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Dr. Chris Thompson

Tools

The range your body defends

There is no test that pinpoints a set point. Your own history is the nearest substitute: the weights you have held for a year or more are the strongest available clue to what your body defends now.

The short answer

Your body regulates weight around a defended range rather than a single numberC-III-12. This tool estimates where yours currently sits, using the weights you have actually sustained, and explains what that estimate means. It is an educational estimate, not a measurement.

Your estimated range will appear here.

Step 1 of 3

Where you are now

Start with your current weight and height.

Height
ft in

Used only to check that the estimate makes sense at your size.

For education only. Not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and not a substitute for care from a qualified professional. There is no test that pinpoints a personal set pointC-III-12. If you're struggling with eating or body image, please talk to a healthcare provider or a support line.

Where this sits in the science

The band this tool returns is a reading of your sustained weights, not a measured value. Its width comes from a rule of thumb used in obesity research for a defended range, and that choice has not been validated in a published studyC-III-12. Why the weight you defend keeps rising sets out the evidence the estimate rests on, including the parts that are weaker than the confident version.