In 1982, nutritional researchers William Bennett and Joel Gurin presented a highly controversial theory concerning the difficulty some people have in losing weight. Their theory, known as the setpoint theory, states that a person’s body has a setpoint of weight at which it is programmed to be comfortable. If your setpoint is around 160 pounds, you will gain and lose weight fairly easily within a given range of that point. For example, if you gain 5 to 10 pounds on vacation, it will be fairly easy to lose that weight and remain around the 160-pound mark for a long period of time. Through a process of adaptive thermogenosis, the body actually tries to maintain what it thinks its best weight might be. Some people have equated this point with the plateau that is sometimes reached after a person on a diet loses a certain amount of weight. The setpoint theory proposes that after losing a predetermined amount of weight, the body will actually sabotage additional weight loss by slowing down metabolism. In extreme cases, the metabolic rate will decrease to a point at which the body will maintain its weight on as little as 1,000 calories per day:
Can a person change this predetermined setpoint? Proponents of this theory argue that it is possible to raise one’s setpoint over time by continually gaining weight and failing to exercise. Conversely, reducing caloric intake and exercising over a long period of time can slowly decrease one’s setpoint. Exercise may be the most critical factor in readjusting set-point, although diet may also be important.
This theory, too, remains controversial. Perhaps its greatest impact was the sense of relief it provided for people who have lost weight, plateaued, and regained weight time and time again. It told them that their failure was not due to a lack of willpower alone. The setpoint theory also prompted nutritional experts to look more carefully at popular methods of weight loss. If the setpoint theory is correct, a low-calorie or starvation diet, besides being dangerous, may cause the body to protect the dieter from “starvation” by slowing down metabolism and making weight loss more difficult.
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