The science of weight loss

[LisaLisa]

All--
The reason my last 5 (?) diets didn't really work for me is because I understand the body is constantly fighting against weight loss, I knew whatever goals I had reached, my so-smart body would simply find news ways to keep me at a weight it liked so why do the work for nothin. (slower metabolism, gut bacteria, hormones, etc.) The yo yo diet cycle happens for a reason, not because we are weak but because our bodies have evolved to keep us alive through times of feast and famine--literally. WLS changes a lot about our bodies specifically when part of our stomachs are removed. WazzuCoug wrote about this in a post and it was a relief to see it all laid out so well.

My question is, after the get the surgery at some point there is period of regain, does the body kick into survival modes again--will the metabolism slow down? Will we again on a yo yo cycle again because we've "ruined" our reset?

 

[WazzuCoug]

What studies are currently showing is that after surgery, your body sort of resets it's "defendable" weight. Sometimes this is called your "set point." There is no great way to know when you reach that new point. For some people, it could be close to their goal weight, for others, it might be less or more than their goal weight. That is one of the reasons I don't like setting a goal weight because people become so infatuated towards that and then unhappy if they can't reach it, which can lead to falling back into old habits or emotional eating as a response. It's nice to have something to shoot for, but you have to accept that you may not reach it. It is aspirational and it's just one of so many other benefits of losing fat and getting healthy.

There will come a point when weight loss will become more difficult. Maybe it's that last five or ten pounds you think you have to lose. The problem is, when we go lower than our new set point, your body will go into that mode again of sending more hunger signals to your brain and slow your metabolism to try to maintain or defend that new set point. This would differ from a plateau as it shouldn't affect your hunger or metabolism, it's just a period of body adjustment.

Some regain is inevitable for most people, but we shouldn't stress too much about it. Exercise, eat proper portions, and make good choices and your body will maintain and defend a certain weight. If you start restricting calories and try to really intensify your exercise you run the risk of increased hunger a great deal and slowing the metabolism. This could lead to yo-yo dieting again.

I think a couple of the keys are really accepting plateaus and not stressing about getting to your goal weight. Continue to exercise, eat without stuffing yourself and you will be able to maintain a much healthier weight. Your body will defend that new weight unless you start making bad food and exercise choices. Gaining a little weight doesn't mean you have to go to extremes, just don't fall back into bad habits. That will lead to the yo-yo.

That is how I'm approaching my journey, anyway. Exercise and proper food choices for life. It's not going to be easy, but I'm hopeful it will just become my new habit that I maintain. If I stopped losing weight today, I would be upset, but I also have reaped so many benefits already, so I would fight to keep those by continuing to do what I've been doing (walking/good food, etc).

I read as much as I can about our body hormones, what triggers what, and how it plays into weight loss. Researchers are learning more all of the time, and it is really amazing. I'm just hopeful that this knowledge will help me along the way.

 

[LisaLisa]

What studies are currently showing is that after surgery, your body sort of resets it's "defendable" weight. Sometimes this is called your "set point." There is no great way to know when you reach that new point. For some people, it could be close to their goal weight, for others, it might be less or more than their goal weight. That is one of the reasons I don't like setting a goal weight because people become so infatuated towards that and then unhappy if they can't reach it, which can lead to falling back into old habits or emotional eating as a response. It's nice to have something to shoot for, but you have to accept that you may not reach it. It is aspirational and it's just one of so many other benefits of losing fat and getting healthy.

There will come a point when weight loss will become more difficult. Maybe it's that last five or ten pounds you think you have to lose. The problem is, when we go lower than our new set point, your body will go into that mode again of sending more hunger signals to your brain and slow your metabolism to try to maintain or defend that new set point. This would differ from a plateau as it shouldn't affect your hunger or metabolism, it's just a period of body adjustment.

Some regain is inevitable for most people, but we shouldn't stress too much about it. Exercise, eat proper portions, and make good choices and your body will maintain and defend a certain weight. If you start restricting calories and try to really intensify your exercise you run the risk of increased hunger a great deal and slowing the metabolism. This could lead to yo-yo dieting again.

I think a couple of the keys are really accepting plateaus and not stressing about getting to your goal weight. Continue to exercise, eat without stuffing yourself and you will be able to maintain a much healthier weight. Your body will defend that new weight unless you start making bad food and exercise choices. Gaining a little weight doesn't mean you have to go to extremes, just don't fall back into bad habits. That will lead to the yo-yo.

That is how I'm approaching my journey, anyway. Exercise and proper food choices for life. It's not going to be easy, but I'm hopeful it will just become my new habit that I maintain. If I stopped losing weight today, I would be upset, but I also have reaped so many benefits already, so I would fight to keep those by continuing to do what I've been doing (walking/good food, etc).

I read as much as I can about our body hormones, what triggers what, and how it plays into weight loss. Researchers are learning more all of the time, and it is really amazing. I'm just hopeful that this knowledge will help me along the way.

Thank you very much again for your insight. I guess the answer is, stay the course--the course of healthy eating and exercise. This will take us through the plateaus and allow our bodies to determine the right weight for us. I, too, am fascinated by how the body adjusts and am grateful that science is finally coming around to support us in that there's more to losing weight loss for some of us than calories in/calories out. And while in reality it may just end up CI/CO, just like people without weight problems tout, our start point is not the same as anyone else's nor our bodies' chemical environment (for lack of better word). I can embrace this, again thank you.

 

[WazzuCoug]

Thanks for posting that Diane. Yes, please do check out my channel and subscribe if you are interested. I post once or twice a week and moving forward will try to have a lot of different content related to my journey.

One of the best science resources out there is the University of Michigan's Nutrition Obesity Research Center. They are doing fascinating work looking for a way to create the effects of surgery without surgery. The University of Washington Nutrition Obesity Research Center and the UW Center for Obesity Research are also fantastic programs.

Our bodies are extremely adept at maintaining and defending their weight when we are eating responsibly. Most people, without thinking about it will maintain their annual caloric intake within just a few calories each year. We get into trouble when we start eating past our general satiety and "stuff ourselves," emotionally eat, or the many other reasons that people turn to food. It only takes 11 extra calories a day to gain a pound in a year. In general, when left alone, our bodies maintain our weight within that zone. A person couldn't willfully do that, it's biology automation. The problem arises when we push our food over the top, and that starts moving that "set point" up. So, it does come back to responsible eating and recognizing satiety vs "fullness" which really are two different things. You really shouldn't "feel" full, you should feel satisfied. So many of us start equating "satisfied" with being "stuffed" and that's where we need to untrain ourselves after surgery. It's not easy.

There is a myriad of other things that people can experience, of course. Personal experiences, medical and emotional issues, etc., can all have slightly different effects on our paths post-surgery, but the biological effects are there and taking advantage of those, and learning about those can be very helpful to people from what I've seen and read. I'm applying this knowledge to my own journey, and hopefully, it works out for the very long term.