When you lose weight, where does the fat actually go?

(James Gough) #1

C55H104O6. = Fat

Carbon, Oxygen and Hydrogen.

Most people believed that fat is converted to energy or heat, which violates the law of conservation of mass.

In fact, according to the BMJ https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g7257 , when somebody loses 10 kg of fat (triglyceride), 8.4 kg is exhaled as CO2 while the remaining 1.6 kg is lost as water in urine, feces, sweat, tears and other bodily fluids.

So, for the most part, the answer to the question is as follows:

When fat is lost, it is mostly exhaled as carbon dioxide (84%), with the remainder (16%) being excreted as water.

i.e. WE DON’T BURN FAT when we exercise…

Interestingly, this also means that the lungs are the primary excretory organ for fat.

#2

Interesting…

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In unrelated news, I am now the guru of the latest craze to lose fat…The Hyperventilation Diet! “Exhale Yourself Thin!” :wink: :rofl::rofl::rofl:

#3

Some interesting facts I read from a similar article-

"When a triglyceride is oxidized (or “burned up”), the process consumes many molecules of oxygen while producing carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) as waste products.

So, for example, to burn 10 kilograms (22 lbs.) of fat, a person needs to inhale 29 kg (64 lbs.) of oxygen. And the chemical process of burning that fat will produce 28 kg (62 lbs.) of carbon dioxide and 11 kg (24 lbs.) of water, the researchers calculated.

The calculations also show the frightening power of, for example, a small muffin over an hour of exercise: At rest, a person who weighs 154 pounds (70 kg) exhales just 8.9 mg of carbon with each breath. Even after an entire day, if this person only sits, sleeps, and does light activities, he or she exhales about 200 grams of carbon, the researchers calculated.

A 100 g muffin can cover 20 percent of what was lost.

On the other hand, replacing one hour of rest with exercise such as jogging, removes an additional 40 g of carbon from the body, the researchers said.

Even if one traces the fates of all the atoms in the body, the secret to weight loss remains the same: In order to lose weight, one needs to either eat less carbon or exercise more to remove extra carbon from the body."

No surprise then that keeping carbohydrates low assists in weight loss, considering that they themselves (like the fat we are trying to lose) are a combination of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms- Cm(H2O)n.

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #4

I researched this topic 5 months ago and discovered the same thing. I thought “well that is a lot of extra breaths” but I know it is the way it is. It is a cool part of the metabolic pathways.

(MyLove MyLife) #5

Never thought Fat = C55H104O6 Informative, After reading this I just googled it!! Thanks for sharing!!

(Omar) #6

so we are contributing directly to green house effect

(Alex ) #7

the REAL answer is, it ends up under the fridge… just like everything else that I lose…

#8

ir2384e0

…as do all of us who are on the weight loss journey. :smiley:

(Central Florida Bob ) #9

Apparently, it goes to Little Rock, Arkansas.

https://wallethub.com/edu/fattest-cities-in-america/10532/

(Daisy) #10

However, it shows how truly important proper breathing is when you exercise. When you’re taking those extra breaths and exhaling properly with each rep, I would propose (based off this article) that you really are burning fat when you exercise! :joy:

(Jane) #11

I can attest to that! Arkansas needs keto badly!!!

(Central Florida Bob ) #12

It probably works out that if you find five lists of the fattest cities in America, all five will be different, but that list is as good as any. So, obviously, no offense intended to anyone in Little Rock. Only been there once, on my way to Hot Springs area to collect quartz crystals.

#13

I’m sure the magic is that fat is converted to energy; CO2 is just a byproduct of those reactions.

I’ve also heard that fat cells only empty, they never disappear. This may be why after losing all the weight I can on keto (85+ lb) I only have a shadow of a six pack. I think all the fat cells are still there, just deflated. I’ve wondered about spending the money on the cold therapy I see advertised to get rid of it. Still, it doesn’t bother me much. I am absolutely thrilled with my weight loss.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #14

Sorry Chris, the Breatherians beat you to this by a couple of millenniums. Check out Indeia. It was popular in the late 70s early 80’s last century too.

#15

Ah but the difference is The Breatherians don’t eat, they just live on air.

My diet is different…eat all the crap you want, then when the guilt and anxiety inevitably strikes, you hyperventilate in sheer panic to lose all the extra weight! Simple! And as an introductory offer you get a free personalised brown paper bag to aid with your breathing (only $9.99). Hyper-V "It worked for Me!"

Disclaimer- [spoiler](The Hyper-V Diet may cause fainting, brown paper bag addiction and a painful death)[/spoiler] :wink::wink::wink:

#16

If guilt made you thin there would be no fat Catholics :smile:

#17

Hmmm

If that is true then how can the body produce its own body weight in ATP daily when we’re on a keto diet and burning mostly fat not carbs. 8.4+1.6=10kg leaves no room for any options.

I understand no organ runs on pure fat directly, for example, instead it’s ketones derived from fat …

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #18

Depends on how you mean that. The metabolism of a fatty acid into carbon dioxide and water is achieved by running it through a metabolic pathway called the Krebs cycle, in the mitochondria of either a muscle cell or a fat cell. Other cells metabolize ketone bodies, which are partial metabolites of fatty acids produced in the liver. People colloquially use the term “burn” as a synonym for “metabolize” because, like the burning of wood for fuel, it is a process that requires oxygen.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #19

They eventually do die, and are scavenged for parts. But they live for around ten years, I believe.

(Jane) #20

We’ve dug our own crystals at Mt Ida, Arkansas - lots of fun!

The last couple of trips we just shopped the roadside stands all along the highways in the area. Can get good quality crystals much cheaper than the rock shops.