The Low-Carb Whoosh Fairy

Is the Low-Carb Whoosh Fairy real?

Weight loss isn't linear. In fact, water fluctuations are so common on low-carb diets that the whooshes you get when the body releases all of that water is called, The Whoosh Fairy. 

When waiting for that whoosh, it can feel like it's never going to happen, but the body can only stall for so long.

The aim in using low carb is to use up excess body fat. It's not really about the number on the scale, so here's what's going on when the scale doesn't want to move no matter what you do.

When you have been faithful to your low-carb diet and you have done everything by the book, it can be difficult to watch the scales not budge -- even a tenth of a pound. 

People at low-carb forums and blogs often forget what it feels like to be a low-carb newbie, so they will simply tell you to be patient, that the Low-Carb Whoosh Fairy will pay you a visit soon. 

"You just need to have a little faith." 

With no where else to turn, you spend the hours praying for the Low-Carb Whoosh Fairy to pay you a visit. But it is taking soooo long that you've begun to wonder if you're just wasting your time. 

Should you keep doing what you're doing and give your low-carb diet a little more time to work? 

Or should you chuck it all and try something else?

Why You Aren't Losing Weight on Low Carb

Under normal conditions, fat cells contain around 90% triglycerides. Triglycerides are simply the storage form of fat. The other 10% of the fat cell is composed of a variety of other things, but mostly glycerol. A small portion of those other things is water. 

After your fat cells empty out their triglycerides, due to carbohydrate restriction, the body temporarily replaces that metabolized fat with water. 

It does this for a couple of reasons.

Sometimes, the amount of water lost during Atkins Induction is perceived by the body to be dehydration. In that case, the empty fat cells are used to store water that might be needed to save your life. 

Even if you're drinking a boat-load of water, the body will still interpret those huge Atkins Induction weight losses as a serious threat to your life and hold some of the water back.

If you have a history of yo-yo dieting, the body will quickly stuff water into your fat cells, so it doesn't have to shrink them.

It does this because it anticipates that additional calories will be coming in soon, and the body always takes the easiest path. If this isn't the first time you've gone on a low-carb diet, water retention will be a problem throughout the journey.

Just expect it.

While all of this is happening, you won't see any weight loss on the scale. But the body cannot hold onto the excess water forever. Eventually, the body dumps the excess water, and you'll then be able to see how much weight you have actually lost.

This weight-loss delay is why you can do everything right for weeks at a time yet have no weight loss show up on the scale. Then, all of a sudden, out of the blue, the body sheds several pounds of water almost overnight.

The Whoosh Fairy is that whoosh that often follows what appears to be a weight-loss stall.

Yes, the Whoosh Fairy is Real!

So yeah, the Whoosh Fairy is real. 

But it can be quite difficult waiting for her to arrive, especially if you insist on keeping a dieting mindset. A dieting mindset is that mindset that says you are either on or off of a weight-loss diet. 

Does that sound like you? 

If so, this type of yo-yo thinking sets you up for failure. 

If you believe you are on a diet, rather than embarking on a journey to recreate yourself, you are likely to set up unrealistic expectations. You'll let the numbers on the scale govern your mood, attitude, and even whether or not you continue on with your low-carb lifestyle.

While there's nothing wrong with choosing to live that way, it's the reason why you feel so miserable right now.

When you chuck the dieting mind-set:

There is no such thing as going off your low-carb diet because you were never on a diet to begin with. You can relax about the whole weight-loss issue and enjoy the:

• new low-carb food
• increased energy
• better health
• non-hunger

And all of the other perks that come with a low-carb lifestyle.

It is always best to allow your body to set the weight-loss pace because rushing head-first into vanity isn't going to get you to your weight-loss goal any faster. Losing body fat is only one aspect of a complete lifestyle change. Your emotions and mindset have to change along with your weight.

Vanity is the false picture you have of your self.
At goal weight, that false image will still be there
unless you take the steps to change how you think. 

Indulging in vanity will only make the weight-loss journey more miserable. It will also make weight management more difficult and hard to maintain.

So yeah, expect the Whoosh Fairy to show up . . . 

Sometime . . . 

But don't allow her delay to bring misery and failure into your life. Make it a point to live up to your commitment to recreate yourself. Your WHOLE self. Tell yourself that quitting isn't an option. 

You can do this.