What Is Set-Point Theory and How Does It Affect Weight Loss?
By
Jennifer Heimlich
Published on January 20, 2026
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You’ve locked in on your weight loss goals, consistently cut back on calories, and made time for daily workouts. Yet after initially losing a couple of pounds, you just can’t get that number on the scale to budge any further. What gives?
Some experts look to the set-point theory, which argues that our bodies resist deviating from a predetermined weight. The theory suggests that no matter how much willpower we have, losing weight triggers a handful of biological mechanisms that encourage the body to return to its baseline. Even more frustrating: Every time we gain weight and keep it on for a significant period, we risk moving our set point higher, says Amanda Velazquez, MD, director of obesity medicine at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. “Even if one were to make all of the healthiest lifestyle changes they could, the set point will continue to try to persist,” she says.
This may be why yo-yo dieting is so ineffective — and why more than 80 percent of people who lose weight eventually gain it back.
What Is the Set Point Theory?
Nutritional researchers William Bennett, MD, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Joel Guerin, editor of a science magazine called American Health, proposed the set-point theory in the 1980s to explain why so many people struggle to achieve and maintain significant weight loss. They were expanding on earlier ideas about body fat regulation that date back to the 1950s. The idea is that when our body detects we’ve lost weight, it sets off a series of physiological changes that make us want to eat more calories while burning fewer to bring us back to the previous weight set point. While the same can also happen after weight gain, the effect is weaker.
“Patients feel like it’s something they are doing that is leading them to have the weight [come back], when that is not the case,” Velazquez says. “It’s actually that the body [may be] working against them.”
While this may seem like a rude trick of nature, it’s actually a beneficial evolutionary adaptation. “If you think about it from an animal perspective, weight loss generally means sickness or starvation or famine,” says Alexandra Sowa, MD, a dual-board-certified obesity and internal medicine physician in New York City. ” Historically, a body that could hold on to more fat was more likely to survive — it’s only a relatively recent phenomenon that we generally have access to more than enough food, and no longer need to hunt or gather every meal.
So what dictates your set point? Several factors can contribute, including:
- Genetics and epigenetics (which genes get expressed)
- Environment (such as access to a car or healthy food)
- Obesogens (chemicals that promote obesity)
- Bariatric surgery
- Medications (such as insulin, prednisone, and beta-blockers)
- Diet and physical activity
- Certain diseases (such as depression, hypothyroidism, and Cushing’s syndrome)
- Aging
- Menopause
- Pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum
Velazquez adds that some life experiences may also make you more likely to have a higher set point. These include:
- Experiencing trauma
- Being born to a mother who was overweight
- Having a mother who smoked while pregnant
The Science Behind Set-Point Theory
When you go into a calorie deficit, the body compensates in a few different ways. The stomach releases more of the hunger hormone ghrelin, while levels of the fullness hormone leptin drop. At the same time, your metabolism slows, so you burn fewer calories — and the difference can be significant. That’s because you now have less fat and muscle mass using up those calories. Unfortunately, this slowdown can last for years. One landmark study on contestants from The Biggest Loser found that their resting metabolic rate (how many calories we burn daily just to stay alive) still remained significantly lower six years after rapidly losing extreme amounts of weight on the show.
However, keep in mind that set-point theory is still simply a theory. “It’s widely accepted. But the evidence for it is very poor,” says David A. Levitsky, PhD, a professor of nutrition and psychology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, who researches the regulation of body weight. Velasquez agrees, explaining that, although there have been animal and preclinical studies, scientists haven’t conducted strong research on humans to definitively prove this is how weight regulation works. Yet while other hypotheses have been proposed, none have gained much traction. “There are competing theories, but I don’t think that it’s something we see in clinical medicine,” Dr. Sowa says.
Still, Dr. Levitsky argues that we can’t ignore the psychological factors that play a role in regaining weight, particularly the difficulty of changing ingrained habits. “We learn very early how much to eat, and that will determine what you’re going to weigh,” he says. “If you return to the same habits that you had before you dieted, you’re going to return to your [old] body weight.”
Can You Change Your Set Point?
If set-point theory is true, it would follow that the only way to effectively lose weight and keep it off — without constantly fighting the forces driving you back to your biological set point — would be to change your set point altogether. But is that even possible?
Velazquez says that when we gain weight and stay at that heavier weight for a period of time, it can raise our set point. “However, we don’t fully know from the science how long a person needs to be at that higher weight for it to recalibrate that to be the set point,” she says.
When it comes to lowering your set point, Cleveland Clinic points out that diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management can all make a real difference. However, both Sowa and Velazquez say that making significant changes in people living with obesity often requires tools like bariatric surgery or GLP-1 weight loss medications. Yet even these medical interventions are no guarantee. “Sometimes the body’s biology is so strong it will override it with time, depending on the patient,” Velazquez says. “For others, it could work for them for life.”
What Does This Mean for Weight Loss?
Even with a predetermined set point, weight loss is still possible. Velazquez says that lifestyle changes alone can help people lose up to about 5 percent of their weight, on average. Here are some strategies experts recommend:
- Go Slow Lasting weight loss takes patience. Most experts suggest losing no more than one or two pounds per week. Sowa explains that we need to keep eating enough calories to maintain our metabolism, because cutting back too far too fast will trigger the body to stop burning as many (and could also lead to muscle loss).
- Step on the Scale Levitsky says weighing yourself daily can help. “You need that feedback because weight changes very slowly over time,” he says. The scale will not only tell you which of your lifestyle changes are proving successful, but it can also be motivating: “If you see that something is working, you’re more likely to continue,” he says. Of course, our weight naturally fluctuates day to day depending on factors like hydration levels or the phase of our menstrual cycle, but keeping an eye on long-term patterns can be useful.
- Increase Your Muscle Mass Regularly hitting the weight room (or just lifting some dumbbells at home) can be a game changer. “If there is one piece of advice I could give people, it is to really focus on building your muscle,” Sowa says. “That can offset some of these metabolic adaptations that happen with weight loss.” According to Mayo Clinic, two or three 20-to-30-minute strength-training workouts per week can be enough to grow muscle mass if you do 12 to 15 repetitions of each exercise. Use weights that feel heavy enough to tire out your muscles without sacrificing proper form.
- Get More Sleep and Less Stress Cleveland Clinic also recommends prioritizing sleep and reducing stress, which can help regulate your hunger and fullness hormones. (But be careful with sleep meds, which can rev up your hunger, Sowa warns.)
If none of these changes seem to be working, or if you need to lose more than 5 percent of your body weight to get to a healthy place, speak with your doctor. Lasting change may require trying a medical intervention such as a GLP-1 medication, bariatric surgery, or an endoscopic sleeve, Velazquez says.
Remember: Weight is not just a matter of willpower. “Seeking adjunct therapy is not the easy way out,” Velazquez says. “These are tools in the toolbox that are very much appropriate for patients to pursue to help them lose the weight and keep it off effectively.”
The Takeaway
- The set-point theory argues that we all have a predetermined weight that our body tries to maintain.
- When we lose weight, our hunger hormones rev up, and our metabolic rate slows to drive the body back to its set point.
- There hasn’t been much research in humans to definitively prove this theory, but many experts accept it as accurate.
- Significantly lowering your set point typically requires a medical intervention, such as GLP-1s, bariatric surgery, or a weight loss procedure.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
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