In food addiction recovery it is normal to plateau during your weight-loss phase, so expect it. A temporary stall in your weight-loss is simply your body’s way of readjusting for the next level. Everyone’s body has their own unique metabolism and will have it’s way of dealing with plateaus during weight-loss rather they are normal folks or compulsive overeaters. So as a food addict don’t be surprised by plateaus, or let them keep you from staying the course with your program. If you stick with your program, and you still have more weight to lose, it will eventually come off. Be patient (refer back to tip #5!).
The other factor that needs to be considered in plateaus is known as “set point theory” and this concept relates to food addiction recovery. Set point theory says that each of us is born with a genetic “set point” for body weight or body fat that is regulated automatically much like your body temperature, blood pressure or glucose levels. This theory says if one tries to go above or below this set point level the body makes changes to return the person to the predetermined genetic “set point.” It is a very complex issue with more research coming out on this particular issue regularly that can impact food addiction recovery. If you have a high set point you would have a tendency to be overweight even on “normal” levels of food. If you try to lose that weight the body keeps trying to keep the body at that high set point level or higher weight. If you have a low set point level then the body tends to remain slim even when the slim person eats more. Various things have been advanced as maintaining a persons set point (appetite, cravings, bingeing, body metabolism, body heat, physical activity, number of fat cells in the body, hormones, and neurotransmitters). This is one of those biological things that you do not control as a human being and certainly as a food addict. Next post I will talk about dealing with discouragement in plateaus and more factors that drive the plateau situation in humans and compulsive overeaters.
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