Is the Whoosh effect a thing?

divyatew

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?

Christine_72

From reading about it happening to a fair few people here. Apparently it is a thing.

divyatew

@christinev297 Thanks so much! Has it ever happened to you?

jaqcan

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

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

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

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/

umayster

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

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

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

I saw quite a few wooshes when I was losing.

divyatew

Thanks guys! What caused the whooshes for you?

DeguelloTex

Nothing specific, so "time," I suppose.

Kalikel

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

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

divyatew wrote: »

Thanks guys! What caused the whooshes for you?

My weird unpredictable body

LAT1963

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

@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

ooohhhh!! I wanna have a whooosh!!

leggup

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

Firefly0606 wrote: »

ooohhhh!! I wanna have a whooosh!!

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

daniwilford

I never had a whoosh in four months of dieting, then in the fifth month I had one. It was also the first month I really concentrated on strength training over aerobic. I'm not sure how or why it happened. I prefer the non whoosh way but I take losses any way they come.

carliekitty

This happens to me a fair amount. I just lost a little over two pounds yesterday with a "whoosh".

1linde

If you don't you may be eating back too many calories. I was eating 1600 calories and couldn't understand why not losing. I'm older and may be my metabolism but had to but down to 1200 and less to get the scale to finally move - I only lost 3 lbs in 3 months at 1600 and I have over 50 lbs to lose. My doctor did offer to run some tests but this is working for me now and I am being very compliant in tracking and weighing / measuring food. I am being monitored by my doctor. If you are close to goal it could just be taking you longer to lose the weight. Right now I go about 5 days the same and then down 2 or so pounds.

ohmscheeks

It is woo. *laughs and walks away*

sheldonklein

Whoosh is just the statistical tail of "weight loss isn't linear.". It has nothing to do with fat being flushed out of your fat cells or anything else important. Not losing for 2 weeks happens for the same reason as losing 3 pounds in 4 days, which is to say, who the hell knows.

wickmclean

I don't understand what the actual claim of the "Whoosh Effect" is. I think it is a false rumor. It would seem that the claim is that fat simply disappears from the cell, like a reservoir or a balloon draining, which is not how fat cell metabolism works. Fat cells are made up of fatty acid molecules - if even a few these molecules left the cells from every fat cell during sleep without undergoing lipolysis, an incredibly gruesome death would follow, no matter where they went, be it into the bloodstream or into the body cavity. Likewise, if death were somehow miraculously averted, the water that replaced these fatty acid molecules would have to come from somewhere, and the resulting death from immediate dehydration would be pretty undesirable. I guess if you were brought back from the chemical and dehydration deaths you would die from "whoosh" not having enough fat cells anymore. Finally, fat cells never disappear, which is the most suspicious part of this. Sounds gimmicky but again I don't understand what is being claimed.

Francl27

That's how I lost all my weight... no loss for 3 weeks, then a woosh (always the week after my period).

umayster

OK, if it is not a function of calories in (massive feast) or calories out (massive burn), it is aquired water that was camouflaging a previous loss

DeguelloTex

umayster wrote: »

OK, if it is not a function of calories in (massive feast) or calories out (massive burn), it is aquired water that was camouflaging a previous loss

Yeah, probably so. Not sure what else it could be. The fat weight was already gone due to the deficit. It was just being masked until it was no longer being masked.

BWBTrish

divyatew wrote: »

@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!

If you dont weigh your food on a food scale then you have no idea how much you really are eating.

Look at this short eye opening video which shows you the difference between weighing and measuring
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

Also a lot of times the calorie intake is under estimated and the calorie burn of exercise over estimated....than think of the fact that you dont have a huge deficit and you eat at maintenance level instead of losing weight you just maintaining weight.

It all doesnt matter if you eat high carb low carb, vegetarian, clean or processed food...its all about having a deficit. which you apperantly have not.

Start weighing your food, create a deficit and you will lose weight

good luck, you can do this.