Beat Your Benchmark by George L Blackburn, MD, PhD

The title is somewhat misleading, as the book covers many other aspects of weight loss. Lots of them useful, but the connection to getting past your set point was unclear. Researchers first proposed the “set point” theory in 1982. They found that many biomechanics in the body act as a kind of weight thermostat. If you suddenly eat a lot and start to gain weight, these mechanisms kick in to help you lose the extra weight.

Cut your calories and start a heavy exercise program, and your body will slow down to avoid losing too much weight. This explains the tendency for dieters to come to a standstill after starting a weight and exercise program and losing around 10% of their pounds. After the excitement of the first month or so, suddenly stopping losing weight despite all your efforts can be immensely frustrating and explains why many dieters quit before reaching their goals.

Many experts emphasize the genetic nature of the set point, but while genetics is a factor, it’s obviously not the only one. The reference point can and does change. Most of us gradually gain weight over the years. If the set point didn’t change, we’d stay at our 21-year-old weight while eating whatever we wanted. If only. Also, we know that people can continue to lose weight despite the set point. People fed starvation diets in concentration camps for a long period continue to waste away.

An important point that Dr. Blackburn makes, and one that more people looking for permanent weight gain should understand, is that changing the set point takes about six months. Lose that 10% of extra pounds easily, he advises, then continue with your weight-loss program, but don’t expect more progress for six months. After that, your set point has been reset to your 90% weight, and then you can easily lose 10% of that. Unfortunately, at that point the book continues with a lot of advice for dieters. Much of this is good, but little is new. But he did not clearly draw the lines. Is it following his advice that resets the set point to a lower level? Or just waiting six months? Plus, he’s clearly from the calories-are-weight school. He dismisses the Zone health plan as simply a “fad diet” without bothering to address any of the medical issues that Dr. Barry Sears writes about.

It doesn’t even address the glycemic index. Dieters are told to eat baby carrots even though carrots have a high glycemic index, meaning they raise insulin almost as much as table sugar. When he writes about exercise he is just as superficial. He treats all forms of exercise as a way to burn calories, though researchers have determined that the real benefit lies in how high-intensity exercise can mess with your metabolism for up to forty-eight hours after exercise. And how you can increase your supply of human growth hormone and, if you’re a man, testosterone.

Those metabolic and hormonal changes are far more important for both weight loss and overall good health than the calories you burn while walking on a treadmill. Dr. Blackburn ignores them all. Instead, he advises her to move more, even if he just taps his fingers to burn calories. This advice to burn more calories by fidgeting seems to contradict the later sections of the book that advise dieters to reduce stress.

This, and his emphasis on the importance of getting enough sleep, is welcome and helpful. You’re right that there aren’t enough diet books that emphasize the importance of reducing or dealing with stress in a healthy way rather than overeating. I searched on amazon and couldn’t find any other dots imprinted on the fit point, so apparently it’s filling a gap in the market. However, people who want long-term health, especially when they need to lose weight to achieve it, should keep the set point in mind while following the Zone diet, doing high-intensity sprints several times a week and bodyweight exercises at other ocasions. weekdays.

Remember that your body interprets a rapid 10% weight loss as the start of a famine. Stick to eating in the Zone and exercising regularly. After six months, your body will realize it hasn’t starved itself and reset the set point. Then continue. Short-term diet is not healthy. Proper nutrition and exercise throughout your life is what will keep you slim and fit.