Whoosh effect

Matt151288mfp

Posting this for all to see who are doubting themselves that they are not making progress cause the scale is not going down even tho your 100% tracking and training etc

http://pinchofnom.com/the-whoosh-effect-explained/

Matt151288mfp

I’m experiencing this myself atm it’s weird most of my fat apart from the low abdominal area are feeling squishy and like there is marbles under my skin my measurements are dropping every few weeks but scale is not really moving and now I know why ....so hang in there keep doing what use are doing the scale will catch up it’s just lagging behind

LivingtheLeanDream

Its a good link, apart from all the ads but thanks for posting
I'm a huge believer in whooshes

Lets hear it for the whoosh

Matt151288mfp

LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »

Its a good link, apart from all the ads but thanks for posting
I'm a huge believer in whooshes

Lets hear it for the whoosh

Lol Ano bit of a pain but good info ....you been experiencing the whoosh? Lol

MichelleWithMoxie

Yeah, three cheers for the whoosh!

tonilaporta

Interesting read! Thanks for posting

rach021979

Thank you so much!

LivingtheLeanDream

Matt151288mfp wrote: »

LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »

Its a good link, apart from all the ads but thanks for posting
I'm a huge believer in whooshes

Lets hear it for the whoosh

Lol Ano bit of a pain but good info ....you been experiencing the whoosh? Lol

oh regularly! and I'm in maintenance, it happens then as much as it does when losing .

Tacklewasher

I don't have the link, but I've seen better information that shows the explanation in the article is wrong. Fat cells can't hold water, so the idea that the cells fill up with water is wrong.

The woosh is real, and the water is being help somewhere, just not in the fat cells themselves.

This is another article on the matter, but again is wrong on where the water is held.

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

I will see if I can find the link on fat cells not holding water.

Tacklewasher

Here is an old thread talking about it.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10516145/the-whoosh-theory-true-or-false

Matt151288mfp

Tacklewasher wrote: »

I don't have the link, but I've seen better information that shows the explanation in the article is wrong. Fat cells can't hold water, so the idea that the cells fill up with water is wrong.

The woosh is real, and the water is being help somewhere, just not in the fat cells themselves.

This is another article on the matter, but again is wrong on where the water is held.

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

I will see if I can find the link on fat cells not holding water.

Tacklewasher wrote: »

I don't have the link, but I've seen better information that shows the explanation in the article is wrong. Fat cells can't hold water, so the idea that the cells fill up with water is wrong.

The woosh is real, and the water is being help somewhere, just not in the fat cells themselves.

This is another article on the matter, but again is wrong on where the water is held.

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

I will see if I can find the link on fat cells not holding water.

I’ve just upped my water in take today from 3ltrs to 6 lol flush my self out cause I know I’m holiding a fair bit of water ...so hoping this will release the water rentention

mulecanter

Thanks for posting this, it explains alot!

Matt151288mfp

mulecanter wrote: »

Thanks for posting this, it explains alot!

No problem

rileysowner

Tacklewasher wrote: »

I don't have the link, but I've seen better information that shows the explanation in the article is wrong. Fat cells can't hold water, so the idea that the cells fill up with water is wrong.

The woosh is real, and the water is being help somewhere, just not in the fat cells themselves.

This is another article on the matter, but again is wrong on where the water is held.

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

I will see if I can find the link on fat cells not holding water.

I don't think Lyle presents the water in the fat cells as the answer, but rather as an explanation that has been put forward to explain an observable phenomenon in many people.

25agirard

i appreciated this today!!! I've been getting frustrated...I am just going to keep on keeping on

Matt151288mfp

25agirard wrote: »

i appreciated this today!!! I've been getting frustrated...I am just going to keep on keeping on

Yea stick with it aslong as ur 100% with tracking etc your losing fat

vanmep

I don’t understand why the whoosh effect is so widely accepted around here. As far as I can tell there is no scientific evidence and this community usually jumps all over any kind of “woo.” As far as I can tell weight loss is not linear. Sometimes it jumps up and sometimes it jumps down. There are an infinite number of variables that play into the jumps and it is important to keep your eye on the main point which is the downward trend.

Wheelhouse15

vanmep wrote: »

I don’t understand why the whoosh effect is so widely accepted around here. As far as I can tell there is no scientific evidence and this community usually jumps all over any kind of “woo.” As far as I can tell weight loss is not linear. Sometimes it jumps up and sometimes it jumps down. There are an infinite number of variables that play into the jumps and it is important to keep your eye on the main point which is the downward trend.

I'm not sure about that either but there is certainly a case for other forms of water retention that can cause weight loss to appear to stall then suddenly drop. Maybe this is why it's not challenged too much because people just assume it's water stored in muscle etc and in the end it amounts to the same thing as far as weight stalling then suddenly dropping as far as I can see.

niemzak

Just experienced this for the first time-- it's fitness plan affirming Thanks for the encouragement to keep at it, even when progress seems to be stalled. Impact is just around the corner.

Ademann1

I just love the pictures of the fat cell. It’s adorable watching it try to justify its existence by holding on to water.

So when someone starts a new diet and they have that initial x pounds of weight loss and they get excited and others say “it’s JUST water weight” would that be fat cells becoming depleted or does that come later? Because if it was water-plumped fat cells then I would think that that totally counts as “losing weight” because you just deflated a fat cell!

Tacklewasher

Ademann1 wrote: »

I just love the pictures of the fat cell. It’s adorable watching it try to justify its existence by holding on to water.

So when someone starts a new diet and they have that initial x pounds of weight loss and they get excited and others say “it’s JUST water weight” would that be fat cells becoming depleted or does that come later? Because if it was water-plumped fat cells then I would think that that totally counts as “losing weight” because you just deflated a fat cell!

Again, the fat cells don't hold water, despite what the article shows.

When a person starts a diet, first thing most do is cut back on carbs. Less bread, potatoes etc. What this does is reduce the amount of glycogen stored in muscles and the liver. Glycogen storage need water as well, so for each gram of glycogen lost there are 3-4 grams of water lost. You could in fact be eating at maintenance, lose 1 lb of glycogen, gain 1 lb of fat and lose 3-4 lbs of weight.

lostsomeweightonce

Might make sense that as fat cells decrease in size the fluid-filled space around them will increase for a period as the body attempts to maintain homeostasis. The increase in the fluid-filled space would make the fat under your skin feel different as it is shrinking. Then at some point, you expel that water which would tighten everything up again. So no water in fat cells just more water around fat cells.

kellyw4444

It is truly frustrating when you are tracking, exercising and not seeing the scale go down. I know. I understand the appeal of the "Whoosh" article because it is comforting for people to feel like they understand why their body is not losing weight and any inspiration to just keep on going is good. However, the scientist in me knows that this theory is not really true. Fat cells do not hold water.

The truth is, nobody can tell you why your body is not losing weight, at the moment. Weight loss is as individual as our bodies. Water retention, bowels, time of the month for women, it could be any, all and more. Your weight loss the first month of your journey is not going to be the same the sixth month of your journey. Your body is regulated by a complex mix of hormones and if you are a middle aged woman, it is even worse. Estrogen helps us store fat to give us our "womanly" shape. Menopause is not our weight loss friend. If you are a woman who also suffers from low thyroid hormones, like me, (which seems oh-so-common these days), weight loss will be slow. It sucks, but that is how it is.

The truth is, though, I did not gain this weight overnight - it has been slow coming on and it is very slowly coming off. Patience and downright bloodymindedness (I will NOT give up!) is what is called for. And Non-scale Victories (NSVs) need to be celebrated as well: the chocolate bar that was refused, the healthy choices at the fast food restaurant, lost inches, clothes that fit that didn't before, personal bests for strength training, and so forth. We need to take the focus off the pounds lost when the weight loss is slow.

My Personal Trainer gave me a small notebook yesterday and it says "Kelly, The scale doesn't tell us that you ARE..." and when I open it up each page has a word - like "glorious", "radiant", and "strong". She said every time I step on that scale and it tells me that I have not changed (I have been stuck at the same weight for a month despite a calorie deficit every single day), she wants me to open that notebook and read a new word, and tell myself "I am glorious. I am radiant. I am strong." Instead of "This is too hard. What is the point? I am never going to lose this weight." Let's hear it for positive self talk and bloodymindedness, people. I have done hard things in my life and I can do this. And if I can do it, you can too.

SaraMakingChanges

Thanks for sharing this! So good to understand a little more about what is happening as we lose weight. I’ve been feeling the “hmm is this working?” vibes lately since I don’t feel smaller and some days I feel like I’ve gained but the number on the scale is declining - although not steadily. Living in fear of the unknown plateau or the dreaded “set point” is no fun and does not motivate me to not eat the mini eggs!