-Points

According to F1000 Medicine Reports, genetic factors, epi-genetic factors, obesogens, and an obesogenic environment can change the set-point.

• Genes. Your genes affect your body type. Many people can see resemblances between their body types and the body types of their parents and siblings. A variety of genes affect your weight. A few individuals have an additional genetic mutation that directly impacts a predisposition to obesity, but these occurrences are not frequent.
• Epigenetics. Environmental and nutritional factors can alter histones, or the protein spools that DNA wraps around. Changes in histones, like methylation, can lead to changes that last a lifetime or get passed down a generation. An example is maternal undernutrition during pregnancy, which can lead to epigenetic changes before birth that increase the baby’s risk for diabetes and obesity later in life.
• Obesogens. These are chemicals that can affect metabolism and food consumption, ultimately leading to weight gain. They may be environmental pollutants or chemicals in manufactured goods and processed foods.
• Obesogenic environment. For most Americans, the environment we live in contributes to weight gain. Refined carbohydrates, excess fats, and processed foods are abundant. In general, food is tasty, low-cost, highly visible, and readily available. It often comes in oversized portions. These constant and strong forces make the body’s natural compensatory responses, like feeling overfull or increasing resting energy expenditure, weak in comparison. 

Can You Change Your Set-point?

Some set-point determinants like genetics are non-modifiable. You can’t change your genes, and you can’t undo epigenetic modifications. However, the greatest influences on set-point for most people are modifiable factors like lifestyle choices. Cleveland Clinic suggests looking at your diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices to change your set-point range and break through plateaus. 

10 Tactics for Changing Your Setpoint

If setpoint is the weight your body settles at under a given set of circumstances, try changing the circumstances to change the setpoint. Here are some strategies. 

1. Drink low-calorie beverages

Drinking more low-calorie beverages can help reduce hunger so you eat less. It can also help prevent fatigue from mild dehydration so you can be more active. In addition, swapping water for sugar-sweetened beverages can reduce overall calorie consumption, since each 8-oz cup of a sugary drink like soda has 100 calories. 

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2. Eat whole foods

Choose whole fruits and vegetables instead of smoothies, juices, and dried fruit. Fresh and unsweetened frozen fruit and vegetables are higher in fiber and more satisfying. Similarly, choose less processed foods like whole grains instead of refined, and baked or grilled fish and chicken instead of fried options or processed meats.

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3. Manage portions

Simple tricks can help with more appropriate portions to reduce set-point. Eat from smaller plates and bowls to serve smaller portions without effort. Another trick is to use your usual dishes but add large portions of low-calorie non-starchy vegetables, like salad greens or steamed broccoli, before serving other foods to your plate or bowl. This strategy can keep you full and make portions of high-calorie foods smaller without needing to purchase a new set of dishes. 

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4. Find swaps for creamy foods

If you typically consume creamy foods, finding lower-calorie swaps can help change your set-point. Save hundreds of calories by having deli, dijon, or yellow mustard instead of mayonnaise or other creamy sauces on sandwiches. Instead of creamy dressing, try light dressing or vinaigrettes with a small amount of oil plus mustard, herbs, and vinegar or lemon juice. When making tuna salad, coleslaw, or other deli salads, use plain yogurt instead of mayonnaise for creaminess. 

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5. Consider nutrient density

To reduce calories consistently, choose nutrient-dense foods and prepare them in healthier ways. Most foods have a mixture of highly nutritious and low-nutrient components, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Consider these examples. 

• Less than half the calories in battered and fried fish are nutrient-dense from cod, while over half are excess from breading and frying oil
• Nearly half the calories in sweetened applesauce are low-nutrient, from sugar, while just over half are from apples, which are nutrient-dense
• In 80% lean ground beef, just over half the calories are nutrient-dense from lean protein, while more than half are from beef fat. 

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These tips can help increase nutrient density.

• Unsweetened foods help limit added sugars
• Choose higher-fat proteins with reduced-fat dairy products and lean meats or skinless poultry.
• Steaming, grilling, baking, and microwaving are alternatives to frying that use less fat and don’t have refined carbs from breading. 

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6. Eat at home more often

Replace restaurant meals with home-prepared meals to break through a plateau or change your set-point. The USDA reports that compared to restaurant meals, home-prepared meals are typically lower in saturated fat and sodium, and higher in healthful nutrients like fiber, calcium, and iron. Whole grains, fruit, and nuts are also more common at home.

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Try these tips to keep restaurant meals from raising your set-point.

• Start with 1-2 additional meals per week at home instead of from a restaurant
• When you do eat out, look for more healthful options. They’re often available - in fact, restaurant meals tend to be higher in vegetables than home-prepared meals
• It’s okay to keep meals simple when cooking at home. Salads, sandwiches, bowls, and sheet pan meals are quick, easy, and versatile.

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7. Be more active

Increase your activity levels to change your set-point. Physical activity burns calories and supports metabolism and health. Most adults should get at least 150-300 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity per week. For metabolism and health, it’s also important to break up sedentary, or sitting, time with light or moderate activity every 30-60 minutes. Any amount of activity that you add makes a difference.

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8. Add high-intensity interval training (HIIT)

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a form of vigorous-intensity physical activity that alternates high-effort spurts, like running, with lower-effort recovery periods, like walking. It can improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar, heart health, blood pressure, and body composition, according to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Get clearance from your doctor and guidance from an expert when you are ready to try HIIT. 

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9. Get more sleep

Do you want to have more energy, be more efficient, reduce cravings, and improve your mood - all without moving? Get more sleep! Most Americans are short on sleep, with effects including drowsiness, accidents, and higher levels of blood sugar, cravings, and hunger. Aim for 7-9 hours nightly to see if that feels right to you. Keep in mind that a consistent bedtime is an important part of sleep hygiene, too.

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10. Manage stress

Stress can impact every aspect of your life, so managing stress makes sense to change your body’s set-point. Lifestyle choices to manage stress can include healthy eating, physical activity, socializing, and sleeping enough. You might also try tactics like deep breathing, meditation, journaling, and aromatherapy. 

How Lark Can Help

Small changes can help you improve heart health, lose weight, and manage or prevent chronic conditions. Lark can help you make positive choices on a daily basis. Your Lark coach is available 24/7 for encouragement, nutrition and physical activity coaching, and habit tracking. Lark can help you make healthy choices and establish habits that fit into your lifestyle so you can lose weight and keep it off with or without GLP-1 medications. 

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Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark today!

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