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Set points, Settling points and Bodyweight Regulation

Having explained why the separation of psychology and physiology is a false separation in Dieting Psychology vs. Dieting Physiology, I want to discuss quickly some of the physiology behind diet failures. This is a topic that I discuss in detail in nearly all of my recent books and I’m not going to spend endless time on it here (trying to eventually get back to the psychological factors behind diet failures).

A long standing debate in the world of obesity research revolves around the idea that bodyweight (or perhaps body fat) is regulated. What does that mean exactly?

Bodyweight Regulation

Think about your thermostat (yes, this is the example I always use): you set it to keep the house at 80 degrees and it continually senses the temperature (via a thermometer). If the temperature goes above 80 degrees, the air conditioning comes on; if it drops below 80, the heat comes on.… Keep Reading