Fat Loss & The Whoosh Effect

Plateaus are arguably one of the most stressful parts of any fat loss journey.And the truth is, there can be so many reasons for them - trust me as an online personal trainer and nutrition coach - I have seen it all!BUT - with every problem, there is a solution.Whether it be from

• Underestimating calorie intake
• Out of whack hormones
• Eating too little (!!)
• Not eating the right foods for your body
• Stress

... know that busting through your plateau is POSSIBLE.What's even MORE fascinating is the science behind how our body loses fat (Fun fact - did you know that fat actually leaves our body through our BREATH? so cool!).And the more we can understand the science behind how fat is actually lost from our body - the more we can understand why we might be experiencing a plateau (knowledge is power right??)This week, I personally experienced a WHOOSH.Actually - it's called the WHOOSH effect - and here's what it is and why it's important to understand.I first experienced the whoosh effect when I went through my weight loss journey (over 10 years ago yikes!). I lost over 50 lb over the course of several years - I was fascinated by the data and kept track of my weight almost every day. I noticed that I would go through periods of no weight loss - and then almost all of a sudden - several lb were gone. It wasn't until I stumbled upon Lyle McDonald's article on the fat loss whoosh in 2009 that it all started to make sense. (PS - if you want to nerd out on this stuff I highly recommend checking out Lyle's work - it's really good stuff!).

The Whoosh Effect - Explained:

1.) The whoosh effect happens when fat cells in your body start to decrease the amount of stored triglycerides (stored fat). This is essentially when you are creating a calorie deficit by exercising/cutting intake.

2.) As the cells lose fat, water starts to fill the cell as the cell waits for more fat to be deposited in.3.) When all of the fat leaves the cell - the cell fills up almost entirely of water and still waits to be filled with fat. (This is where you might be noticing a major plateau!).

4.) When fat does not fill the cell, the cell empties completely and typically this means several pounds are lost.

Be honest with yourself...

For me personally, I let go of a good 4 lb during my most recent whoosh and I have seen many clients experience the same thing (if not more!). Knowing this can definitely help FREE YOUR MIND from obsessing over singular data points on the scale !!

That being said - if you are plateauing without any result for weeks/months on end - it's likely that you need to take a closer look at your programming - are you in a safe calorie deficit? How are your hormones (i.e. thyroid)? How is your level of stress? Are you precisely tracking your intake?Said with love --->  don't let concepts like these be excuses for you to rest on your laurels and not go after your goals.

Have you ever experienced the WHOOSH effect?

Let me know in the comments below!