Experience with the "whoosh"?

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Replies

  • Matiara
    Matiara Posts: 377 Member
    What happens is as your body begins to empty fat cells, it replaces the lost fat in the cells with water, in anticipation of replenishing your fat supply. Because building new tissue is hard work for the body (even fat cells, believe it or not) it will attempt to keep the cells as long as possible by filling them with water.
    At this point is when people notice their fat feels "squishy" or "chunky" or "dimpled" or....you get the picture.
    As we stay consistent on our routines, our body has no choice but to relinquish the water and fat cells eventually and when it does, we experience the "whoosh" effect.

    I'm sorry, but this sounds like BS to me. I haven't heard anything like this in my major classes and wasn't able to find any credible information about it online. Do you have any good links I could take a look at?

    I just don't understand how fat could feel "squishy" from some parts of the body. I mean, when you lose a couple pounds, it's not concentrated in one place, so it's hard for me to imagine that any momentary change it's "squishyness" it would be noticeable.

    Hi. I realize it's anecdotal, but my body gets the squishy feeling in the areas that I store a lot of fat. The fat on my belly and legs goes from feeling like something that is pliable, but has substance to squishy and liquidy just before I drop weight and/or the area in question shrinks in measurement. It also goes from looking smooth to dimpled/disjointed. It usually lasts for a week or two, so it's not a momentary change and someone who pokes and prods their fat rolls as much I do definitely notices. :)

    I could not tell you what's going on internally. I am just pinching my skin and seeing externally the effects of what is happening, so there's no way to know what I'm feeling in there or what's creating the dimpled look. There has to be a scientific explanation for it, but it's a good sign, so I don't worry about it.
  • Schmelvie
    Schmelvie Posts: 233 Member
    I've noticed the whoosh on at least 3 different occasions the last 4 months. I weigh everyday and graph all the results, so it's very obvious on my graphs. It always happens after a period of where it feels like the weight loss has stalled or slowed. And the timing for me also appears to be about every 4 weeks. I'll lose and fluctuate a little for about 3 weeks, then all of a sudden, "whoosh", I'll lose 4-5 pounds in a few days. Then I'll hover or lose slowly from the "newly established baseline". I know from my own research that it's the body finally deciding it's OK to let go of stuff, and I always assumed it was getting rid of water where fat used to be.

    I have never experienced a feeling where the fat areas felt "squishier". I've only seen it happen on the scale. What's key to understand, the whoosh I see is completely different from the daily fluctuations that are normal. There truly is a whoosh. Just knowing this helps to keep me motivated when the scale isn't moving. Even though the scale isn't moving, I know my body is still changing.
  • cedarghost
    cedarghost Posts: 621 Member

    tehehehehe "whoosh clock" :) made me giggle out loud!
    Haha! I am putting a patent on that....
  • 180DNE150
    180DNE150 Posts: 4
    Testify with the science! Love it.
  • lrob100
    lrob100 Posts: 122 Member
    I have never heard the term 'whoosh' before today---but after reading this---this happens to me--ALL the time. This is exactly how I lose weight. The stall, the whoosh, the excessive urination---all of it ring like a crystal bell with me.
  • BobbieLee1959
    BobbieLee1959 Posts: 605 Member
    not sure about a whoosh, but I woke up today down a pound and my rolls around my middle felt "flattish"...I even commented on it a lady friend at the gym...my back rolls are diminishing and yep, I feel skinny....no shelf to put stuff on that I am holding at my waist...I am loving it, of course! Hadn't lost a pound in almost three months, but today, I was down!! YAY! so maybe I did experience a "whoosh" without being aware of it!

    Okay, off to the gym with me! Have a great night all!
  • ashlielinn
    ashlielinn Posts: 920

    tehehehehe "whoosh clock" :) made me giggle out loud!
    Haha! I am putting a patent on that....

    You absolutely should do so!!!! (It made me giggle again this morning haha)
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    I figure I'd update from the 2-3 days ago when I wrote this... the whole reason I did was because my stomach (and body in general) was SO oddly bloated, even though I'm weeks away from period, I'm drinking water, eating normal, etc. and had heard about it...

    Peed like crazy yesterday (more so than I normally do with the amount of water I consume) and had a rather boisterous bowel movement this morning.

    Stomach's back to normal; all the definition I've been working for was back, it was flat again, etc.

    Even though I hopped on the scale and hadn't lost a pound, I lost nearly two inches off my body :noway: (And I just measured a week ago!)

    Was this really the "whoosh" all along? WHO KNOWS.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I figure I'd update from the 2-3 days ago when I wrote this... the whole reason I did was because my stomach (and body in general) was SO oddly bloated, even though I'm weeks away from period, I'm drinking water, eating normal, etc. and had heard about it...

    Peed like crazy yesterday (more so than I normally do with the amount of water I consume) and had a rather boisterous bowel movement this morning.

    Stomach's back to normal; all the definition I've been working for was back, it was flat again, etc.

    Even though I hopped on the scale and hadn't lost a pound, I lost nearly two inches off my body :noway: (And I just measured a week ago!)

    Was this really the "whoosh" all along? WHO KNOWS.

    That's what I'd call a "whoosh." Either way, it's a great loss for the week!
  • mabelbabel1
    mabelbabel1 Posts: 391 Member
    I hope to experience a very large whoosh soon! :happy:
  • Danielle817
    Danielle817 Posts: 62 Member
    bump
  • DCpaleochick
    DCpaleochick Posts: 211 Member
    whoosh2.jpg



    laughing out so damn loud......
  • rm7161
    rm7161 Posts: 505
    ^That is a good point. And I do realize that fat tends to come off where you put it on last so it could be somewhat concentrated in an area. Still trying to picture what that would look like in my head from a physiological point of view. Would love to see a mechanism for it!
    What happens is as your body begins to empty fat cells, it replaces the lost fat in the cells with water, in anticipation of replenishing your fat supply. Because building new tissue is hard work for the body (even fat cells, believe it or not) it will attempt to keep the cells as long as possible by filling them with water.
    At this point is when people notice their fat feels "squishy" or "chunky" or "dimpled" or....you get the picture.
    As we stay consistent on our routines, our body has no choice but to relinquish the water and fat cells eventually and when it does, we experience the "whoosh" effect.

    I'm sorry, but this sounds like BS to me. I haven't heard anything like this in my major classes and wasn't able to find any credible information about it online. Do you have any good links I could take a look at?

    I just don't understand how fat could feel "squishy" from some parts of the body if it comes off from all over. I mean, when you lose a couple pounds, it's not concentrated in one place, so it's hard for me to imagine that any change it's "squishyness" it would be noticeable.
    Google would work, but here you go:
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html
    http://www.leangains.com/2010/01/how-to-deal-with-water-retention-part.html
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat...uishy-fat.html
    http://viralfit.blogspot.com/2012/06/whoosh-fat-yesterday-lean-tomorrow.html
    I read MANY more articles, but those were some that stood out.

    None of those are credible sources though. Google will give me plenty of info about the benefits of raspberry ketones and detox baths as well.

    I agree with you, I think there is water retention in some women, but I suspect it is more related to hormones and the menstrual cycle. I retain water in the week before my period, and notice that my weight loss is generally less on the scale then. It's just temporary and reverses itself in a week or so. Changes in measurements are largely unaffected, that has been steady in a way that the scale is sometimes not.
  • cedarghost
    cedarghost Posts: 621 Member
    My Whoosh Clock© went off Friday. Finally, after 3 weeks at the same weight, I lost a little over 2 pounds overnight and am staying there.
  • NatashaShen
    NatashaShen Posts: 295 Member
    This sounds really weird, but I did google it lol. Weird or not, kinda makes sense as to why I seem more jiggly and for lack of a better term, gooey. I've been losing about 1/2 a pound a week but not recently. Hopefully I'll experience a whoosh soon.
  • cherbapp
    cherbapp Posts: 322
    Happens to me...the whoosh thing. Lol

    About every month or so. Just about the time I decide I am giving up on this plateau....I lose two or three or even five pounds over two or three days. And then stay there for another 3-5 weeks. I wish the weight was more predictable like at first. But I'll take it any way it wants to go...as long as it goes.

    And yep...my rolls feel kinda like marbly or cottage cheesey...or something....and then it goes away with the loss.

    So scientific or not, it happens.
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
    Just wanted to throw out there- fat cells don't just disappear... They first "empty" their store of tryglycerides and flatten- and a lot of times this is how they stay, just flat storage cells waiting to be filled up again. When this happens the cells stop producing leptin (hormone that tells yor brain you're full) and then that ravenous hunger thing kicks in.You have to push through it and then..... apoptosis, or cell death, sometimes occurs at a later point- generally with a very hefty weight loss (> 10% of body weight lost).

    That's the issue with overeating and gaining a lot of weight in a short amount of time- hyperplasia (proliferation) of fat cells occurs. And once the cells are there they are a B**** to get rid of, if you cn get rid of them at all.

    I like this.
  • AddieOverhaul
    AddieOverhaul Posts: 734 Member
    I honestly don't really care about the science behind it all I know is that my weight stays exactly the same (with a 1 pound fluctation day to day depending on what I ate the day before and ToM) for 3-6 weeks and then BAM! I will drop 3-5 pounds and then stay at that new low for the next 3-6 weeks.
  • Eve1972
    Eve1972 Posts: 297
    What a timely post! I have been bouncing around the same weight for a couple months, then low and behold, this week my body whooshed and I lost like 4 lbs in as many days. So maybe there is something to the theory!!
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    I whoosh post refeed.

    So i'll cut calories for a while and cut and cut and cut then one day i'll hit carbs like a champ then whoosh.....drop on the scale.
    I've had better results with a cyclical 3 day refeed per week in the past so thats where i'm heading now.

    Now my schedule is Sat-Sunday 1600-2k
    Monday, Weds, Friday 3000 cals
    Tuesday, Thursday 1600-2k

    This keeps leptin high and fat continues to drop as opposed to leptin dropping and fat waiting for the carb refeed to drop.
  • ejha77
    ejha77 Posts: 63
    I personally only show a loss about every three weeks to a month where I will drop 2 or 3 pounds at once.
    I'm exactly the same! This is really interesting. In my case it's always the week before my period, which I think is unusual.

    I'm not entirely sold on the science, but I am interested to read how many people seem to lose in a similar manner.
  • JeffinRaleigh
    JeffinRaleigh Posts: 85
    I've never noticed anything like this. My weight loss tends to be fairly steady.
  • shorthand73
    shorthand73 Posts: 118 Member
    I'm not sure that I've experienced this.... at least not in the way that others have referred to. Is there a term for a reverse-whoosh, where one GAINS several pounds seemingly overnight? Because I've definitely experienced that from time to time!!! :frown:
  • afrouws
    afrouws Posts: 11 Member
    Ok so this is the deal with me. Daily I drop 2 lbs overnight. Always. But I can gain or lose up to 4lbs in a day. Water weight? hmmmm don't know. But, I work out 5 to 6 days a week for the past 3 weeks burning at least 1000kcals to 1800 kcals. My calorie intake has been low; about 12-1300/day. But I continue to gain. I started this diet 3 weeks ago at 184 I am now 188.5 and gaining. I can feel myself just blubbering up. lol. What should i do?
  • afrouws
    afrouws Posts: 11 Member
    So lets go back to your schedule. The 1600-2000 etc...are those calories to take in or calories burned?

    Sometimes I need to spoken to like a 2yo. lol
  • anifani4
    anifani4 Posts: 457 Member
    Cedarghost---Why don’t professionals know this? I am of the eat less, move more mindset. So, it bothered me that I was working my butt of and stalled for 2 weeks. I went to see a Registered Dietician and she gave me a diet/workout and said you WILL lose 2lbs this week on this. I did it to the letter and still nothing. She questioned me about condiments …like was I getting too much sugar from ketchup, pickle relish, etc….she even asked me if I ever notice a mess in the kitchen like was I sleep walking and eating in my sleep!!! So, why wouldn’t she assume it was dieter's edema? Apparently, me eating in my sleep is more probable than dieters edema??

    Because professionals don't know everything.
    My Dad did that eating in the night thing and never remembered doing it. Mom would get up and find the dirty dishes in the fridge.lol.
    My sister also did it but she was taking Ambian at the time.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Actually bodyrecomposition.com is a very credible source. It is Lyle McDonald's website. It's full of scientifically accurate information. (I have not visited the other sites.)

    I've never heard of this guy, but when I looked him up, I couldn't find any information about his degrees. Also, when I read articles from .com sites, I generally look at the sources cited, and if there are journal articles, I'll go read them and if they're in line with what the site says, then I consider it credible.

    So far, everything I have seen on that site is backed by scientific research, which is pretty rare for a website.
    I don't know his curriculum vitae, but it's my understanding that Lyle has coached bodybuilders and powerlifters, as well as authored somewhere around 8 books on training, dieting and nutrition, at least several of which are very highly regarded in the fitness world. Some of his articles are opinion-based (and he usually makes that very clear), but the majority of his work is based upon research review and he backs it up with sources. He can be pretty abrupt and no-nonsense, which rubs some people wrong, but his info is solid. Lots of interesting and educational articles on his site, definitely worth spending some time there. If you want more of the technical stuff, go to his "Research Review" section, where he dissects and reviews scientific studies.
  • Falenea
    Falenea Posts: 263 Member
    Bump to read later
  • manique45
    manique45 Posts: 99 Member
    I really hope this is my issue... so far I had a 3 lb loss a month ago and have not dropped since... going on 3 1/2 weeks at the same weight!! Will post later if when I experience a loss... Hoping for big number :o)
  • charlenewho
    charlenewho Posts: 2
    I'm hoping the whoosh will happen for me soon. After losing 6 pounds between March and the beginning of this month, I've been stagnating at 127-128 for the last few weeks despite my consistent ~20% deficit. I'm reluctant to try a carb refeed (recommended by leangains) because I already eat a lot of carbs, but if my whoosh doesn't come within a week, I may take a shot or something to try and give that water retention a little kick in the butt.

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