Resetting Bodyweight/Fat Level After Dieting

Bigger Stronger Leaner Christian Thibaudeau Coaching
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Absolutely.

Because even if you successfully adjust your setpoint, if your relationship with food doesn’t improve, you’ll still go right back up.

There are several types of hunger:

  1. Mechanical hunger: when the stomach is empty and has been empty for some time

  2. Nutritional hunger: your body lacks energy/fuel or nutrients and make you crave foods to fill those needs

  3. Stress or depressive hunger: food, especially higher carbs foods, can impact hormones and neurotransmitters which can improve your mood or help you relax. For example, lowering cortisol and adrenaline (which are elevated when you are stressed out and can’t sleep) which help you relax. You can also raise dopamine (pleasure neurotransmitters) and serotonin, both of which can help reduce depressive symptoms. The body can make you crave high-carb foods when you are stressed or depressed, to try to fix the situation.

  4. Pleasure hunger: when food is one of your greatest pleasures, you will crave them when you are in a situation where you don’t have enough satisfaction elsewhere. In that regard, pleasure foods can become as addictive as smoking (both work by targeting the dopaminergic system)

  5. Boredom hunger: a lot of people get an increased desire for food when they are bored/not doing anything

Resetting your setpoint will help with type 1 hunger and potentially type 2. But if your issue are types 3-5 hunger, resetting your setpoint will not be of much help. Well, that’s not 100% true… having a lower setpoint will not erase your desire for the foods you crave, but it will likely help you abuse a little less.

I used to be a world-class binge eater. I once gained 27lbs in 6 hours. I also ate 24 burgers and 1 order of fries in one setting (could have likely had more), and could easily eat 2 dozen donuts.

But now, unless I’m preparing for a photoshoot, I still will eat pleasure foods a few times a week, I just can’t handle or desire a large amount. I’m much more easily satisfied.

To get back to our topic, as long as you don’t address problematic types 3-5 hunger you are unlikely to be able to lower your setpoint.

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