“I can eat this slice of pie because I’m going to exercise later."

“I can’t eat that birthday cake, I’m sorry. I’m just watching my weight."

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say something along those lines, I wouldn’t need to take out a loan to pay for my college tuition.

Many of us are under the impression that what you eat directly affects your weight. I mean, the idea of a direct correlation between food intake and weight is basically accepted as truth at this point. So, we shy away from foods that we enjoy because we’re convinced that a couple chocolate chip cookies will make us fat. We restrict foods from our diet that we love because we fear what we’ll look like if we eat them.

What if I told you that a lot of research and studies don’t back the idea that your weight can be easily manipulated, and that gaining weight isn’t nearly as easy as you fear it is?

I had never heard of the set point theory before I started recovery from my eating disorder. I was sitting in my hospital bed. I knew I was gaining weight but I had no idea how much or how fast (I did blind weigh-ins). I was terrified—absolutely terrified—of how much weight I was going to gain, which is pretty standard for any anorexic beginning the weight restoration process. I was researching like crazy, trying to assuage my fear, and stumbled upon the set point theory again and again. It assured me that I would reach my set point weight, and stop gaining weight.

The setpoint theory, in essence, states that we all have a set weight range (could be a range of up to ten pounds) that is biologically and genetically determined and that our bodies will fight to stay in that range. If you’re at your set point weight, it will be really difficult for you to lose weight, AND it will be equally as difficult to gain weight. If it’s easy for you to lose or gain weight, you aren’t at your set point.

The body produces feelings of satiety and hunger based on trying to maintain its set point. That is, if you listen to your body’s hunger cues, and eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full, you will maintain your set point. The setpoint theory also explains why dieting often doesn’t work—if you reduce the number of calories you eat, your body slows its metabolic rate to try to maintain the setpoint. You also may find yourself often craving high-calorie foods or just constantly hungry, which is also your body’s way of indicating that it needs more calories. Similarly, if you begin exercising a lot, your hunger will likely skyrocket and you will need to eat more than you would if you didn’t exercise at all because your body expends calories in the exercise and needs to replace those burnt calories with additional food in order to stay at the set point. Fighting your set point won’t work: just look at all the countless examples of yo-yo dieting.

Of course, a big part of me didn’t believe in the set point theory, no matter how much I read about it and how much evidence I found that supported it, so it’s understandable if you’re skeptical, too. It goes against everything we’re taught about how if you eat what you want, you’ll gain a ton of weight. It wasn’t until I actually found my set point for myself that I became wholly convinced. I stopped gaining weight around November of 2016, and began eating intuitively—all I did was listen to my hunger cues and eat what I wanted to eat, no restrictions. No counting calories, none of that. I have not gained or lost weight since then, despite how varied my diet is. In fact, my weight has not fluctuated more than two pounds. Now, your set point range might be bigger and have more room for fluctuation, and that is okay. No one knows what’s healthy and best for your body better than your own body.

I highly encourage you to test the set point theory out for yourself. It’s as easy as just letting yourself eat intuitively and making sure you listen to your body. If you already eat intuitively, it’s highly likely you’re already at your set point. I promise, your set point isn’t as high as you fear it might be.

After you find your set point, it is really important that you learn to love your body at your weight, because like it or not, that’s the weight your body is meant to be at. The sooner you learn to love your body at its natural weight, the happier and more carefree you will be because you’ll be able to stop spending so much time focused on food and trying to change your weight. It’s an impossible battle, so it’s seriously best to just stop trying to fight it.

One last point I would like to make on this subject is that some people are biologically and genetically determined to be overweight. It is no reflection on the character or overall health of that person. It’s just where their body is meant to be. People who are fat are NOT lazy or undisciplined or any of the nasty adjectives society has attached to them. If they are at their set point, they cannot lose weight healthily or sustainably. And that is OKAY. Because “fat” is not a bad word and does NOT indicate poor health.

You can find more information about the set point theory here and here. Or, you can simply research it for yourself, or test it out for yourself!

And eat that donut!!!! You won’t gain weight, I promise!