Abstract
Many dieters experience years of yo-yo weight fluctuation. Typically, the yo-yo effect is described as being able to lose weight on a diet but invariably, the lost weight is regained in the long-term. The weight set-point theory explains these dietary failures by hypothesizing that each individual has a weight setting which is determined by a combination of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. When an individual’s weight diverges from the set-point, a biological homeostatic response occurs. Changes in appetite, satiety, and basal metabolic rate occur to defend the set-point weight. Powerful fluctuations occur in the expenditure of basal metabolic energy via the autonomic nervous system.
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Jenkinson, A. (2023). Why Sustained Dietary Weight Loss Is So Difficult. In: Agrawal, S. (eds) Obesity, Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60596-4_112
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