xochtlem 54 Posted April 20, 2016 Has anyone heard of or experienced this phenomenon, the "whoosh effect"? I read somewhere that as you lose fat, the cells fill with Water as a placeholder to regenerate fat, and then all of a sudden the Water is released from the fat cells and that's when your stall is broken. I'm just curious, because I'm 5 weeks out and the scale was moving pretty consistently until week 4. And for the past week it went up about .2 and has stayed there. I know I shouldn't be worried, but the irrational me keeps interrupting to suggest that maybe the surgery isn't going to work for me like it does everyone else, maybe I won't lose much weight at all. I know it's all in my head, but it's hard to reconcile after so many years of trying to lose weight, stalling, and gaining it right back. Lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shriner37 249 Posted April 20, 2016 I've heard something similar. From what I have read a stall occurs when the body is focusing on tearing down fat cells instead of just emptying them, which happens periodically throughout the weight loss process. This could explain why we tend to lose inches during a stall while we are not losing pounds. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2goldengirl 2,076 Posted April 20, 2016 It doesn't work that way. Your fat cells empty of volume when you burn fat, but they don't break down or disappear. That said, the body can, and does, choose to hold and release fluids, fats, and lean mass according to the body's own logic, and not necessarily as we would have it. Darnit!. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OutsideMatchInside 10,166 Posted April 20, 2016 I dunno about whoosh effect but I have noticed that I drop pounds, then I don't drop pounds, I drop inches, then I drop pounds. Now that I know what to expect it doesn't bother me. I actually love the inch loss in the "stalls". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Inner Surfer Girl 12,015 Posted April 20, 2016 Fat cells are full of Water. When we are no longer storing fat in those cells then we lose the water in those cells. As we lose weight our bodies have to rearrange and dismantle the structure that supports all that fat: blood vessels, skin, and other tissue. That is why we do not lose weight in a smooth and steady manner. This is also one of the reasons we need to stay hydrated. I definitely notice that I pee a lot around the times I show a significant loss on the scale.< /p> Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AmyNCgirl 12 Posted April 20, 2016 Has anyone heard of or experienced this phenomenon, the "whoosh effect"? I read somewhere that as you lose fat, the cells fill with Water as a placeholder to regenerate fat, and then all of a sudden the Water is released from the fat cells and that's when your stall is broken. I'm just curious, because I'm 5 weeks out and the scale was moving pretty consistently until week 4. And for the past week it went up about .2 and has stayed there. I know I shouldn't be worried, but the irrational me keeps interrupting to suggest that maybe the surgery isn't going to work for me like it does everyone else, maybe I won't lose much weight at all. I know it's all in my head, but it's hard to reconcile after so many years of trying to lose weight, stalling, and gaining it right back. Lol I was sleeved on 3/14 and I've hit this same experience as you. Except i've gained .2 almost daily for the last 3 days and it's getting really close to gaining a pound so I've feel your concern. I've reached out to my nutritionist to find out what I can do to break the stall. I'm more active because I've returned to work and walk the campus here 2x/day. Working on my Protein intake but otherwise I feel great. The scale just hasn't been nice to me after the 3rd week. Let's just keep focused and stay the course. I have seen the inches leave so there is still progress. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AmyNCgirl 12 Posted April 20, 2016 Has anyone heard of or experienced this phenomenon, the "whoosh effect"? I read somewhere that as you lose fat, the cells fill with Water as a placeholder to regenerate fat, and then all of a sudden the Water is released from the fat cells and that's when your stall is broken. I'm just curious, because I'm 5 weeks out and the scale was moving pretty consistently until week 4. And for the past week it went up about .2 and has stayed there. I know I shouldn't be worried, but the irrational me keeps interrupting to suggest that maybe the surgery isn't going to work for me like it does everyone else, maybe I won't lose much weight at all. I know it's all in my head, but it's hard to reconcile after so many years of trying to lose weight, stalling, and gaining it right back. Lol I was sleeved on 3/14 and I've hit this same experience as you. Except i've gained .2 almost daily for the last 3 days and it's getting really close to gaining a pound so I've feel your concern. I've reached out to my nutritionist to find out what I can do to break the stall. I'm more active because I've returned to work and walk the campus here 2x/day. Working on my Protein intake but otherwise I feel great. The scale just hasn't been nice to me after the 3rd week. Let's just keep focused and stay the course. I have seen the inches leave so there is still progress. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Inner Surfer Girl 12,015 Posted April 20, 2016 Here is one explanation of how fat is metabolized: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/what-happens-when-fat-is-burned.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OutsideMatchInside 10,166 Posted April 20, 2016 Except i've gained .2 almost daily for the last 3 days and it's getting really close to gaining a pound so I've feel your concern. .2 lb is 3.2 ounces. You really shouldn't be stressing over 3.2 ounces. Our bodies can vary by 4lbs any given day just on the content of our intestines and Water in our body. Your intestines are 25 feet long, think about all that can be held in 25 feet. Maybe weight once a week? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Babbs 14,681 Posted April 20, 2016 Except i've gained .2 almost daily for the last 3 days and it's getting really close to gaining a pound so I've feel your concern. .2 lb is 3.2 ounces. You really shouldn't be stressing over 3.2 ounces. Our bodies can vary by 4lbs any given day just on the content of our intestines and Water in our body. Your intestines are 25 feet long, think about all that can be held in 25 feet. Maybe weight once a week? Ah, the days of stressing over .2 oz of gain. You'll learn to get used to the fluctuations. It's just normal and natural for our bodies to fluctuate in weight hourly, daily, weekly. You'll also know (I mean REALLY know) when it's just your body fluctuating or from what you are or aren't eating. I've fluctuated 1-3 pounds for the past year. Doesn't affect me in the least anymore. Now if that number continued to go up, then I'll do what I need to do to adjust things. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Valentina 2,642 Posted April 20, 2016 Fat cells are full of Water. When we are no longer storing fat in those cells then we lose the Water in those cells. As we lose weight our bodies have to rearrange and dismantle the structure that supports all that fat: blood vessels, skin, and other tissue. That is why we do not lose weight in a smooth and steady manner. This is also one of the reasons we need to stay hydrated. I definitely notice that I pee a lot around the times I show a significant loss on the scale. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall Yes! Yes! and again, Yes!! I found that the legendary "race horse" and I had a great deal in common within the peeing category last night and this morning! Lordy! I thought I was never going to stop... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites