What is the Whoosh and how does it affect weight loss?
Dr. Aishah Muhammad, a pediatric doctor, personal trainer, and weight loss coach from the UK, says the whoosh is really about glycogen stores and your body’s fluctuating water retention, not so much what’s going on inside each individual fat cell.
How long does the whoosh effect last?
These water-filled pockets can last for days or weeks at a time. But eventually, if you stick with your diet and exercise goals, they’ll suddenly release (WHOOSH), almost overnight, and you’ll notice significant weight loss and physical changes to your appearance. And that’s the Whoosh Effect.
How can I stop the whoosh effect?
The best way to combat the whoosh effect is to track your body fat percentage using a highly calibrated scale (here’s my favorite on Amazon). Ignore minor fluctuations and plateaus in weight and monitor your body fat instead!
Are weight loss plateaus and sudden whooshes real?
Weight loss plateaus and sudden whooshes are real and thoroughly documented, though in all likelihood the commonly accepted explanation for the whoosh effect is wrong. What is the whoosh effect, really?
How much can you lose with the whoosh effect?
about 8 to 9 poundsAccording to a 2016 study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, noticeable weight loss is achieved after losing an average of about 8 to 9 pounds. Weight loss can take time. You can't “whoosh” your way through this process.
How long does the whoosh effect take?
It all depends on your own body, starting weight, diet, and training. In my own experience, when I'm cutting or losing weight, I notice the scale tends to stall for about a week. After about a week of flat weigh ins, I'll notice my weight goes down by about 1-1.5 pounds overnight.
What is the whoosh effect in weight loss?
According to some social media sites and blogs, the whoosh effect is a term that describes the noticeable weight loss that occurs when following a specific diet — particularly the keto diet. The idea behind it is that when a person burns fat, the fat cells lose fat but fill up with water.
How much water weight do you lose first?
Water makes up 60% of your body weight, and it's one of the first things you lose. Weight decreases as a change in muscle, fat and water. Fat mass doesn't change quickly, but you can lose as much as five pounds of water in a day. The average 24-hour urine loss is about 1.8-4.4 pounds because water is heavy.
Does losing water weight make you look thinner?
If your body is retaining excess water, getting rid of it can help reduce bloating and may even make you look a little slimmer, although it may not make you look 10 pounds thinner instantly.
Why is my belly fat so jiggly?
Subcutaneous fat, or subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), is the fat that's found under your skin ( 2 ). Subcutaneous fat is soft, and it's the fat you see “jiggling” on your belly. In general, women have greater amounts of subcutaneous fat than men ( 3 ).
Is my belly fat or water weight?
If you press on your skin and an indentation stays there for a couple of seconds, that's a sign you have water weight. One way to check if you're retaining water is to press on swollen skin. If there's an indention that stays for a little while, that's a sign that you could be retaining water.
Where does fat go when you lose weight?
During weight loss, fat cells shrink in size as their contents are used for energy, though their numbers remain unchanged. Byproducts of fat loss include carbon dioxide and water, which are disposed of through breathing, urination, and sweating.
What does water weight feel like?
Symptoms of water retention can include: bloating, especially in the abdominal area. swollen legs, feet, and ankles. puffiness of the abdomen, face, and hips.
Can you lose 20 lbs of water weight?
Water Loss It's possible to lose as much as 20 pounds of body weight during one week, most of which is water. This water weight loss, however, will only occur during the first week or two of a new diet or exercise regimen.
Where do you lose weight first?
Generally weight loss is most noticeable early on in areas where there is little fat, such as the clavicles. Women tend to lose weight all over, and experience fat loss first in their belly, breasts, and arms. Generally the last area they lose weight is from their lower body (hips and thighs).
Does water weight make you look fat?
Water retention causes swelling and puffiness in various parts of the body, including the face. This may give the illusion of excess facial fat.
Does water whoosh away?
However, the subjects maintained that water during a year of follow-up — it didn’t “whoosh” away . Some bloggers cite the Minnesota Starvation Experiment — a 1944 study on the physical and psychological effects of semi-starvation — as proof that a cheat meal can trigger the whoosh effect.
Does whoosh effect water?
There isn’t much in the way of whoosh effect science. In one study of 27 obese men and women, published in 2003, subjects who lost about 14.5 percent of their body weight in nine weeks appeared to gain water in their fat cells. However, the subjects maintained that water during a year of follow-up — it didn’t “whoosh” away.
Does alcohol cause whoosh?
Other articles claim that drinking alcohol can trigger the whoosh effect by dehydrating you. But again, there is no scientific proof. “Beer is 95 percent water,” Giancoli notes. And the calories from alcohol can quickly add up, which won’t help you lose weight.
Is the Whoosh Effect a Real Thing?
Short answer: No. “As your fat cells become smaller, they are not getting refilled with water and then collapsing,” Giancoli adds.
What happens to your body after the Whoosh Effect?
This seemingly happens almost all at once, with you seeing a sudden drop in weight after days or weeks of being stuck in a weight loss plateau.
What is the Whoosh effect?
The Whoosh Effect is the weight loss phenomenon where you suddenly lose a large amount of bodyweight seemingly overnight. The theory is as you lose body fat, your fat cells fill with water. This seems to happen more often with those on the keto diet.
How to trigger the Whoosh Effect?
One of the most common ways to trigger the Whoosh Effect is by increasing your calories once in a while. For example, if you’re used to eating only 1400 calories per day, then try increasing it by 300-500 calories for one day.
How does the Whoosh effect work?
According to the Whoosh Effect theory, you essentially lose water weight since your fat cells fill up with water. It sounds like it makes sense since your fat cells, once depleted of their triglycerides, might attract water to keep them filled.
Do women have more problems with water retention?
Women tend to have more problems dealing with water retention and can experience the Whoosh Effect more often than men. If you’ve ever felt bloated or puffy, then there’s a good chance you were holding onto water.
Can water weight be thrown off scale?
Water weight can deceptively throw off the scale and can end with you feeling discouraged. But trust the process, stay consistent, and you’ll see the results of the Whoosh Effect if you stick with it. Happy whooshing!
Does keto diet cause whoosh effect?
As you’re dieting, your body will burn fat, but it’ll then hold onto excess water weight. With the ketogenic diet, you won’t be adding any carbohydrates to your diet. This causes your fat cells to lose the actual fat that fills them up called triglycerides.
What is the Whoosh Effect?
The “whoosh effect” is a term that some people following a ketogenic, or keto, diet use to describe the seemingly sudden weight loss that occurs. This article looks into what the whoosh effect is, what the research says about it, and the potential risks of following a keto diet for weight loss.
What happens when your body expels excess fat and water?
Some people believe that when the body expels this excess fat and water, it will be noticeably slimmer.
How does the body release water after losing fat?
Then, the body will release the water from the cells through urine or diarrhea.
How does dehydration affect weight?
If the body becomes dehydrated, it begins to store water. This can make people feel more bloated or heavier than they would usually. Once a person drinks enough water, they will lose the excess water weight, which can appear as a noticeable loss of weight. Learn more about how to lose water weight in this article.
Can you lose weight by cutting calories?
That said, a person may experience sudden, noticeable weight loss if they lose a lot of water weight. They may also lose weight gradually when cutting calories or carbs but only notice the weight loss suddenly on the scale.
Is the Whoosh effect real?
What is the ‘whoosh effect?’. There is little scientific evidence to suggest that the whoosh effect is real. According to some social media sites and blogs, the whoosh effect is a term that describes the noticeable weight loss that occurs when following a specific diet — particularly the keto diet.
What is the Whoosh effect on the keto diet?
The keto diet “whoosh” effect isn’t exactly something you’ll read about in the medical how-to’s for this diet. That’s because the concept behind the “whoosh” effect emerged from social sites like Reddit and some wellness blogs. The concept is that if you follow the keto diet, one day you’ll wake up and — whoosh — look like you’ve lost weight.
How to trigger whoosh effect?
On Reddit, one of the ways people say you can trigger the whoosh effect is to perform regular fasting, then eat a high-calorie “cheat meal.”
What causes the body to break down fat cells for energy?
Ketosis causes the body to break down fat cells for energy. The components include:
Why do people think they have lost weight?
A lot of times, a person will think they’ve lost weight because the scale reads less, when it’s actually water weight that they’ve lost.
Does fasting trigger whoosh?
Others say typical fasting followed by eating according to the keto diet is enough to trigger the whoosh effect.
Is the Whoosh effect real?
The keto diet whoosh effect isn’t a real process. It’s more likely describing a loss of water weight, not real weight that would translate to long-term weight loss. The keto diet can work for some people, but it’s important to evaluate it with the right mindset.
How Fast Should You Lose/Gain Weight?
In a purely practical sense, you could lose or gain weight at vastly accelerated rates. However, in the pursuit of good health, improved fitness and ideal aesthetics I would strongly advise against this.
Does fluid retention affect scale weight?
Fluid retention can make a big difference in your scale weight and is particularly common if you’ve eaten a meal high in salt as fluids in your body will increase to help remove the excess sodium.
