UKC

Lots of newspaper articles right now about losing weight after Christmas. I'd like to know this: you must lose atoms and molecules of something when you lose weight - so what is it? Where does the weight loss go? Carbon dioxide?

Look forward to hearing from all those biochemists out there.

Happy New Year.

In reply to gammarus:
I for one dont really understand what you mean
loosing weight involves using up glycogen stores or fat and protein which is broken down to glucose etc then converted to waste products, urea water co2 heat etc
very basic school biology really

In reply to gammarus:

Eat less, move around more = result.

In reply to Removed UserDeleted bagger:

True, but not my question

In reply to gammarus:

I'm not an expert on this, but I think you may have asked a question to which nobody (i.e. "science") knows the answer.

In reply to gammarus:

You convert it to shit.

In reply to Malcolm Tucker's Sweary Aunt:




And piss and sweat.And tears.

I power walked 18miles today ,and did all of the above.

Apart from having a crap and shedding tears.

1800 calories incinerated.not that I really needed to burn them.

In reply to andymac:

I'm glad we've solved the unanswerable question - high five!

In reply to ianstevens:

My two minute google just now very much says otherwise, but it's hard to find a source dumbed-down enough for me to understand it. ;O)

So, since the OP hasn't hooked a biochemist yet, here's my take on it:

As the OP is talking atoms - the fat in your body that is being 'burned' is mostly made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. And it is (kinda sorta) being burned - so it'll be mostly ending up as carbon dioxide and water. CO2 gets exhaled. Water - dunno. Presumably it just gets mixed up with the rest of the water in your body, and eventually finds its way into urine, sweat, tears or hot steamy breath.

Edit to add:
More googling..
Metabolising fat also produces urea, so presumably that'll be ending up in urine.

Bears lose 15-30% of their bodyweight while hibernating but don't pee or poo. Apparently most hibernating animals do, or the build up of urea would be fatal, but amazingly bears recycle the urea and use it to maintain their muscle mass. *Thats* my kind of work-out - sleep through the winter, losing shed loads of fat, and actually wake up with more muscle mass than you had when you went to sleep!

In reply to ow arm:

You did understand but couldn't quite say so civilly

In reply to gammarus:

Just basic biochemistry.. it's used as fuel.. fuel gets burnt.. heat, energy.. you move.. that uses those molecules..

In reply to gammarus:

Are you doing this since you took on the captaincy?

In reply to gammarus:

This was on the telly recently, the answer is most of the carbon atoms in your lard exit the body as CO2

In reply to gammarus:

Once you sober up just remember to keep your jaws together. That should work.

In reply to gammarus:
I lost 175 lb of useless flab today.
But now she's arrived back, reaking of vodka and demanding sex