You inhale O₂ and exhale CO₂ Therein lies the secret to weight loss
When you lose weight, where does it go?
Most people believe fat gets converted into energy or heat during weight loss. Some think it turns into muscle or ends up in the toilet. Even the doctors, dietitians and personal trainers surveyed for this British Medical Journal study had these misconceptions The truth is that fat is converted to carbon dioxide and water. We exhale the CO₂ and the H₂O is excreted the usual way.
All the macronutrients in the food you eat are converted to CO₂ and H₂O. The word, ‘carbohydrates’, was coined in the 1800’s by biochemists and literally means ‘hydrated carbon’. You eat and digest them, and then breathe all the carbon atoms back out. The same goes for fat and alcohol. Protein is converted to carbon dioxide and water too, plus a tiny whiff of urea and a wisp of sulfate, which you pee out as urine.
Ruben, I would like to help put together (network and catalyse) a Human Handbook for young to old. Simple troubleshooting and understanding what symptoms indicate and how to give your body what it needs to achieve Homeostasis.
Dear Alicia, thank your for your kind offer and apologies for the very delayed reply. I have no medical qualifications so a handbook such as this beyond my expertise.
I liked your TEDxQUT about the mathematics of weight loss….until the very end when you were talking about all weight loss programs. I agree that most weight loss programs don’t work….mostly they don’t work because people gain their weight back. I’m currently doing the ‘Weight Loss By Gina’ program. At first I was very skeptical, but after a month on the program I’ve changed my mind. Gina has put a lot of work into the program and she has 30 years of experience helping people to lose weight (she’s helped thousands of people lose weight). An important part of the program is that she spends time on the psychology of weight loss. It also requires participants to put effort into the program – in order to achieve their goals. I have no doubt that I’ll loose the weight that I want on this program. The question is: Will I be able to keep it off long term? With the support provided by the program, I’m optimistic that I can keep the weight off. You might want to check out the program.
Hi Don, yes, I agree, I wish I had phrased the ending more clearly. What I meant to say was that any diet that delivers less carbon atoms into the bloodstream in one day than the number of carbon atoms the lungs exhale will cause weight loss. But that tells us nothing about how you will feel while you are consuming that diet, or how easy that way of eating is to stick to for the rest of your life. I hope your diet program is going well.