engrevo

On Set Point and Carbohydrate Requirements

A while back, I wrote a post about set points and what I was calling “settling points.” Since then, I’ve learned a lot about set points (mostly from Stephan’s amazing series on food reward and obesity) and I’ve come to believe that what I wrote really missed the definition of “set point.” Live and learn.

Contrary to the way many people use the term, a set point is not a permanent feature of a person. The set point is, instead, the fat mass one’s body is aiming to achieve at any given time. I’ll get into how to manipulate your set point in much more detail in a later post – for now let’s just assume that you can.

A quick review: If your set point is lower than your current body fat, you’re body will attempt to force fat loss with neat tricks like appetite suppression and increased energy expenditure. If your set point is higher than your current body fat, you’ll be extra hungry and your body will strive to reduce expenditure until your body fat reaches your set point. Obviously, if your body fat and set point are the same, your body will do its best to maintain equilibrium.

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July 26, 2011