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When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go?

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Re: When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go?

#221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have never in my life met someone who has the physical and mental discipline to exercise regularly, yet also still sits around eating candy and pizza the other 23-hours of the day. MAYBE if you're still in school, or a new grad in your 20's, you might know people who are physically active but also like to drink heavy / party. But by the time you're 30 or so, exercise and decent eating habits tend to correlate one w…

I have had periods where my diet totally relapsed but my exercise never did. That is why I think (most) people need mental, exercise, and diet based strategies to lose weight. If you only use diet and that gets sketchy for a while (life stress, whatever the reason...) then your chance of relapse and weight gain are much higher. When just one piece of your strategy falls away if you still have a few other legs holding…

I have had periods where my diet totally relapsed but my exercise never did.

When I was going through a divorce over 10 years ago in my early 30s, I was still active (like I said in a previous post, I was a part time fitness instructor) but I ate with abandon and my weight shot up. It was easier back then - eat like a normal person and the weight dropped.

I could do that then when I was working out 10-12 hours a week. But that wouldn't happen now.

Re: When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go?

#222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I sometimes ask the deep philosophical question, why does a tree not sink into the ground it grows out of? It blows people's minds when I explain that the reason is because the tree is mostly water and CO2, a gas and a liquid coming from the sky.

Trees don't sink into the ground because (a) a tree's root system is as large in the ground as it stands out of the ground and (b) the pressure of the weight of the tree is distributed across the (large) surface area of that root system. Trees aren't light, by any stretch of the imagination. That solid mass is mostly water. Try lifting up a 1' or 2' section of a tree trunk that's 1-2' in diameter sometime.

I believe gp meant, "if the bulk of a tree's mass comes from dirt, why isn't the dirt around the tree used up as the tree gains mass?"

Re: When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go?

#223

Someone on youtube made a perfect video explaining this with enough precision: not sure it's this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuIlsN32WaE but close

It's the same guy — the presenter in the video, Ruben Meerman, is one of the authors of the paper .

Re: When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go?

#224
post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I highly recommend a meal tracker app for anyone who's looking to lose. I avoided it for ages. I didn't want to be "one of those people". I felt like I ate fairly well and was working hard enough, I shouldn't have to stoop to that level. I started bike commuting over 3 months ago now, but my weight was only increasing, and I was pretty sure my diet was the same as ever -- healthy breakfast, fairly healthy lunch, heal…

For me, the slight added friction of tracking what I eat makes it a lot easier to avoid random snacking and excessive eating. It's silly, but "I'll have to put this in the app" is often a bigger disincentive than "I'll get fatter" in the moment.

Checkmate, laziness!

Re: When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go?

#225
post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Similarly, when a tree grows, where does most of the mass come from? a) the soil b) water c) the air d) other

Most of it from the air, but its not as clear cut as with weight loss (minerals, water, ect are from the soil). I'm astonished for ignorant the doctors of the survey are!

During weight loss, the body wastes minerals and water as well! (not through the air)

Re: When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go?

#226

Someone on youtube made a perfect video explaining this with enough precision: not sure it's this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuIlsN32WaE but close

It's the same guy — the presenter in the video, Ruben Meerman, is one of the authors of the paper .

i knew the diagrams reminded me something but was too lazy to check, thanks

Re: When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go?

#227
post #172
post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's pretty difficult to double that number. Can you really double your metabolism without ill effect? Or without massively changing your lifestyle? The normal expectation is maybe 10-25% change. Any more than than would require things likes 8 hours of exercise per day.

A colleague who was into serious mountain climbing said that at 5km it was not enough to eat like 5000 calories per day to maintain weight. He even on purpose gained weight before his trips, and still returned leaner despite eating a lot.

You mean 5k elevation?

Re: When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go?

#228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How easy it is probably depends on your circumstances. There are infographics and whatnot out there detailing the caloric density of different kinds of food, that make it clear that, depending on the diet you already eat, you can reduce your calorie intake by vast amounts just by switching up what kinds of food you eat. But it's potentially a more expensive way to eat, and probably a more time-consuming one if you do…

I used to believe that too. Just eat low caloric density foods, right? It makes a lot of sense. So, I calculated the precise caloric density of Everything and ate nothing but It does NOT work well at all. Don't get me wrong, it helps a little, but your stomach is extremely smart and it knows alot more about calorie counting than we do. Like it or not, it keeps it's own account of your calorie intake and adjusts your…

That’s also my experience. I do a lot of Thai boxing and I need to control my weight to maintain my weight class. I switched from a balanced diet to a keto diet hoping for change but at the end both averaged the same. The only difference was that with the balanced diet I had to eat twice as much food to actually feel full and work out without being dizzy. Now I am walking down the path of strict calorie intake control, trying to better understand my metabolism tipping point. Working out more has no effect if it does not come with some form of caloric restriction.

Re: When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go?

#229
post #52
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the paper "Replacing one hour of rest with exercise that raises the metabolic rate to seven times that of resting by, for example, jogging, removes an additional 39 g of carbon from the body, raising the total by about 20% to 240 g. For comparison, a single 100 g muffin represents about 20% of an average person’s total daily energy requirement. Physical activity as a weight loss strategy is, therefore, easily fo…

I wish there is a way to allow one to enjoy eating but control how much to absorb the food.

Enjoy eating by picking better quality food in small portions instead of focusing on quantity.

Re: When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go?

#230
post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A colleague who was into serious mountain climbing said that at 5km it was not enough to eat like 5000 calories per day to maintain weight. He even on purpose gained weight before his trips, and still returned leaner despite eating a lot.

You mean 5k elevation?

Yes, 5 km elevation
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