Trying to lose weight is hard and highly personal! That is why there are so many diets out there. No one diet works for everyone, and not everyone should prescribe to the same diet. However, there are some diets that just seem to have a wider range of success. Diets such as the Keto diet, thanks to its basic scientific principle of ketosis, has heralded better and more results than most.
The Keto diet focuses on limiting your daily carb intake while upping the fat that is ingested. By reducing carbs, your body begins to fall into the process of ketosis, which is where your body begins using fat stores as energy. This, in turn, causes you to lose weight, but as we all know, weight loss is not a straight line.
You will ebb and flow with the day sometimes. We have all hit those plateaus for a few weeks, and then suddenly, the weight just dropped off. This, when talking about the Keto diet, is called the Keto “Whoosh” effect.
In this article, we will be looking at why this effect happens, if it really happens, and some other tips and tricks to initiate it to happen. So, let’s start with what the heck the “whoosh” effect is and how it happens.
What is the Keto Whoosh Effect?
The “whoosh” effect is not new to diets; in fact, every diet has its version of the Keto “whoosh”. So, the keto fat whoosh is this received delay between the visual loss and the actual loss of weight.
Basically, what some say happens to us is that when you have gotten rid of fat cells, they do not disappear. They simply fill with water. This may show itself in soft areas.
Once the water has been housed there for a while, it will eventually find its way out of the body, and then you will notice a dramatic loss of weight, sometimes overnight. This effect has been known to drop up to 5 pounds per “whoosh”.
Some people think that this effect is caused by your body’s unwillingness to release its stores of fat as a leftover remnant of when we needed them to survive. These were once used to take us through long stretches of no food when people were first evolving. So, the body system still hordes fat away for winter.
So, to keep the cells ready, the body uses water as a placeholder. Eventually though, water needs to leave the body and then you have - it the whoosh effect. So, is it really a thing? Or are we all just full of wishful thoughts?
Does the Whoosh Really Exist?
There have been many studies on this, and though none have been conclusive either way, most dieters believe it and many claim to experience it. So just because science can’t prove its existence, does that mean it isn’t real, that it is merely a placebo effect that makes us all feel better?
With so many people experiencing it, there must be some validity of its existence, so why don’t we look at what we do know to see if we can help those scientists out a bit.
First, do fat cells really fill up with water? Some studies support this though, in the end, the subjects did not experience any “whoosh”. On the other hand, it is a proven fact that weight loss doesn’t happen in an orderly manner. You will lose a pound here, five there and then stop altogether for a week and this is perfectly normal.
So, it will seem with the two things we know there is still no definitive answer on if the “whoosh” effect is real. But in case it is, here are a few tips and tricks you can use to get your “whoosh” on.
7 Tips & Tricks How to Trigger Whoosh Effect
Getting your “whoosh” going can be a nice way to break that plateau that has been haunting you for the past few weeks. We all have them, and it can be very frustrating, especially when you were on such a roll. If the fat whoosh is real, then you should be able to help trigger one, right? Well, no one knows for sure, but there are definitely a few tactics you can try to see if you can get one going.
1. Eat Less Fat
This may seem counter-intuitive, but many people that take up the Keto diet rely on large amounts of Fat Bombs to keep their gram count. This, however, could be a reason for your plateau and in order to trigger a “whoosh”, you may want to cut back just a bit. Instead of using fats as your meal, instead try using them in your meal. This may be just enough to start the process that will lead to a “whoosh”.
2. More Non-Starchy Veggies
If you are not getting enough non-starchy vegetables, you may be adding unwanted weight on. Plus, the inclusion of these vegetables will also keep the freeway moving if you know what we mean. Often rich in fiber, you may find your weight loss stalling simply because you do not have enough fiber in your diet.
So, add some more of those tasty non-starchy vegetables like brussel sprouts or broccoli and see if you can’t get some sort of “whoosh” going on.
3. More Water
One reason you may be stalling and in desperate need of a “whoosh” is a little thing we like to call dehydration or simply not drinking enough H2O. Water naturally flushes your system, and so you may be able to get the weight loss back on track by simply guzzling a large quantity of water. The bathroom may be your best friend, but hey, that scale will be too.
4. Watch Out for Those Sugars
Hidden sugars in things you think are healthy for you may be the culprit of the stall in your weight loss. That means you will have to be much more careful and read those labels. By cutting out the extra sugar, you may be able to induce a “whoosh” and break your weight loss stalemate.
5. Watch Those Carbs
Even those healthy choices in some of your favorite restaurants are not quite as healthy as you think they are. Making sure to cut back on eating out may be a great way to get your journey back on track and maybe have a little “whoosh” in your near future.
6. Exercise
This is a simple fix, though one that we all groan about for the most part. If you have reached a plateau and need to invigorate that “whoosh” upping or even getting back into the gym may be just the thing to get you back in the saddle again. It may not be for you, but many have found succes with High-Intensity Internal Training (H.I.I.T.).
7. Indulge in a Cheat Meal?
This is kind of a controversial one, but one that has scientific proof to back it up. There was a study where midway through, subjects were given a large meal of 2300 calories, and soon after there was a marked weight loss.
It seems that this simple cheat meal triggered some internal mechanisms and activated a “whoosh”. Just make sure if this is your method of choice you try to make that large calorie meal as healthy as possible.
Though none of these are proven to instigate the “whoosh”, they are a great way to try, and they won’t hurt your diet one bit. Well, all except the last but if you do it the right way even that 2300 calorie meal won’t hurt you too badly.
8 Keto Whoosh Signs - How Do I Tell If It’s Going to Happen?
Looking for the “whoosh” and wonder how you can know if it is on the way? Not sure if any of the triggers you used to get you there actually worked? There are of course signs of an upcoming “whoosh” and here are a few that you may be able to spot:
- You may feel more hungry than usual even if you haven’t altered your diet or exercise routine.
- Your jiggly parts may experience a warm-up. In fact, you may be able to feel it even when you simply touch the areas of fat.
- There may be some weight gain even if you have been good and been strict on your diet.
- You may see and feel areas that are high traffic spots for fat being softer. There may also be a grainy feel that you may not appreciate that much.
- There are some that say they have a wave of diarrhea, thus it's called keto diarrhea whoosh. We know, it's not a pleasant topic. So let's move on.
- Some also find they are headed to the bathroom to pee quite a bit more.
- You may also find yourself suffering from severe sweating at night.
- The final sign is the actual “whoosh” itself. That’s a sudden and significant weight loss.
Knowing the signs to look for is a great tool in your arsenal and even if the “whoosh” doesn’t follow, at least by paying attention to these factors, you will better in tune with your body. This will make it easier to course correct and get your journey back on the road to your goal if need be.
3 of the Most Commonly Asked Questions About the Whoosh:
Though we feel like we have given you everything you need to know, there are still a few questions that you may have or have encountered when scrolling through your feed looking for all the information you can get on the Keto “whoosh”. So, here are three of the most commonly asked questions we did not answer in the main body of the article.
1. Do Fat Cells Really Go Away?
If only! The truth is that they can shrink but never completely go away. They may die off, but you will be sad to learn that when one dies, another takes its place. For this reason, you can gain fat cells but never truly get rid of them altogether.
2. Can Alcohol Trigger a “Whoosh”?
Many people say that alcohol can trigger a “whoosh”. Whether this is true or not, there is one thing we all know about alcohol, and that is that it is a natural diuretic. So, it may not trigger a “whoosh”, but it will trigger something.
3. Can You Tell Between Fat and Water Weight?
Though it is not a scientifically proven fact, many say that you can tell the difference. Some say that water weight tends to leave your fatty areas feeling squishy and warm to the touch. So, by simply pinching or rubbing the areas you may be able to tell if it is fat or water weight you are trying to get rid of.
There are so many factors to consider when pondering the question of the "whoosh” that in truth we may never know whether it is real, whether we can initiate one, or whether we can predict its coming. Simply put, the “whoosh” is like Big Foot. There may be people that have claimed to see it, but there is still no scientific proof to speak of.
Final Thoughts
Though there is no definitive proof that the Keto “whoosh” even really exists, it is still a big part of many conversations surrounding this popular diet (and any other really). Many dieters swear that it is real, and with that many people touting its existence, there are bound to be some truths to it.
In the end, whether your body’s fat cells store water to save their lives for that cold hard winter, or it is merely the non-linear cycle of weight loss, the “whoosh” is something that helps dieters keep their faith. So hopefully now you have an idea of what the "whoosh” is and feel that you know everything you need to know about it.
Though the truth is that lingering on a phenomenon that may or may not exist may take time from the more important goals and signs, so maybe by simply knowing about it, you can use this knowledge to forget about it and just get back to finding your way to that healthier and happier lifestyle. So when it comes to the Keto Whoosh Effect - everything you need to know is laid out above.