Setpoint theory describes a theory of weight maintenance in which one’s weight is genetically predetermined in a preferred range, explaining that your body will do what it must in order to maintain this range. Diets fail because our bodies and our weights are genetically pre-determined, unable to be commodified by the harmful BMI metric, which ignores several crucial details in calculating a person's relative health. This episode dives deep into both of these concepts and their standing in the medical field, uncovering significant chasms of misleading information. 

 

Bibliography (show notes):

 

Christensen, Jen. Calling BS on BMI: How Can We Tell How Fat We Are? | CNN. CNN, 16 Aug. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/08/16/health/bmi-measure-fat-questions/index.html.

Ghoshal, Malini. “Set Point Theory and How It Relates to Diet and Weight Loss.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 19 Mar. 2020, www.healthline.com/health/set-point-theory#summary.

Müller, Manfred J et al. “Is there evidence for a set point that regulates human body weight?.” F1000 medicine reports vol. 2 59. 9 Aug. 2010, doi:10.3410/M2-59

 

Oliver, J.E. (2006). Fat Politics: The Real Story Behind America’s Obesity Epidemic. (pp. 16-22). New York: Oxford University Press.

Ratini, Melinda. “Set Point Weight: Why You May Regain Weight after Losing It.” WebMD, WebMD, 19 May 2021, www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/what-is-set-point-weight#2.

“Set Point Theory: What It Is and How to Know If You're at It.” NourishRX, 21 Sept. 2021, nourishrx.com/set-point-theory/.

“Week One: The Science of Set Point.” BIDMC of Boston, 12 Oct. 2017, www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/wellness-insights/nutrition/week-one-the-science-of-set-point