Where Does Fat Go?

  I try to exercise every day and I manage it most days of the week. At work, they even started a group workout session two days a week after work but that one is extremely intimidating. We look like a group of uncoordinated misfits trying to get in shape.  it was the DVD, not us but still.

The girl leading an aerobic workout stated on a DVD that we loose most of our fat when we exhale but it doesn't sound right to me because of what they told me growing up.

I was taught that the fat is released into the blood system where it is absorbed and used for energy by muscles yet a recent study done by the British Medical Journal claims that 84% of the fat you loose is released from the body when you exhale.  Another 16% is released through sweat and urine.

Apparently a gentleman in Australia lost 33 pounds and wondered where all the fat went.  That is quite a lot of weight to loose.  So he teamed up with a researcher at the University of New South Wales to find an answer to that question.  After quite a bit of research it was determined that fat mixes with oxygen to create carbon dioxide and water.  So when you exhale, 84 % is in that breath, while 16% leaves via your sweat glands.

A bit of background information. When the body stores fat in the body it is stored in the form of triglycerides which are made up of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, the three molecules needed to create carbon dioxide and water expelled by the body.  So when you loose weight, your body is breaking down this fat and eliminating it from the body.

This study was published in 2014, so the information is still new enough that many doctors, biochemists, trainers, and nutritionists are not aware of this information yet.

Yes, triglycerides should sound familiar.  You hear about them in regard to heart disease.  If your triglyceride rate is too high, it could signal a potential stroke.  So if you need to lower your triglycerides, increase your aerobic exercise so you can break it down in your body and exhale it every time you exhale.

It is an interesting relationship.  Give it a shot and enjoy yourself.