Set Point Theory: Why Your Body Resists Weight Change & How to Work With It
Have you ever stepped on the scale, hoping to see a lower number, only to feel frustrated when your weight seems stuck? You eat less, exercise more, maybe even try different diets - but no matter what, your body seems to fight back. It’s as if there’s an invisible force pulling your weight back to a certain range, making that goal weight feel impossible to reach.
That’s because your body isn’t designed to hit a single, fixed number - it’s wired to maintain a weight range where it functions best.
This is the essence of Set Point Theory, the idea that your body has a biologically preferred weight range. Instead of working against you, your body is trying to keep you safe, ensuring stability in a world where food availability and activity levels can change. But what does this mean for health and can we influence our set point over time? Let’s explore how our body regulates weight and what factors impact this process.
What is Set Point Theory?
Set Point Theory is the idea that our body has an internal weight regulation system that strives to keep us within a biologically determined weight range. This set point is controlled by complex interactions between our metabolism, hormones and brain signals, all designed to maintain stability. Just as our body resists excessive weight loss, it also has mechanisms to prevent extreme weight gain - though it’s often more efficient at defending against weight loss than weight gain.
Our set point is influenced by genetics, environment and lifestyle factors. While it may shift over time, the body tends to resist drastic changes.
How the Body Defends it’s Set Point
When we attempt to move outside of our body’s preferred weight range - whether through dieting or overeating - our physiology responds:
In Response to Weight Loss
Slower Metabolism: The body conserves energy, making it harder to continue losing weight
Increased Hunger Hormones (Ghrelin): Drives stronger cravings and food-seeking behaviour
Decreased Satiety Hormones (Leptin): Makes it harder to feel full
Enhanced Fat Storage Efficiency: The body prioritises regaining lost fat and breaks down muscle for energy
In Response to Weight Gain
Slight Metabolic Boost: A larger body burns more calories at rest, but this effect is often small
Leptin Increase: Signals the brain that fat stores are sufficient (though leptin resistance can occur in obesity)
Natural Appetite Reduction (In Some Cases): The body may reduce hunger when energy intake exceeds needs, but food environment and psychology can override this
Can you Change Your Set Point?
While Set Point Theory suggests our weight is biologically defended, research indicates that consistent lifestyle changes can influence where our body naturally settles. Rather than drastic dieting, certain habits support a stable, healthy weight without triggering the body’s defence mechanisms.
Intuitive Eating & Set Point Regulation
Intuitive Eating (IE) helps stabilise weight within the natural set point range by:
Restoring hunger and fullness cues
When we constantly diet, we lose touch with our body's natural signals for hunger and satiety
Intuitive Eating helps rebuild trust with our body by honouring hunger when it arises and stopping when satisfied, preventing the extreme fluctuations that contribute to weight cycling
Reducing weight cycling
Repeated dieting, followed by weight regain, can gradually shift the body’s set point higher.
Focusing on long-term, balanced eating habits rather than extreme dieting, we reduce the stress of weight fluctuations and allow our body to settle into a stable and healthy weight range
Lowering stress and cortisol
Chronic dieting and food restriction increase cortisol levels, which encourages fat storage, especially around the abdomen.
By removing the stress of dieting and embracing a balanced, flexible approach to food, we help regulate cortisol levels and support natural weight stability
2. Resistance Training & Its Impact on Metabolism
Building lean muscle mass through resistance training is one of the best ways to influence set point because:
Muscle burns more energy than fat
Unlike crash diets that reduce both fat and muscle, resistance training helps preserve and build muscle mass, which keeps metabolism more active, even at rest
This means the body can burn more energy without needing extreme restriction
Improves insulin sensitivity
Insulin resistance can contribute to fat accumulation, particularly around the abdomen
Resistance training improves how the body processes carbohydrates and uses glucose, lowering the likelihood of excessive fat storage and making it easier to maintain a stable weight
Prevents metabolic slowdown
When people lose weight through restrictive dieting alone, metabolism slows down as the body tries to conserve energy.
Resistance training helps counteract this by maintaining an active metabolism, allowing the body to stay in a more favourable energy balance even when weight fluctuates
3. Sleep & Its Role in Weight Regulation
Prioritising 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night supports metabolic health and may help prevent gradual set point shifts upward. Poor sleep disrupts weight stability by:
Increasing hunger hormones (ghrelin) and reducing satiety hormones (leptin)
When sleep is inadequate, ghrelin levels rise, making you feel hungrier, while leptin levels drop, reducing your ability to feel full
This imbalance can lead to increased food intake, often in the form of high-calorie, processed foods
Raising cortisol
Chronic sleep deprivation raises cortisol levels, signalling the body to store more fat, particularly around the midsection
High cortisol levels can also increase cravings for sugary or high-fat foods, making weight regulation more challenging
Impairing insulin sensitivity
Sleep deprivation reduces the body's ability to regulate blood sugar effectively, leading to increased fat accumulation over time.
Getting enough sleep improves insulin function and helps the body manage energy more efficiently, supporting a stable set point
The more we fight against something, the stronger its grip becomes
Whether it’s resisting our body’s natural weight range, suppressing our hunger cues or waging war against our own biology, that resistance often leads to frustration, exhaustion and cycles of struggle
When we stop fighting against ourselves and start working with our bodies, we create space for balance, healing and lasting well-being
Focus on Health, Not Just Weight
Rather than obsessing over an arbitrary weight goal, shifting focus to sustainable habits - like intuitive eating, resistance training and sleep hygiene - allows the body to naturally regulate weight in a way that promotes long-term well-being. While set point may create a natural weight range, it’s not a rigid number. Lifestyle choices can support a stable, healthy weight without extreme restriction.
Understanding your body’s weight regulation system frees you from the cycle of dieting and weight obsession. Instead of fighting biology, working with it leads to better health, improved energy and a more balanced relationship with food and movement.
Are you ready to stop fighting your body and start working with it? If you’re curious about how to apply these principles in your own life, let’s connect! Drop a comment below or book a session to start your journey toward food freedom and body trust.
