In this episode, Dr. Christopher Thompson explores why weight regulation isn’t the same for everyone. Drawing on his latest Forbes Health article, he explains how distinct biological patterns—known as obesity phenotypes—shape hunger, metabolism, inflammation, and treatment response. The discussion reframes weight struggles away from willpower and toward biology, setting the stage for more personalized, effective approaches to care.

Forbes article link:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherthompson/2025/12/17/why-maintaining-a-healthy-weight-isnt-the-same-for-everyone/

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

Most people think of weight loss as simple math, calories in versus calories out. In reality, the body sees it as a survival challenge. When weight drops, powerful biological systems activate to defend your natural set point, slowing metabolism and increasing hunger to restore balance.

In this episode, Dr. Christopher Thompson explains how the brain, gut, and hormones coordinate to regulate weight over time. He describes how leptin and insulin act as key hormonal signals for the body’s internal thermostat, and how adaptive thermogenesis adjusts metabolism in response to these signals to maintain stability. These same defenses that once protected us from starvation now make lasting weight loss so difficult.

This episode is part of a five-part Forbes Health series exploring the science of appetite, satiety, and weight regulation.