Quote:
Originally Posted by LeafUF
I dont buy your setpoint weight argument however I think there is something in this last part worth discussing. Part of it may be taking their eyes off the ball or falling back into old habits. And another thing may be that extreme dieting like so many embark on to lose their weight is actually causing their metabolism to drop significantly more than their weight loss alone would explain. This is what they have found with many of the biggest loser contestants who have gone on to gain back their weight. So, I do think how the weight is lost may give us a better idea as to why so many gain weight after successful weight loss.
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Remember that setpoint isn't my theory. I believe it was first propounded by Friedman, the guy who discovered leptin, and I believe it, or something like it, best fits the weight-rebound phenomenon.
I just think it's to easy to imagine that everybody just goes off the rails due to flagging willpower. I believe that willpower is neither here nor there. I strongly suspect that our bodies know better than we, our fitness trainers, our nutritionists, our doctors and the government where it wants to be.
And it does not appear to matter how precipitously weight is lost. Rather, it appears to do with *how much* weight is lost.
Remember too that it is not a case of 'so many' regaining weight. Based on the studies, it's closer to 'nearly everyone' than to 'so many.'
Finally, I used to react almost violently to the very argument I'm advancing now. I'd point to the National Weight Control Registry and cite its thousands of members who've lost thirty pounds or more and kept it off for a year or more.
But I no longer find this impressive. And the when you delve into the methods various members employ to maintain that modest success, a sobering picture emerges: members typically attest they think about food all the time. They have to be vigilant every day. They continue to count calories even after a year. They continue to be stringent with respect to food choices. And they tend to get prodigious amounts of exercise.