Can you lose weight from eating your own body?

jessicapk

With Halloween pending, I think this is a highly appropriate topic! Can you lose weight from eating your own body parts? And the answer is YES!!! Think of it this way. Fat is the most calorie dense macronutrient at 3500 calories per pound. So, if you remove the pound of fat and then consume it, you will have physically lose a pound and gained it back at the same time. However, most of our bodies are made of more than just fat. There are the inedible parts like bones, tendons, etc. There is also the more lean parts that will not be as calorie dense. So, if you cut off your arm, for instance, and then consume the edible parts, pound for pound there is no way you can consume enough calories from it to offset the weight that you physically removed. Even once you re figure your BMR and TDEE from reduced overall body weight, it should still result in a net loss. Yes, calorie wise, you will be well over for the day if you consume 3500 calories worth of fat but you also physically lost that weight by removing it from your body.

Yes, it's a kooky subject but I seriously wondered when I was reading about shipwreck victims that were lost at sea with absolutely no food or water. If you could provide your own body organs and brain with the nutrients it needed and calorie intake by physically removing body parts that are not necessary for survival, could you prolong your life enough to survive the situation? If you were lost at sea for weeks and ran out of food and knew you needed to last another week before you could hit land, would it be worth eating part of your leg to keep your body hydrated and fed? Yes, the net effect would still be a calorie deficit but simply providing the body what it needs to keep organs and brain matter functioning would make it more like an MFP user eating 1500 calories a day versus someone who skipped meals entirely. On that note, I think I'm craving BRAINS!!!

momoftwins985

This is some stoned thinking I like it!

ladychris29

Too much trouble and clean up required. I'll stick to my current plan.