Is this true or rubbish?
Replies
-
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I'll say this much. So many people... at least of the female persuasion... on these boards have posted about that squishy fat phenomenon. That whole pebbly feeling their fat would get.
Mine would feel like marbles or pebbles under my skin... and then I'd get a big whoosh on the scale and there'd be no more marbles under my skin.
I know that's not scientific either, but I've seen so many people talk about it.
I went through the squishy fat stage, but there was certainly no "whoosh" associated with it.
I lost weight steadily each week until the squishy fat stage, and I continued to lose weight steadily each week through the squishy fat stage and after the squishy fat stage.
I lost 55 lbs and never experienced a whoosh ... or a plateau either for that matter.
0 -
"Squishy fat then whoosh" is a very real observation consistent with many women's weight loss. Is the water actually stored in the fat cells? Highly unlikely. It's more likely something like cortisol levels rising, water retention increasing, weight going up while fat is lost then one or two higher-than-usual calorie days (very common right before a whoosh) resulting in cortisol drop and flushing of the retained water.
So, the explanation is questionable, but the "whoosh" is very very real.2 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »considering how many factors influence a womans weight, chances are a lot of us wouldn't notice the slight increase in weight before a woosh, i do however remember spending a lot of time during my 117 pound loss poking and squishing and feeling a lot of hard gobby bits in the places i still carried my weight. There was this spot over my hip bone that i could totally feel that.. now its gone and all i feel there is bone.
For a 100 pound woman, it would be a 13 pound increase in weight. For a 150 pound woman it would be a 20 pound increase. I think most women would notice something like that.
Your arithmetic seems to assume that these women consist of 100% fat before reducing their calories, and that 100% of that fat is replaced by water during calorie-reduction, pre-woosh period (100/7.4 lb weight of a gallon of fat, as quoted in your earlier post = 13.5; 13.5 X 1 lb difference between gallon of fat and gallon of water, also in your earlier post).
That's clearly a pretty silly assumption. Do these women disappear after the woosh, since they were 100% water pre-whoosh?
Ding! Ding! Ding! You get the prize!
I knew someone would call me out on my math the moment after I posted it. You are correct, the 13 pounds would be if there were 100 pounds of fat. For what it's worth, there aren't too many 100 pound women who are concerned about whooshing weight loss and there are actually women who are carrying around 100 pounds of fat. As for whether 100% of the fat is replaced by water or not, the bro-science that talks about the concept seems to imply that is the case, or at least a high percentage is replaced with water. This is contrary to what we know about cells. We know that lean tissue cells contain a significantly higher percentage of water than what fat tissue contains.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I'll say this much. So many people... at least of the female persuasion... on these boards have posted about that squishy fat phenomenon. That whole pebbly feeling their fat would get.
Mine would feel like marbles or pebbles under my skin... and then I'd get a big whoosh on the scale and there'd be no more marbles under my skin.
I know that's not scientific either, but I've seen so many people talk about it.
I went through the squishy fat stage, but there was certainly no "whoosh" associated with it.
I lost weight steadily each week until the squishy fat stage, and I continued to lose weight steadily each week through the squishy fat stage and after the squishy fat stage.
I lost 55 lbs and never experienced a whoosh ... or a plateau either for that matter.
The best explanation I've seen is from a person who suggested the squishiness is a result of loose skin. People are used to their fat pushing against their skin and making it tight and hard, but when they lose weight the skin doesn't tighten up as quickly so the fat feels softer than they are accustomed to. If this is the case then there is no reason to link squishy fat and a non-linear decrease in weight.0 -
The water in the cells explanation is basically an attempt to explain what seems like a fairly common experience among many women. even though it is not one that is universal to all women. It is probably wrong, but the experience of whooshes among women and men, many of whom are very carefully controlling food intake is real, not rubbish. Why it happens? Not really known at this time.3
-
TimothyFish wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I'll say this much. So many people... at least of the female persuasion... on these boards have posted about that squishy fat phenomenon. That whole pebbly feeling their fat would get.
Mine would feel like marbles or pebbles under my skin... and then I'd get a big whoosh on the scale and there'd be no more marbles under my skin.
I know that's not scientific either, but I've seen so many people talk about it.
I went through the squishy fat stage, but there was certainly no "whoosh" associated with it.
I lost weight steadily each week until the squishy fat stage, and I continued to lose weight steadily each week through the squishy fat stage and after the squishy fat stage.
I lost 55 lbs and never experienced a whoosh ... or a plateau either for that matter.
The best explanation I've seen is from a person who suggested the squishiness is a result of loose skin. People are used to their fat pushing against their skin and making it tight and hard, but when they lose weight the skin doesn't tighten up as quickly so the fat feels softer than they are accustomed to. If this is the case then there is no reason to link squishy fat and a non-linear decrease in weight.
Couldn't it just feel squishy because your tissues are retaining water for any of the other reasons? Then the squishiness goes with the water retention?1 -
TimothyFish wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I'll say this much. So many people... at least of the female persuasion... on these boards have posted about that squishy fat phenomenon. That whole pebbly feeling their fat would get.
Mine would feel like marbles or pebbles under my skin... and then I'd get a big whoosh on the scale and there'd be no more marbles under my skin.
I know that's not scientific either, but I've seen so many people talk about it.
I went through the squishy fat stage, but there was certainly no "whoosh" associated with it.
I lost weight steadily each week until the squishy fat stage, and I continued to lose weight steadily each week through the squishy fat stage and after the squishy fat stage.
I lost 55 lbs and never experienced a whoosh ... or a plateau either for that matter.
The best explanation I've seen is from a person who suggested the squishiness is a result of loose skin. People are used to their fat pushing against their skin and making it tight and hard, but when they lose weight the skin doesn't tighten up as quickly so the fat feels softer than they are accustomed to. If this is the case then there is no reason to link squishy fat and a non-linear decrease in weight.
Couldn't it just feel squishy because your tissues are retaining water for any of the other reasons? Then the squishiness goes with the water retention?
I felt squishy for about 3 months ... somehow I don't think I was retaining water for 3 months.
1 -
I have experienced this recently. I am relatively lean and can feel when my stomach changes consistency. The layer of fat feels loose and has a grainy/pebbly texture and normally coincides with a stall on the scale before an overnight drop (the whoosh).1
-
So this is embarrassing but today my belly feels super squishy. Even to the point that when I walk I can feel it jiggling which isn't something I can normally feel. Wondering if this a whoosh acomin'0
-
TimothyFish wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I'll say this much. So many people... at least of the female persuasion... on these boards have posted about that squishy fat phenomenon. That whole pebbly feeling their fat would get.
Mine would feel like marbles or pebbles under my skin... and then I'd get a big whoosh on the scale and there'd be no more marbles under my skin.
I know that's not scientific either, but I've seen so many people talk about it.
I went through the squishy fat stage, but there was certainly no "whoosh" associated with it.
I lost weight steadily each week until the squishy fat stage, and I continued to lose weight steadily each week through the squishy fat stage and after the squishy fat stage.
I lost 55 lbs and never experienced a whoosh ... or a plateau either for that matter.
The best explanation I've seen is from a person who suggested the squishiness is a result of loose skin. People are used to their fat pushing against their skin and making it tight and hard, but when they lose weight the skin doesn't tighten up as quickly so the fat feels softer than they are accustomed to. If this is the case then there is no reason to link squishy fat and a non-linear decrease in weight.
Couldn't it just feel squishy because your tissues are retaining water for any of the other reasons? Then the squishiness goes with the water retention?
I felt squishy for about 3 months ... somehow I don't think I was retaining water for 3 months.
My stomach has been squishy for a long time. I had a very big stomach when I was overweight. I'm certain that I lost a lot of visceral fat. I still have subcutaneous fat and, by extension, my skin is still stretched out. There's nothing holding the skin taut, thus it is squishy. Yes, I can feel little lumps under it when I manipulate it, but I think that is just the connective tissue and how all the fat is arranged in there.
I've never been one to have whoosh-like losses. My water weight gains are very fast but the losses are more like drips.0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I'll say this much. So many people... at least of the female persuasion... on these boards have posted about that squishy fat phenomenon. That whole pebbly feeling their fat would get.
Mine would feel like marbles or pebbles under my skin... and then I'd get a big whoosh on the scale and there'd be no more marbles under my skin.
I know that's not scientific either, but I've seen so many people talk about it.
I went through the squishy fat stage, but there was certainly no "whoosh" associated with it.
I lost weight steadily each week until the squishy fat stage, and I continued to lose weight steadily each week through the squishy fat stage and after the squishy fat stage.
I lost 55 lbs and never experienced a whoosh ... or a plateau either for that matter.
The best explanation I've seen is from a person who suggested the squishiness is a result of loose skin. People are used to their fat pushing against their skin and making it tight and hard, but when they lose weight the skin doesn't tighten up as quickly so the fat feels softer than they are accustomed to. If this is the case then there is no reason to link squishy fat and a non-linear decrease in weight.
Couldn't it just feel squishy because your tissues are retaining water for any of the other reasons? Then the squishiness goes with the water retention?
I felt squishy for about 3 months ... somehow I don't think I was retaining water for 3 months.
My stomach has been squishy for a long time. I had a very big stomach when I was overweight. I'm certain that I lost a lot of visceral fat. I still have subcutaneous fat and, by extension, my skin is still stretched out. There's nothing holding the skin taut, thus it is squishy. Yes, I can feel little lumps under it when I manipulate it, but I think that is just the connective tissue and how all the fat is arranged in there.
I've never been one to have whoosh-like losses. My water weight gains are very fast but the losses are more like drips.
I know my water weight gains ... I can even predict them before they happen.
Sitting out in the sun ... and especially if I get sunburned ...
Exercising a bit more than usual ...
Salty foods ...
That time of the month ...
And I also know that 2-3 days after a water weight gain, I will wear a path in the carpet to the toilet, and will lose it all. The whole water weight gain and loss is done and dusted in no more than 4 days.
I am currently on a water weight gain ... tomorrow I should lose it.
1
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.8K Introduce Yourself
- 43.9K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 428 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 15 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions