Your body has ended up with a far-too-high weight set point. You want to lose weight! How do you change your body's weight set point to a more healthy, lower number?

Make sure you first read my article on Weight Set Point so you understand the basics. That way you know what you're altering.

If you're an adult, your body as determined what it thinks is your healthy weight set point. It could, of course, be wildly wrong :). Bodies do make mistakes. So now it's time for you to gently readjust your body's settings to be more healthy.

Research your Proper Weight
Don't go by fashion models! They are often quite unhealthy. Instead, talk with your doctor. Determine a reasonable weight for your height and body shape. I have a BMI Calculator to get you started, but that's only a very rough estimate of a healthy level. Make sure you get your doctor's advice and help with your goals.

Calculate a 10% Weight Loss
Figure out what ten percent weight loss of your current weight would be. That is, take your current weight and divide it by ten. So if you currently weight 300 pounds, divide 300 / 10 = 30 pounds. If your weight goal is within (smaller than) that number, use your weight goal instead. So if you only had 20 pounds to lose, your target is 20 pounds rather than 30.

Lose the Weight
Follow all the advice on this site and forum to diligently, week by week, lose that weight. Eat well, sleep well, and find an exercise that you enjoy. Think in 5-pound increments until you reach that target weight loss.

Celebrate!
When you reach your target goal, let's say of 30 pounds weight loss, celebrate! This is an important victory in the path toward your new, better weight.

MAINTAIN
This is the critical part that many people don't get right. According to the Harvard Medical School and many other studies, you must now MAINTAIN this weight for six months or more. That's right - DO NOT LOSE MORE WEIGHT. I know it's hard! You're on a roll. You want to keep going. You want to plow right through. And I'm not saying to eat unhealthily at this point, or to stop exercising. Rather, settle into this weight. Be comfortable at it. Eat well, sleep well, and exercise. Give your body time to realize this is your proper adult weight.

After six months your body will now have a new set point! This is where it thinks it should be as an adult. You will have also trained yourself to be comfortable at this point as a "normal lifetime routine." You know how to eat and exercise to stay here without extreme measures. This is your new normal. And now you can start fresh, ramping things up a bit to move down again. And your body won't be fighting you hard, because you're only moving down slightly from your "starting point."

Come by our forums, Facebook page, or Twitter feed - we'll help you with every step!



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