Strahil's Tips: Weight Loss and Abrupt Removal During Diet

Photo: konsciousketo

In this article, we will discuss stagnation and abrupt changes in weight while following a diet weight loss.

These are two of the main problems we face when trying to lose weight. It is rare for a person to lose weight smoothly, with steady, steady progress throughout their regime. Unfortunately, weight loss is not a uniform process.

Sometimes you may notice that the scale does not move for days, even weeks, even though you adhere strictly to your diet and your workouts. And vice versa - one fine morning you get up, do your checkweighing and see that you have magically lost a lot more weight than normal in one day…

Stagnation and abrupt weight loss sounds like quite the opposite, but in fact it is quite possible that the reason behind them is the same.

What is the Whoosh Effect?

Wash effect. A term that does not have an exact translation into Bulgarian. Even in English the choice of words is, to put it mildly, strange…

If you are trying to burn fat and lose weight, you may sometimes notice that a part of your body that used to have fat now has a soft, fluffy texture.

Unpleasant, isn't it? You expect that once you've gotten rid of unwanted fat, you will already have a tight and embossed body, but - surprise! You are facing this fluff that has nothing to do with your expectations. And worse - it looks a lot like cellulite, which further upsets you ...

This is because (in theory) with the mobilization and burning of the fat deposits in the cells, the space they occupied is now filled with water, making this part of the body softer than normal. This can happen in places we see or internally where we cannot see it. The area occupied may be quite large and palpable, or it may be at a microscopic level only. Where there used to be fat stores, there is now water retained.

This swelling can last from several days to 1-2 weeks. Yes, you've burned fat, but since their space is filled with water, you don't see a difference either in the scale or in your measures and you think, "Where the hell am I confusing? "

Anxiety, worries, demotivation begin and you are on the verge of giving up!… But one day, suddenly and for no apparent reason, all these soft areas tighten and shrink. Miraculously, you look tighter and tighter, and even the scales and the meter show visible progress.

This is precisely what is called the so-called. Whoosh effect

Water retention in the place of burned fat, which is abruptly excreted after a while, within a day.

Here, the cause of the stagnation, as well as the sudden change in weight afterwards, may indeed be the same.

Therefore, we must be patient and give the body time to adjust. We should not rush to reduce calories or increase exercise at the first stagnation. It is possible that the body is simply in such a stage of replacing some of the fat with water.

It is because of this retention effect that the weight differences you see on the scales are, in fact, almost always from the fat you burned a few days or a week ago. You cannot burn 1kg of fat overnight. But you can throw away so much water at the same time.

Sudden weight loss at the beginning of the regimen there may be, but there is another reason. It is usually due to reduced carbohydrate intake, which results in the release of previously retained water. Each gram of carbohydrate retains about 3 ml of water. What does science say about it?

Frankly, there is not much research on this theory. We know that the "whoosh effect" (sudden discharge of water retention) has, but what exactly causes it is not very certain.

The answer may lie in one study - "The Minnesota Starvation Experiment".

A group of men undergo a high calorie deficit regimen with high physical activity for 6 months to study the effect of hunger on the psyche and physiology.

A smooth and steady weight loss was observed at the beginning of the experiment, but over time it acquired a constant and unpredictable character with periods of stagnation followed by rapid weight loss overnight. Scientists pay more attention to the problem and find the cause - water retention.

Their doubts were confirmed when, at night, after a heavy charging dinner (over 2000 kcal), to celebrate the halving of the experiment, all participants often urinated, causing their weight to drop sharply as water was discarded.

What is the conclusion?

One rich on carbohydrates, a fasting meal, or a fasting day during a calorie deficit can trigger a whoosh effect that throws out water from the body and helps us overcome stagnation. The calories for a loading day are about the balance in which you neither download nor upload. You can measure the calorie balance in this calorie calculator.

As a guide, take about 4-6 grams of carbs per kilogram of lean muscle mass during loading.

Charging has long been proven to be a successful weight management practice, and it can be one of its many benefits.

How to avoid the Whoosh effect?

The truth is that you cannot, or rather do not need to prevent it. This is the way your body can cope with fat loss. In any case, it is temporary and will not prevent you in the long run.

And you already know what causes it and how to release it. So, if in the last few days or weeks you feel that you are stuck in one place and do not see progress, do not panic, do not rush to change your diet or training. Maybe a charging meal or a charging day is the key that will help you get back into rhythm…

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