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.