how long does it take fat to be removed from your body?

slemonfit

how long does it take fat weight to be removed from your body?
for example if you exercise for 2 hours and 875 calories (which is 1/4th of a pound) and you eat at your maintenance calories
and any water loss is replaced so we're not talking about water loss
how long does it take for that .25 pound worth of calories to be removed?
when you exercise does the fat just disappear from your body? or is it broken down into metabolic waste but you'll still weight the same until you go to the bathroom?

doctorregenerated

Following....

Holisticallylivin

I eat 1440 calories a day, don't exercise because I've been sick, and have been maintaining a two pound weight loss per week, but remember it depends on you and how you eat.

By the way, don't eat or drink anything with sugar for example coffee, but unfortunately, that is a HUGE factor into losing weight.

3500 calories equals 1 lb of fat.

12skipafew99100

Watch the scale and see. :laugh:

itsbasschick

as long as it takes you to burn / eat at a deficit equaling 87,500 calories (25x3500). i lose about a pound a week, so it would take me 25 weeks.

pbbagel

Interesting quesion! (following)

honey_tequila

Curious too...

Frank_Just_Frank

I recall someone telling me the fat gets converted partly into carbon dioxide and partly as water....so yes...burning fat can be part of the water weight you hold onto...you could be burning more fat than you know, the scale won't budge, you'll get pi$$ed but everything's alright.

thecharizardtamer

When the fat leaves the body does it get replaced with muscle? I know answering a question with a question. sorry.

sodakat

Here's an explantion from "How Stuff Works":

Hormones regulating our blood sugar levels activate an enzyme in the blood vessels of fat tissue called lipase. Lipase ignites fat cells to release macromolecules called triglycerides, which are what make fat cells fat. Triglycerides are made of glycerol and three fatty acid chains. When they receive the signal from lipase to exit the fat cells, the triglycerides break up into their respective components and enter the bloodstream for use. The liver snatches up the glycerol to break it down for energy, and some of the fatty acids move to the muscles that can farm them for energy as well.

This action of breaking down triglycerides into usable energy is called lipolysis. Once inside the mitochrondia, or power source, or muscle or liver cells, the components of the glycerol and fatty acids are shuffled and reshuffled to harness their energy potential, producing heat, water, carbon dioxide and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP hauls potential energy in its molecular bonds for use when we exercise like cellular carb loading. The water exits our bodies as sweat and urine, and we exhale the carbon dioxide.

mikevandewetering

When the fat leaves the body does it get replaced with muscle? I know answering a question with a question. sorry.

No it doesn't. Your body uses fat as enegery (your body breaks down fats into glycerol and fatty acids in the process of lipolysis. The fatty acids can then be broken down directly to get energy) . They say it takes you 9000 cals to burn 1kg, so lets say your in a deflict of 500 cals a day 7 days a week. it would take 18 days to lose 1 kg. But then again it is a esstimate, because one cannot be totaly sure if 1kg of fat is 9000 cals for your specificly.

LAT1963

I'm interpreting your question differently.

In observing my own weight loss patterns (I weigh daily), I see a change in my weight the second morning after a particular calorie-deficit. This is not backed up by any statistically valid study that I know of, but it is my personal observation of my own data.

And yeah, you don't poop out fat--you pee out the oxygen and hydrogen as water and exhale the carbon as CO2.

Poop is undigestible food residues, bacteria, water, bile (this is how your body dumps excess cholesterol), and probably a few traces of your body carbon as glycosaminoglycans in mucous.

cassique

Here's an explantion from "How Stuff Works":

Hormones regulating our blood sugar levels activate an enzyme in the blood vessels of fat tissue called lipase. Lipase ignites fat cells to release macromolecules called triglycerides, which are what make fat cells fat. Triglycerides are made of glycerol and three fatty acid chains. When they receive the signal from lipase to exit the fat cells, the triglycerides break up into their respective components and enter the bloodstream for use. The liver snatches up the glycerol to break it down for energy, and some of the fatty acids move to the muscles that can farm them for energy as well.

This action of breaking down triglycerides into usable energy is called lipolysis. Once inside the mitochrondia, or power source, or muscle or liver cells, the components of the glycerol and fatty acids are shuffled and reshuffled to harness their energy potential, producing heat, water, carbon dioxide and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP hauls potential energy in its molecular bonds for use when we exercise like cellular carb loading. The water exits our bodies as sweat and urine, and we exhale the carbon dioxide.

This is the answer to what I hAve been trying to figure out all along. My assumption is that our bodies are doing this all day long. Using up whatever is readily available first, and storing whatever is left over, then tapping into those stores when needed. So at any given moment our bodies are using energy and storing energy. If you are in a deficit and burning calories your body is tapping into those fat stores. My understanding is that the body will first choose what is most efficient, turning first to calories that haven't been stored, then to stored calories in fat cells, then to muscle. Does that sound right?

mikevandewetering

This is the answer to what I hAve been trying to figure out all along. My assumption is that our bodies are doing this all day long. Using up whatever is readily available first, and storing whatever is left over, then tapping into those stores when needed. So at any given moment our bodies are using energy and storing energy. If you are in a deficit and burning calories your body is tapping into those fat stores. My understanding is that the body will first choose what is most efficient, turning first to calories that haven't been stored, then to stored calories in fat cells, then to muscle. Does that sound right?

Thats indeed the simple version of it, yes

LAT1963

When the fat leaves the body does it get replaced with muscle? I know answering a question with a question. sorry.

No. Fat leaving the body does not get replaced by muscle.

When you exercise, you create a signal to your body to build muscle in the exercised groups. After you exercise, resources are directed to the exercised areas to repair any damage and to build up areas that have been strained without damage so that they can endure that level of strain more safely. The resources used for this build-up phase come from your food and some may also come from fat.

The fact the actual muscle-building occurs during the rest phase between exercise is why weight-lifting can be very effective done only once or twice a week. You need frequent enough signals that the body doesn't slack off building or maintaining muscle. But you also need the down-time for the actual building to occur.

it is sort of like your body is doing road work. Habitual congestion at rush-hour signals the government that the road needs expansion, but the actual road-work is done off-hours when traffic is light.

geebusuk

I'd look at it as a weekly deficit.

If you average 250 calories a day deficit, you should have lost 1/2lb of fat at the end of the week.

Of course, it's not really THAT simple, but as a guide that should be good enough.

(Ie, some may be muscle and so on.)

A better way to look at it, I would suggest, is to see how much you've lost over a week (with daily reading averaged) and from that work out your average daily deficit.

cwolfman13

When the fat leaves the body does it get replaced with muscle? I know answering a question with a question. sorry.

no...

muscle has to be built...

PlumpKitten

>> When the fat leaves the body does it get replaced with muscle? I know answering a question with a question. sorry.

No. Fat and muscle are two different kinds of tissue. They are separate,
If you diet and cut calories, you lose fat.
If you exercise, you tone and build muscle.

If you diet without exercise - your body will be thinner (less fat), but not any more muscular, stronger or "in-shape"
If you exercise without diet - your body will be stronger (more muscle), but not necessarily much thinner.

KseRz

how long does it take fat weight to be removed from your body?
for example if you exercise for 2 hours and 875 calories (which is 1/4th of a pound) and you eat at your maintenance calories
and any water loss is replaced so we're not talking about water loss
how long does it take for that .25 pound worth of calories to be removed?
when you exercise does the fat just disappear from your body? or is it broken down into metabolic waste but you'll still weight the same until you go to the bathroom?

If you knew the answer to all of these questions, what positive impact would it have on your life?

If you arent concerned with losing fat by the hour......then who cares?

geebusuk

To add to the above - replacing fat with muscle is actually very hard - for most people most of the time it's a case of EITHER losing fat OR gaining muscle.

There are some exceptions, but your body can do one the other well, but rarely both at the same time.

cassique

I'm interpreting your question differently.

In observing my own weight loss patterns (I weigh daily), I see a change in my weight the second morning after a particular calorie-deficit. This is not backed up by any statistically valid study that I know of, but it is my personal observation of my own data.

And yeah, you don't poop out fat--you pee out the oxygen and hydrogen as water and exhale the carbon as CO2.

Poop is undigestible food residues, bacteria, water, bile (this is how your body dumps excess cholesterol), and probably a few traces of your body carbon as glycosaminoglycans in mucous.

I also notice a 2 day delay for both losses and gains. When I over do it one day (especially if it was a day where I drank alcohol) the scale shows me my consequence two days/ later just like when I have an extreme low calorie day.

SLLRunner

When the fat leaves the body does it get replaced with muscle? I know answering a question with a question. sorry.

I don't think so. Muscle is built from resistance training.

UrbanEmby

On average what you do today you will see the effect about 3 days later weather you add weight or lose weight.

thecharizardtamer

Thank you, I learned a lot today!

eggomylegos

In for science...

1princesswarrior

I may be wrong and this is too much science on a Sunday afternoon but I always thought the only way to get rid of fat was through surgery.

Don't fat cells just reproduce once they reach a certain size? Can't we shrink them but never get rid of them? Unless of course you know a good plastic surgeon.

jimmmer

There's a paper by Alpert et al that claims the maximum amount that can be liberated from fat stores is 31.4 cals/lb/day. I've never read the paper and don't know if it's good science or not, so there's that.

So the maximum deficit according to this would be dependant upon how much fat mass you're carrying. And that's different for everyone.

This would suggest that the leaner you are, then the smaller the deficit you need to run in order not to chew up your lbm. But people doing heavy lifting with high protein have routinely claimed to lose fat with large deficits and not drop muscle mass, so there's that.

So you can chose to believe a single paper you've probably never read or a bunch of anecdotal reports.

PennyVonDread

When the fat leaves the body does it get replaced with muscle? I know answering a question with a question. sorry.

I don't think so. Muscle is built from resistance training.

AND a calorie surplus or at least high protein at about maintenance. Muscle is not easy to gain, it takes serious work and a caloric intake. Granted, burning fat will make the muscle you already have more visible ("toned" look) but it's only more apparent because it's not hidden under a layer of fat.
That's not to say you should only lift weights when you're trying to build muscle, though. Lifting at a caloric defecit during weight loss helps boost metabolism (even for hours after you're done lifting that day), increase strength (which is NOT the same as muscle MASS, function=/=size) and helps retain muscle mass so that your weight loss is FAT loss, not muscle loss. Serious calorie restriction can break down musce, fat, and bone tissue for energy, so the weight loss efforts are actually hindered after a while because having muscle mass effects metabolism. I think what more people are really aiming for is a reduction in body fat percentage, not just "weight" loss but emphasis on fat loss.

randomtai

I may be wrong and this is too much science on a Sunday afternoon but I always thought the only way to get rid of fat was through surgery.

Don't fat cells just reproduce once they reach a certain size? Can't we shrink them but never get rid of them? Unless of course you know a good plastic surgeon.

Now I have heard everything. :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway:

LAT1963

I may be wrong and this is too much science on a Sunday afternoon but I always thought the only way to get rid of fat was through surgery.

Don't fat cells just reproduce once they reach a certain size? Can't we shrink them but never get rid of them? Unless of course you know a good plastic surgeon.

I'd better go look that up because I forgot exactly what happens. Fat cells tend to just get bigger, not reproduce; now humanity is learning about stem cells it seems more likely that stem cells differentiate to add to the number of fat cells when there's excess food, rather than the fat cells themselves dividing.

Most non-neural tissue types have a rate of dying off and being replaced. It's possible long-term that the natural attrition of fat cells isn't replenished if you don't over-eat--there may be a natural way to lose fat cells if you are patient over a period of years. But at this moment I don't happen to know the answer.

amusedmonkey

There's a paper by Alpert et al that claims the maximum amount that can be liberated from fat stores is 31.4 cals/lb/day. I've never read the paper and don't know if it's good science or not, so there's that.

So the maximum deficit according to this would be dependant upon how much fat mass you're carrying. And that's different for everyone.

This would suggest that the leaner you are, then the smaller the deficit you need to run in order not to chew up your lbm. But people doing heavy lifting with high protein have routinely claimed to lose fat with large deficits and not drop muscle mass, so there's that.

So you can chose to believe a single paper you've probably never read or a bunch of anecdotal reports.

Interesting, but is that 31 calories per pound of body weight or per pound of fat? Because if it's per pound of body weight you run the issue of certain organs and structures having different calorie uptakes, not to mention the maximum deficit would be very large even for a tiny 100 pound woman.

If it's per fat, does that mean that women can handle a more steep calorie cut than men before the body starts tapping into other kinds of tissue for energy because they naturally have more fat?

Edit: Does this work both ways? In the sense that if there is a maximal amount fat to be burned per day is there a maximal amount for storing it?

I may be wrong and this is too much science on a Sunday afternoon but I always thought the only way to get rid of fat was through surgery.

Don't fat cells just reproduce once they reach a certain size? Can't we shrink them but never get rid of them? Unless of course you know a good plastic surgeon.

If you're asking if the body can get rid of fat cells, I'm not sure, I would need to read more about the subject. If your question about fat itself, yes, you can get rid of it. That's why the cells shrink when you lose weight, because they lose some of the fat substance in them.