Is the Whoosh effect a thing?

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divyatew
divyatew Posts: 28 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys!

So I've been sticking to my NET goal of 1400 calories a week and I haven't seen a pound of weight loss. My friend told me about this "whoosh" effect where you literally wake up 4-5 pounds lighter because the fat is flushed out of your fat cells?

What do you guys know/think about the whoosh effect?
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Replies

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    From reading about it happening to a fair few people here. Apparently it is a thing.
    bzo5amina8o8.png
  • divyatew
    divyatew Posts: 28 Member
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    @christinev297 Thanks so much! Has it ever happened to you?
  • jaqcan
    jaqcan Posts: 498 Member
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    I don't know what exactly happens, but I've experienced this just recently. Didn't lose anything for two weeks, then lost 4lbs in 4 days. If you're accurately tracking your food and not overestimating your exercise and eating those overestimated calories back, just keep at it and it'll happen.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    I agree with that graphic. IMO, it's not "fat is flushed out of your fat cells" but water acting as a place holder for the lost fat for a while and then that water clearing out when the fat hasn't been quickly regained.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    divyatew wrote: »
    @christinev297 Thanks so much! Has it ever happened to you?

    yes a couple of times. Not a regular thing though.
    For me, the scale stayed at the same weight for weeks driving me mad... Then whoosh, a couple of kgs gone overnight. I did notice I pee'd alot more than usual the day before it happened.

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
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    Well, if you pretty much eliminate carbs there is a woosh from all the water getting flushed out, but I've never heard of a big overnight loss on a regular diet.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    umayster wrote: »
    Well, if you pretty much eliminate carbs there is a woosh from all the water getting flushed out, but I've never heard of a big overnight loss on a regular diet.
    This is essentially how I lost on a low-fat diet in the past. Same weight, same weight, same weight, down 3-5 pounds. I'm a little more linear now with a more moderate macro mix (the MFP default) but I still get the occasional whoosh.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    I didn't eliminate carbs and my weight loss in the last couple of months of losing went very stairstep. Nothing, nothing, nothing, four pounds gone. Rinse and repeat.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I saw quite a few wooshes when I was losing.
  • divyatew
    divyatew Posts: 28 Member
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    Thanks guys! What caused the whooshes for you?
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    Nothing specific, so "time," I suppose.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    I never lost four pounds overnight, but I'd lose four or five in a few days.

    I always know it's coming because the fat gets all squishy and soft, like one of those cooling gel packs under the skin (but not cold, obviously.)

    I believe in the whoosh because it's happened to me. :)
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
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    Let me ask you first..how long are you eating 1400 calories a day? And do you weigh all your solid food on a food scale and dont use measuring cups or spoons?

    And yes wooshes happen to me all the time since the last 3 months
    First i had a steady loss over the week. Now i seem to lose only twice a month..but still the same amount :)
    So np with it at all.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    divyatew wrote: »
    Thanks guys! What caused the whooshes for you?

    My weird unpredictable body :tongue:

  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    I dunno about the "whoosh" effect, but I do know I have to pee a lot when I'm losing weight (I drink a lot to make sure I stay hydrated). Basically, if I have to pee at night like an old man with an unhappy prostate, I know my weight in the morning will be lower.
  • divyatew
    divyatew Posts: 28 Member
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    @BWBTrish I've been sticking to 1400 for 5 weeks straight without any difference in the scale, however I do not use a food scale. I use measuring cups and spoons. I've also been a vegetarian all my life and have eaten high-carb the entire time. I've lost 15 pounds twice before (only to fall victim to the Freshman and Sophomore 15) and am trying to lose it for the last time! The 1400 is net, I average anywhere from 1600-2000 a week but burn off 400-500 in the gym!
  • Firefly0606
    Firefly0606 Posts: 366 Member
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    ooohhhh!! I wanna have a whooosh!!
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    You body weight fluctuates due to a HUGE number of factors. Sometimes those fluctuations mask a loss that you've been racking up for a while. Sometimes those fluctuations line up to show a bigger loss than you've actually had in terms of fat. Your body does not 'flush' anything out all at once.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Firefly0606 wrote: »
    ooohhhh!! I wanna have a whooosh!!

    You have to pray for the "whoosh fairy" to come visit :lol:

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