Does your body have a set point?

I have lost 46 lbs and am a little below my original goal. I thought it would be nice to loose 2 more lbs, but they are just not coming off! I should say I am totally happy with where I am at and it is no big deal, but I still eat about a 400-500 calorie deficit and it seems I cannot loose anymore. Is there a point where your body won't let you loose anymore (unless you were to starve of course). I still plan on counting calories so I don't gain it back and also just to stay healthy. But darn, those 2 lbs are clinging on for dear life!

Molly

Perhaps it's not so much your body but your mind? You're so close to the finish line, so don't give up now!

46 lbs is awesome! Congratulations!! What's your secret? How long did it take you to get there?

Have a great Sunday,

Anke 

moke, how long have you been waiting for them to come off?  you have done a fantastic job of weight loss, and it might be just time to give your body a rest before proceeding.  if i were you i'd start a "maintenance" calorie limit, and just give it a couple of weeks, and see what happens.  in other words, stop doing the 500 cal deficit, and just do what the site says you need to maintain your current weight.   i am almost to that point, and am thinking about how i will proceed from here, so i'll be interested to hear back from you!

To answer your questions... I started my weight loss journey in August. After 2 babies I had put on quite a bit and finally reached a point where something inside me snapped and I decided to take control. I started by portion control (never knew how little a serving of cereal really was!) and calorie counting. I probably did not eat enough the first few months but boy did the weight melt off. I was shocked! I also added moderate exercise and just made it a point to get up and move.  I had lost about 36 lbs by December and then 5 more in January and 4 more in February and 2 lbs in March. Since then I haven't lost anything. I have varied my calories and even went on vacation and ate more than I should, but am back on track now. I was surprised to see that even after a week of sheer indulgance I only gained about 1/2 lbs and it was easy to go back to my new way of eating when I got home. So, I haven't lost anything in about 1 month. It is almost like my body is done loosing. Like I said, I am happy where I am and would just like to tone a little more, but I find it strange that those 2 lbs won't budge! I might try a few weeks at maintennce level and then drop down again. It is hard to eat more though when you have trained your body to adapt to a certain level. Thanks for the kind words. I feel so much better about myself and I am proof it can be done!!

Molly 

yes...your body does indeed have a set point, just like every other system in our body.  Coming straight  of a human physiology class, hence the knowledge.  Once our body reaches it set point, it takes time for it to develop a new one.  The way in which our body can do this, is to alter the state that it currently is in, i.e exercising more and in different ways, and eating less and different foods.  Hope this helps!