Set Point Theory and Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
When you’ve lost your period it’s due to an energy deficit that you’ve put yourself in. Common culprits are chronic dieting, under eating and over exercising – whatever the method, somehow you’ve allowed your body weight to drop.
The problem is that without a certain amount of body fat we can’t produce the hormones that we need and our bodies don’t have sufficient energy to fuel all of the bodily functions and processes that it needs to run!
So when you're working to get your period back, restoring your body weight to a higher number, typically the number it was before you started losing weight, is a necessary task.
The goal of this restoration process is often referred to as Set Point Theory.
A quick Google search defines “set point theory” as the body weight that your unique genetic profile is most comfortable at. It wants to be at that weight and will fight tooth and nail to stay there so that it can keep running your body efficiently.
Some articles pose a negative view on set point theory, saying that the body “sabotages” weight loss by slowing down metabolism. Ironically, in the context of hypothalamic amenorrhea and weight restoration we tend to view set point theory in a positive light: finally allowing the body to rest at the body weight it most wants to be at.
I suppose that once you realise your body is fighting weight loss not to spite you, but to protect you, your outlook on things can change a little bit.
I want to outline the key things that I believe you need to focus on and know about set point theory and hypothalamic amenorrhea.
Set Point Is a Range and It Changes
Your set point isn’t one single number – it’s a range. It could be a 10-15lb range that your body sits in at different times during the year or even over the next couple of years.
Consider how the seasons change. Weather, produce, lifestyles and habits change throughout the seasons so why would your body always remain exactly the same?
There’s a misconception that once you reach your set point, no matter what you do so long as it isn’t outlandish, your bodyweight shouldn’t change. That’s just not true. Your body will fluctuate a few pounds/kilos here and there. The question I have for us all is if we weren’t so hyper focused on our bodies, would we really even notice this fluctuation? I don’t believe that we’re meant to pay such close attention so a 10-15lb weight change.
Set Point Doesn’t Happen Overnight
I talk to a lot of women recovering from hypothalamic amenorrhea so when I say “a lot of women ask me…” I really mean it, and the desire to reach ‘set point’ ASAP is a popular question.
For some people, set point weight may be reached within months, for others like myself, over a couple of years. Either way, go into it knowing it’s not overnight and you may reach it without even noticing for a while.
You might have to gain more weight to restore your period than others do, which means your set point may take longer to reach. Your body may gain weight slower or prioritize the usage of energy and fat stores differently to someone else too, so make sure that comparison isn’t affecting your view of your unique journey to recovery.
Set Point Theory Isn’t All Magic - It’s Behaviour
Set point theory isn’t some biological process that suddenly turns on and activates a bunch of dormant cells in your body to perform magic, causing you to rapidly gain or lose weight until you reach your set point. The laws of thermodynamics still apply with set point theory.
During the process of active weight restoration – where you’re intentionally being mindful of your food so that you don’t under eat, allowing your body to heal and get back into the weight range it needs – you start to behave differently. You’re eating more!
At first, this might feel fun, hard, scary or even frustrating, but with time you get used to it. Partly because you’re over the shock of it and partly because your appetite starts to normalize after so long being under or overactive due to starvation, which restores your body weight and allows hormone production to increase and improve.
This process allows the body to stop hyper focusing on food, ends the binge restrict cycle, brings your appetite to normal levels and allows a more natural management of your hunger cues – resulting in natural but perfectly healthy, unintentional weight loss. This is the result that most women are trying to achieve with set point theory.
Again, this is a function that can change and fluctuate with the seasons. Your body will never reach a point where it stops making changes and reacting to the world around it. At a certain point, set point theory needs to become a place where you are “going with the flow.”
What Does This Tell Us?
Set point theory tells us that in order to reach that final body weight range that you’re most healthy and comfortable at, we must:
Behave in a way that promotes weight restoration and hormone restoration: eat more and rest more.
Allow this behaviour to do its job, giving both your mind and your body time to get used to it and reap the benefits.
Go with the flow of life, letting those benefits do their job and eventually release you from food and body focus.
Ironically, then and only then will you actually be happy with your body size.
So there you have it, set point comes in ranges, your set point will change and your set point cannot be forced like some other diet or exercise plan. True set point comes with focusing on yourself, nourishing yourself and being patient with your body.
