So, you may or may not have heard this theory before, but it's one of those "I wish I'd known about that earlier" things that I recently started to understand. When you are on a weight loss journey, you sometimes will experience stalls or periods of unexplained plateaus. You're doing everything right, but you're not losing weight. It can get super frustrating, but there may be a scientific reason why it's happening. I've touched on this a little bit before, but today I wanted to explain it in a little better detail to provide some clarity, and hopefully, some encouragement if you've found yourself in a weight loss stall.
So, I've talked before about how your body puts in a lot of work to keep us healthy and thriving. Sometimes, if you change your eating habits suddenly, or are losing weight too quickly, your body will work to slow down the process, in case this might indicate that you are starving or in crisis. We know that we're not starving, but our metabolism doesn't necessarily understand this. All it knows is that it's fat cells, some that have been there for a long time, are disappearing really quickly. Sometimes, it will slow the process by filling those vacating fat cells with water. It will pull water from your dietary water intake, or from other places in the body, and fill of these depleting fat cells to prevent injury or starvation.
If you've recently switched over to Keto, or changed your eating habits for the better in another way, this may be a thing that occasionally happens. Your fat cells will respond logically to your change in diet, and begin shrinking. And in return, your body will slow the process by filling this up with water.
What this feels like at first: it feels like you are losing weight, feeling better in your clothes or just in your skin, but the scale isn't moving OR it has even gone up by a couple of pounds.
This can be, understandably, super frustrating! However, after a while, when your diet changes prove to be consistent, and you add in exercise to spur the process along, your cells will release the water, collapse and disappear. This is the "fat woosh."
What this feels like: lots of water being released in the form of urine and sweat.
I can tell I'm experiencing a woosh when I start peeing and sweating like crazy, and inevitably, see a drop in my weight over the next day or two. Now that I'm aware of what causes this, I just think of it as my body's way of cleaning house and getting ready to drop down to the next weight milestone. 😁
Things that can also cause water retention:
1. Stress/Anxiety. Stress triggers cortisol production, cortisol encourages your body to hold on to excess fat or even produce more. We can't always control outside stress, but it's important (not just for weight loss, but for everyday sanity) to be mindful of our environmental stress and find ways to de-stress. Exercise, meditation, self care, and more sleep can be helpful in this way.
2. HORMONES. If you are a female, you are going to experience fluctuations all throughout your monthly cycle. Even if you are post-menopausal, female hormones have a big influence on our ability to lose weight. This is another thing we can't really control, though making healthy food choices and eating a ketogenic diet can have a great affect on our hormonal regulation. If yours feel out of control, and you have been unable to lose weight for over two months, you are excessively exhausted, or excessively moody, talk to your Doctor. You may need a little extra help regulating your hormones.
3. Medication: Certain medications, including antibiotics, can cause weight gain or water retention. Before starting a new medication, communicate with your Doctor that you are in the process of losing weight and ask about the side effects of the prescribed medication, or for an alternate medication that will not cause weight gain. My Psychiatrist has been great about understanding my health goals and helping me find medications that won't cause weight gain.
The moral of the story here is STAY CONSISTENT. There are some things, like those listed above, that happen while on a weight loss journey that are mostly out of our control. Sometimes it's necessary for us to roll with the punches and take things as they come, but don't lose sight of your goal. A fat woosh happens when your body learns that your dietary changes are here for good, and not just something you're trying for a week. Keep going, and you will accomplish your goals!
Do you want to start losing weight with a ketogenic diet but don't know where to start? My e-book is here to help.
Follow me on Instagram @keto_rebekah for all of the updates on my ketogenic lifestyle.
So, I've talked before about how your body puts in a lot of work to keep us healthy and thriving. Sometimes, if you change your eating habits suddenly, or are losing weight too quickly, your body will work to slow down the process, in case this might indicate that you are starving or in crisis. We know that we're not starving, but our metabolism doesn't necessarily understand this. All it knows is that it's fat cells, some that have been there for a long time, are disappearing really quickly. Sometimes, it will slow the process by filling those vacating fat cells with water. It will pull water from your dietary water intake, or from other places in the body, and fill of these depleting fat cells to prevent injury or starvation.
If you've recently switched over to Keto, or changed your eating habits for the better in another way, this may be a thing that occasionally happens. Your fat cells will respond logically to your change in diet, and begin shrinking. And in return, your body will slow the process by filling this up with water.
What this feels like at first: it feels like you are losing weight, feeling better in your clothes or just in your skin, but the scale isn't moving OR it has even gone up by a couple of pounds.
This can be, understandably, super frustrating! However, after a while, when your diet changes prove to be consistent, and you add in exercise to spur the process along, your cells will release the water, collapse and disappear. This is the "fat woosh."
What this feels like: lots of water being released in the form of urine and sweat.
I can tell I'm experiencing a woosh when I start peeing and sweating like crazy, and inevitably, see a drop in my weight over the next day or two. Now that I'm aware of what causes this, I just think of it as my body's way of cleaning house and getting ready to drop down to the next weight milestone. 😁
Things that can also cause water retention:
1. Stress/Anxiety. Stress triggers cortisol production, cortisol encourages your body to hold on to excess fat or even produce more. We can't always control outside stress, but it's important (not just for weight loss, but for everyday sanity) to be mindful of our environmental stress and find ways to de-stress. Exercise, meditation, self care, and more sleep can be helpful in this way.
2. HORMONES. If you are a female, you are going to experience fluctuations all throughout your monthly cycle. Even if you are post-menopausal, female hormones have a big influence on our ability to lose weight. This is another thing we can't really control, though making healthy food choices and eating a ketogenic diet can have a great affect on our hormonal regulation. If yours feel out of control, and you have been unable to lose weight for over two months, you are excessively exhausted, or excessively moody, talk to your Doctor. You may need a little extra help regulating your hormones.
3. Medication: Certain medications, including antibiotics, can cause weight gain or water retention. Before starting a new medication, communicate with your Doctor that you are in the process of losing weight and ask about the side effects of the prescribed medication, or for an alternate medication that will not cause weight gain. My Psychiatrist has been great about understanding my health goals and helping me find medications that won't cause weight gain.
The moral of the story here is STAY CONSISTENT. There are some things, like those listed above, that happen while on a weight loss journey that are mostly out of our control. Sometimes it's necessary for us to roll with the punches and take things as they come, but don't lose sight of your goal. A fat woosh happens when your body learns that your dietary changes are here for good, and not just something you're trying for a week. Keep going, and you will accomplish your goals!
Do you want to start losing weight with a ketogenic diet but don't know where to start? My e-book is here to help.
Follow me on Instagram @keto_rebekah for all of the updates on my ketogenic lifestyle.
Comments
Post a Comment