When You Lose Weight, Where Does the Fat Actually Go?

So many people spend their lives trying to burn fat and lose weight but how much do we really know about how this process actually works? Where does the fat actually go? What is the fat burning process? It’s amazing really that so many people try so hard to achieve fat loss but very few people, even doctors and professionals actually know, how and where the fat goes. It’s all very well eating less calories, eating healthy foods, exercising, etc, but how and where does the fat actually go when you lose weight?

There is a common misconception that fat can be turned into muscle and muscle can be turned into fat, etc. And the big myth with fat burning is that the fat is somehow converted into energy or heat. This isn’t true. A great new study by UNSW explains how the vast majority of the fat is actually breathed out as carbon dioxide.

The study shows how for a 10kg weight loss 8.4kg is exhaled as carbon dioxide. So the lungs are actually the primary excretory organs for weight loss. The remainder becomes water and is excreted through breathing, urine, sweating and other bodily fluids.

The studies shows that in order to lose 10kg or fat, you need to breathe in 29kg of oxygen and that will then produce 28kg or carbon and 11 kg of water. Your body basically has to break to down those compounds and then they are exhaled as carbon dioxide.

Sidenote – Breathing in itself cannot cause weight loss!

What Does This Mean for You?

It means you now understand what is happening when you are losing weight. Which is a good thing, knowledge is power isn’t it? But practically speaking it doesn’t alter the way you should go about trying to achieve weight loss. These findings don’t change the fact that a calorie controlled diet alongside exercise is the best way to lose weight.

Conclusion – Where Does The Fat Actually Go?

Its exhaled as carbon dioxide. Sort of simple when you really think about it. But I bet if you asked 10 people that question you would be lucky to find 1 of them knows the answer. So know you know how it works, get on with achieving it!

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