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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Set Point. What do YOU think??


So I was reading this article today, which I found via a tweet from a Registered Dietitian I follow, and which I posted on facebook.  The article is all about finding, and accepting, your “set point” – that is, the weight at which your body is supposed to stay when you are practicing healthy eating and exercise habits.

I think it’s an interesting article, for sure.  Here is the link, in case you want to read (I recommend it!!):  http://bit.ly/hisglA

Anyway, the writer of the article is to be admired.  She has been able to accept her body at its “set point,” after years of dieting, excessive exercise, and practicing unhealthy eating habits in order to achieve her “ideal weight,” or the weight she wanted to be.

One thing that caught my attention was her reaffirmation that diets do NOT work.  She points out that if you go on a diet, sure, you may lose a lot of weight, but you can’t keep up the diet forever because your body will rebel against you and strive to get back to its “set point.”

I will be honest….accepting your “set point” is one of the most difficult aspects of recovery from an eating disorder.  I have technically been “in recovery” for a while, but I still have not fully accepted my “set point.”  That said, I do think that one day I WILL be able to accept my “set point,” and I can’t wait for that day to come.  I have confidence that everyone who suffers with an eating disorder has the ability to, one day, accept their bodies at their “set point.”

Really, I think this article should be a mandated read for anyone in recovery from an eating disorder.

Thoughts??  Do you think the “set point” is something everyone should strive to accept??  (Reading the article will help explain it a little better than I have here.)

God bless,

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting! Just came from my nutrition appointment and really needed to read something like this :)

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  2. I like what you (and the article's author) are saying, but how do you know what your "set point" is?

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  3. I'm glad this was a helpful post for you after your appointment!!

    Marc -- That's a good question, and while I'm no doctor, I do have some personal experience with this. What I've been taught by several professionals is that if you are eating a balanced diet (based on the food pyramid, or another exchange system) and get a healthy amount of exercise/activity, your body will naturally be at its "set point," and that "set point" isn't based solely on BMI (height to weight proportion), but varies from person to person. I feel like I can't really give an answer that is not jaded, because I have had LOTS of people tell me what my "set point" really is, whereas it may never cross the mind of someone who has not suffered from an eating disorder to ask a medical professional about it. Thanks for the comment!!

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