Why Your Weight Set Point Rises and How It Drives Weight Gain

Episode 3 of a 5-part series on hunger, satiety, and long-term weight biology.

In this episode of The EverHuman Podcast, Dr. Christopher Thompson breaks down why the body’s defended weight set-point doesn’t just hold steady and how it can drift upward over time.

He explores the biological mechanisms behind this shift, including leptin resistance, insulin resistance, hormonal changes, microbiome alterations, epigenetics, reward-pathway shifts, and thermogenesis.

We then look at the modern triggers that activate these pathways, such as sleep loss, stress, chronic inflammation, and highly processed foods.

This episode builds on the first two in the series, which covered how hunger and fullness work in the short-term, and how the body defends weight in the long-term.

Related Forbes Health Articles

Latest Forbes Article:

Why Your Weight Set Point Rises and How It Drives Weight Gain

https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherthompson/2025/11/20/why-your-weight-set-point-rises-and-how-it-drives-weight-gain/

Prior Articles in the Series:

Beyond Calories: How Your Body Defends Its Weight Set-Point https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherthompson/2025/11/05/beyond-calories-how-your-body-defends-its-weight-set-point/

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ggD98gAIDRlXFvtN5rExJ?si=isMShpK5QlGXDGVzByEj8g

What Really Drives Hunger and Fullness: Inside Your Body's Appetite Control System

https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherthompson/2025/10/20/what-really-drives-hunger-and-fullness-the-science-explained/

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4zzvudaatph4TuX8F4njoD?si=ZLmIku2eTRqrXDjVVRsRSw