Set Point: The tricks the mind and body play

Set point is a defined limit set by your body. Think of it as a limit on your thermostat, at which point your body changes directions.

So what does this mean in the context of weight?

Let me take my example. My ideal weight is sixty kilograms. I would say I have spent 80% of the last decade hovering around this weight.

If my weight increases, around the festival season, for example, my set point is sixty-five kilos.

What this means is that around the sixty-five mark, my body naturally starts go to back to its lower limit and vice versa.

Hunger, satiety, cravings all adjust depending on where I am in the spectrum.

But there is a catch.

I tried to increase my body muscle by eating more than normal along with weight training. More calories means more weight, both muscle and fat.

Slowly, my weight crept up. I hit the sixty-five mark and breached it with no end in sight.

No automatic adjustment, no cessation of cravings or hunger.

So did my set point change?

My body felt it was in an era of abundance. If plenty was available, it was best to make hay while the sun shines.

In my case, I am also building muscle. As soon as I cut back on the calories, I will lose the excess body fat and most of my muscles will stay.

Ideally, this was not the best way though. I pushed too fast, I over consumed the calories. A slow and steady growth, done over months would have been far better.

But you know the truth?

A decade of knowing what I was eating and why met with a sense of freedom. Eat, since you want to gain.

Temptation set in. All the things I have not eaten for decades came flooding to mind. Discipline built over years can disappear in days.

The mind and body are more complex than we imagine. The best way is always to move slowly, very slowly in any direction.

I will report back in a few weeks on whether I could restore my balance.

Reach out to me on twitter @rbawri Instagram @riteshbawriofficial and YouTube at www.youtube.com/breatheagain