Losing weight is not a simple straightforward process, even on keto. Anyone who has been consistently putting in the effort on their weight loss journey can tell you that the pounds don’t come off in a downward, linear manner and can feel totally unpredictable sometimes. The reality is that even if you are in a deficit and exercising you will likely hit a weight loss plateau during your journey.
While this can be totally frustrating and discouraging, it’s important to remember that there’s likely a good reason your body is in a weight loss stall. Remember that keto is not a quick fix crash diet, but rather a lifestyle change so be patient and stay the course. After a plateau, many people experience a sudden and drastic drop in weight and this occurrence is known as “the whoosh effect”.
GRAB YOUR FREE ULTIMATE KETO PANTRY CHECKLIST BELOW!
Here’s the scenario:
You’ve been stuck at a weight loss plateau with no movement on the scale. It feels like forever since you’ve seen the number move, then suddenly overnight you somehow lost 5lbs! You are super excited and feel like all your dedication and consistency has paid off. But then you start to question - is this even real? Is this safe or healthy to lose that much in a day? Was it just water weight? Is this a trick? Is my scale broken?!?
WHAT IS THE WHOOSH EFFECT?
While further research needs to be conducted, “The Whoosh Effect” is a hypothesis used to explain a sudden change in weight while following a ketogenic diet. It’s a total myth that your fat cells get filled with water then suddenly “collapse”. Your fat cells don’t just magically disappear!
Our fat cells are filled with triglycerides. These are necessary fuel reserves used by the body to function as energy, but when filled in excess they grow larger which results in weight gain.
When you start burning more calories than you consume, your fat cells lose triglycerides. Cutting down on calories while increasing activity levels will burn through stored triglycerides in the body. As your fat cells suddenly have less fat in them, they will temporarily fill with water.
Our bodies are extremely efficient in maintaining homeostasis. It wants to fill those fat cells in order for them to remain the same size, and will pull water into the cells to achieve that. The water now in your fat cells is just acting as a placeholder, in case you decide you want to excessively add triglycerides again (for survival purposes in our ancestral days).
It is around this time that you may start to notice a stall or plateau in your weight loss. You may feel a bit squishy or soft in some areas, and may feel frustrated because nothing has really changed in terms of the amount of effort you’re putting into your keto diet. Changes in our diet, exercise and an increased water intake can all contribute to this water retention as your body just tries to figure out what the heck is going on!
Usually our cells will hold onto the water for a few days or a week, then once it realizes the triglycerides are not going to refill the fat cell - it drops all the water at once. You may notice more trips to the washroom as this water is flushed out, and you may suddenly drop multiple pounds overnight!
GRAB YOUR FREE ULTIMATE KETO PANTRY CHECKLIST BELOW!
THE WHOOSH EFFECT ON KETO
It’s important to remember that you do not lose your fat cells, it is simply a loss of water causing the fat cells to shrink in size. People can experience the whoosh effect on any diet, but it may be more pronounced on a ketogenic diet due to the restriction of carbohydrates.
When you decrease the amount of carbs consumed, you also excrete more water (hence the name carbo-HYDRATE). Due to this, your body may be more likely to retain even more water in your fat cells before the big whoosh occurs. You may even feel like you’ve gained a bit of weight even though you’re following your keto diet perfectly. So next time you start to feel discouraged that your weight loss has plateaued, stay the course! Be consistent, and drink lots of water, because you may be on the brink of experiencing the whoosh effect.
SIGNS OF THE WHOOSH EFFECT
The whoosh effect can occur at any time during your keto journey. Sometimes after a weight loss stall of a few days, sometimes it can occur after a stall for a few weeks. During the time where your body is transitioning from having fat cells filled with triglycerides to having fat cells filled with water you may feel bloated, soft & squishy or puffy. You may feel the need to urinate more frequently, and the scale may even go up a few pounds despite being precise with your keto diet.
However if you keep up with your new healthy keto lifestyle and exercise, your fat cells will suddenly release the water and you may feel leaner or notice a significant change on the scale or in the mirror overnight. Some people experience an increase in sweating, night sweats, or diarrhea before a whoosh as these are all ways for your body to rid itself of excess water.
Once your fat cells have released the water, the cells will shrink and your body prepares to do it all over again with a new set of fat cells. This is part of the reason why weight loss according to the scale is never linear! When placed on a graph it always has a jagged, downward trajectory and will never be a straight, smooth line.
CAN YOU TRIGGER THE WHOOSH EFFECT?
While there are reports of being able to trigger a whoosh effect, only you can decide for yourself if it's the right choice to try and do so. Some claim that by having a carb heavy meal and re-filling your body with glycogen can cause the body to release the water. This is at the potential expense of knocking yourself out of ketosis, or worse - spiraling into some bad behaviours by triggering more carb or sugar cravings. Other claims include drinking alcohol or limiting water can trigger a whoosh effect for the diuretic nature to flush water out.
The issue here is that you may not know for sure 100% whether or not it’s water retention or actual fat gain. Maybe it’s hormones, or stress. Is it really worth the risk to trigger some water loss?
GRAB YOUR FREE ULTIMATE KETO PANTRY CHECKLIST BELOW!
HERE’S WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
Make sure you’re actually in ketosis - stay consistent with your keto diet by remaining under 20-30 net carbs per day (depending on the person)
Make sure you’re in a caloric deficit - when you burn more calories than you consume over time, your body will burn stored fat and replace that with water which will eventually be flushed out
Be patient - keto weight loss plateaus can last for days or weeks. It can appear at first like you’ve gained weight due to water retention, but all of this excess water will be released. Just be patient, consistent, and give your body time to adjust!
While there is no concrete science behind “the whoosh effect”, many report having experienced it at some point along their keto journey. This whoosh will help with weight loss, but it’s not fat loss. YOU already did the fat loss part by reducing the triglycerides in each cell to fill with water in the first place! So don’t get totally discouraged if your weight loss stalls despite doing everything right, and you suddenly feel a bit puffy. There’s a good chance that you just have some water retention and a whoosh is on the way!
If you’re experiencing a keto weight loss stall that’s longer than a month and want some support to push through it and get you moving towards your goals, click here to learn how 1:1 Keto Success Coaching can help!
