# Why doesn't the body naturally just stop putting on weight at some point? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 30, 2022, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-body-naturally-just-stop-putting-on-weight-at-some-point/968831 "2022-07-30T14:35:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 86
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2022, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-body-naturally-just-stop-putting-on-weight-at-some-point/968831/86 "2022-07-31T20:12:24Z")
The body does a very good job of controlling complicated pathways using many forms of feedback control. Some of the pathways are well understood, others may be unknown. **Despite popular understanding, it would be very difficult for you, now, to intentionally put on one hundred pounds over the next two months or even a much longer time.** You would not want to eat that much, and would stop. If forced, when you did the weight actually gained would be far less than predicted. This is because the body, naturally, _does_ stop putting on weight. It does not much like the setpoint being decreased. But it does not care for increases either. Far less than you would think. > [@Diets and Obesity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diets-and-obesity/962955): > > I’ve been reading an interesting book on the scientific basis of dieting and obesity, Secrets From The Eating Lab. It makes a number of arguments and supports them, but I have not read the studies it cites. These include: The consensus for what it means “for a diet to work” is very loose. If dieters select their “goal of weight loss”, “acceptable weight loss” and “amount of weight loss that would make them disappointed”, most fail to reach the “disappointed” goal. (About 10%, 25%, 20% and… --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-body-naturally-just-stop-putting-on-weight-at-some-point/968831)._