When You Lose Weight Where Does It Go?
I was recently watching an episode of My 600 Pound Life. While the family was waiting for Dr. Now, one of the family members said, “You can pee out fat; that’s how you lose it, so drink lots and lots of water”. I thought, what? That sounds like a bunch of bull. So I decided to do a little research on what happens to fat when you lose weight.
The world is in a frenzy over fad diets and weight loss, but do we really understand how a kilogram of fat disappears from our bodies? It turns out that even the experts that have been surveyed — including 150 doctors, dietitians, and personal trainers — were stumped by this question.
The most common misconception was that fat is converted to energy, but this violates the law of conservation of matter. Others believed that fat turns into muscle, which is physically impossible, or that it simply escapes through the colon. Shockingly, only three respondents knew the answer, leaving 98% of health professionals clueless about how weight loss really works.
So, where does the fat go? Follow along as we uncover the truth behind this remarkable process.
Facts About Fat And Metabolism
Fat is converted into two things: carbon dioxide and water. But here’s where it gets even more interesting — you actually exhale the carbon dioxide, and the water mixes into your circulation until it’s eventually lost as urine or sweat. Now, let’s talk numbers. If you shed 10 pounds of fat, 8.4 pounds of it exits your body through your lungs as carbon dioxide. The remaining 1.6 pounds is transformed into water, which is then eliminated through your bodily fluids. In other words, almost all of the weight we lose is exhaled. Who knew that breathing plays such a crucial role in our weight loss journey?
Did you know that your lungs play a crucial role in the digestion process? It may come as a surprise, but almost everything we consume ends up exiting our bodies through our breath. Carbohydrates, fats, and even alcohol are converted into carbon dioxide and water before being exhaled.
Protein also follows the same path, with only a small portion transforming into urea and other solids that are excreted through urine. So, the next time you take a deep breath, remember that you’re not just inhaling air but also releasing the byproducts of your last meal.
Can Just Breathing Make You Thin Then?
Before you start hyperventilating in hopes of shedding those extra pounds, unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Hyperventilation will only make you dizzy or, worse, faint. So how can you increase the amount of carbon dioxide your body produces? By moving your muscles, of course.
But don’t worry, you don’t have to become a gym rat to boost your metabolism. Did you know that simply standing up and getting dressed can double your metabolic rate? That’s right, you could burn more than 1,200 grams (42 ounces) of carbon dioxide just by trying on all your outfits for a day. And if you’re looking for a more active way to increase your metabolism, going for a walk, cooking, vacuuming, and sweeping can triple your metabolic rate. So go ahead and get moving — your body (and your waistline) will thank you for it.
Did you know that metabolizing 100 ounces of fat actually requires a consumption of 290 ounces of oxygen? And that the process yields 280 ounces of carbon dioxide and 110 ounces of water? Surprisingly, the food you consume has no effect on these figures. In order to lose those 100 ounces of fat, you must exhale 280 ounces of carbon dioxide, in addition to what is produced by vaporizing all of your food. It’s a common misconception that weight loss is all about the food you eat, but in reality, any diet that provides less fuel than you burn will do the job.
So the next time you’re trying to shed those extra pounds, remember that it all comes down to the simple science of metabolism and respiration.
Conclusion
So it turns out that the family member who said that you pee out fat was partially right. Fat that you lose is mostly exhaled in carbon dioxide. The water that is left over is peed out. This fascinating process is a result of the metabolic breakdown of fat in the body, where the majority of the fat is converted into carbon dioxide and water, which are then eliminated through respiration, perspiration, and urination. It’s truly remarkable how the human body manages the disposal of fat through such essential bodily functions, underscoring the interconnectedness of respiration, perspiration and dedication in the journey towards a healthier lifestyle.
Writer, blogger and 60 something housewife who is exploring the keto diet. Follow me on my journey of discovery. View all posts by Janice Schroeder
Originally published at https://fromcarbstoketo.com on July 1, 2024.
