Where does it go?

jamcdonel
jamcdonel Posts: 533 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This may be a little weird, but here goes.

I am currently losing about two pounds a week, (yay me!) But where does it go?

Due to the Laws of conservation of Matter and Energy, it has to go somewhere. I understand that part of it goes down the porcelain convenience, but....wow. Am I really pooping out 2 pounds more than I eat on a weekly basis?

I took biochemistry (shudder) and physiology way back in the day, but somehow they never got around to this bit.

Things that make you go hmmmmm.

Replies

  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,158 Member
    There was a thread recently about this called "A couple of things about weight loss". I'm not sure how to link it. It was really interesting and answers this question. If you search the title you should find it.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I remember watching a tedtalk on this...and if I remember correctly we literally breath it out...
  • Tubbs216
    Tubbs216 Posts: 6,597 Member
    Oh there's a great video which explains it really well, which hopefully someone will post. Yes, some goes down the loo in both forms, but a lot gets excreted in breath, which surprised me.
  • CJsf1t
    CJsf1t Posts: 414 Member
    Most of it goes out as CO2 and water. That is , through breathing, pee, and some sweating too.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    I remember watching a tedtalk on this...and if I remember correctly we literally breath it out...

    Yes. We breathe out a lot of water but it also gets expended as heat. There's a reason why we call it "burning calories". Calories are a measure of heat, specifically 1 calorie is the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C (now usually defined as 4.1868 joules).
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    You mostly breathe it out. Some is lost in sweat, urine, and feces, but most of the fat is converted to CO2.

    Aside:
    I get amused because sometimes you'll hear people say, "It's converted to energy, you know like E=mc^2?" Heh. If we had to do it this way (which we don't!) you'd have to burn close to 10 TRILLION kcal to lose a pound.
  • jamcdonel
    jamcdonel Posts: 533 Member
    I just found an article about breathing it out as CO2. That makes sense as some of the byproducts of the Krebs Cycle are water and CO2... interesting.

    Here's to more peeing and heavy breathing for everyone!
  • jamcdonel
    jamcdonel Posts: 533 Member
    (I think I just triggered myself talking biochemistry like that)
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited October 2016
    SueInAz wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    I remember watching a tedtalk on this...and if I remember correctly we literally breath it out...

    Yes. We breathe out a lot of water but it also gets expended as heat. There's a reason why we call it "burning calories". Calories are a measure of heat, specifically 1 calorie is the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C (now usually defined as 4.1868 joules).

    None of our mass is converted into heat...that would be a nuclear reaction. So although I get what you are saying it's technically wrong as it is not an explanation for weight. The energy is contained within chemical bonds and mass is conserved in release of that energy via oxidation and hydrolysis. No mass is converted to heat.
  • JessicaB523
    JessicaB523 Posts: 70 Member
    Here's the TedTalk... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuIlsN32WaE

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