Where does it go...?

bandedsandi · January 2013

Can someone please tell me where does the fat, that we are all trying so hard to lose, actually go?

I've always assumed that it gets expelled from your body - as ketones - through sweat and breathing (that's why you exercise...?), and urine and faeces (that's why you drink lots of water...?). But now I'm starting to wonder...

Some people on this forum have said its not needed to drink lots of water, and some others have said they don't exercise and still lose weight. So where'd it go???

Or do the fat cells just shrink and just stay dormant in your body, waiting to be re-activated the moment you see, smell or put something delish in your mouth and then swell up to gargantuan blobs of fat again?

Can somebody please tell me how it all works?

ninerbuff · January 2013

Can someone please tell me where does the fat, that we are all trying so hard to lose, actually go?

I've always assumed that it gets expelled from your body - as ketones - through sweat and breathing (that's why you exercise...?), and urine and faeces (that's why you drink lots of water...?). But now I'm starting to wonder...

Some people on this forum have said its not needed to drink lots of water, and some others have said they don't exercise and still lose weight. So where'd it go???

Or do the fat cells just shrink and just stay dormant in your body, waiting to be re-activated the moment you see, smell or put something delish in your mouth and then swell up to gargantuan blobs of fat again?

Can somebody please tell me how it all works?

You DON"T lose fat cells. You deplete them. They will always be there (unless surgically removed). Fat is lost mostly as energy usage. You eat less than you burn, then the calories needed will come from stored fat. Some is lost through expelling waste, but the majority is from energy usage.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

katy_trail · January 2013

From what I've read, much of the 'waste' exits from the body- sweat, tears, bathroom, like you said.
Unless you get libosuction or some other similar procedure, the fat cells do stay in your body.
That's why we regain the weight so easy. But hopefully, with healthy lifestyle, we overcome that,
and keep it off.

It is possible to eat less and not exercise or move more and not eat less, eat the same amount,
but it's easier and healthier to move more and eat a little less.

Natihilator · January 2013

Yeah, fat cells only shrink and don't really go away unless you lipo or cut them out, cruel reality. I read a report somewhere that said EVENTUALLY, after lots of hard work and diligence and doing everything right, some fat cells may shrivel up and die with time, but I don't know where the article was from or if it was peer-reviewed, the authors credentials, etc. so I'm not giving it much more worth than a nice bedtime story.