The Bariatric Patient and "Set Point"
New Bariatric patients often ask this basic question: "How do I
determine my goal weight?"
The SET POINT:
Each person has his/her own "set point" that the body has
programmed deep inside which lets the body know the amount of
weight it wants to maintain. Basically, this "set point" was
established near puberty; so based on if you were a slim or
chubby child approaching puberty, this will determine what your
set point" is.
Think back to when you were in your pre-teen years and then what
type of body (slim or overweight) you had as you entered
puberty. This will give you an idea of what your body would be
comfortable at weighing again.... Of course, you should add a
few pounds because the matured adult body is different from the
body at puberty. Take in consideration your level of activity as
a child, your eating habits, etc. These are factors for why the
matured adult body will not appear exactly as your body at
puberty. For instance, at puberty, if you weighed 120 pounds,
your matured adult body after weight loss may not return to 120
pounds, but rather may return to an adult body of 135 or 140
pounds. This is reasonable since you are not eating these days
as you did as a child and you may not be as active as you were
as a child... like playing on the playground everyday, walking
or riding your bike everywhere, etc.
Some patients are actually able to go past their set point
because as a matured adult, they are more active and eat
healthier than they did as a child. The task of truly evaluating
your young life's habits and routines will be the first step in
understanding the number you want to expect on the scale once
you are done losing your weight. Be realistic in this
evaluation. There's no sense or happiness is setting a goal
weight that your body just refuses to accept.
Take upon a personal assignment this week to fully consider what
your goal weight "should" be, then add a few pounds to that
number for reality-check.
Go through this list below and write down your answers. This
will help you in your evaluation. All of these questions refer
to YOU as a pre-teen near puberty:
*Did you eat healthy snacks or eat a lot of junk food? *Did you
participate in sports, bike ride, swim, dance, or do other
high-energy activities? *Did you sleep-in a lot on school days
off or in the summertime? *Were you happy with life in general?
*Did you worry about weighing yourself often? *Were you
instructed to always finish your plate at mealtimes?
Now look at your answers you wrote down.
Are you surprised at your answers? Have you ever thought of
these things being a part of who you are today?
Keep your answers and review them often and do this.... REPEAT
the things in your life that brought you success in the past,
and DON'T DO the things on your list that you know could make
you GAIN weight after you've lost your weight.
So, now that you have the image of your young life in your mind,
reflect upon your habits and routines you had then, and
incorporate the GOOD THINGS back into your life today. Skip the
BAD THINGS you used to do because they certainly won't work for
you as an adult.
In short, BE REALISTIC in determining what your goal weight
should be in the end. Be kind to yourself and remember that if
you end up being 20 pounds shy of your goal weight, YOU SHOULD
REJOICE that you were able to achieve so much in the first
place! It may take a long time to lose that final 20 pounds, so
don't despair. Just stay focused and keep doing what works best
for you.