How is fat removed from the body during exercise?

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Nooty

New member
Hi all i'm new here - I should have probably split this thread into two and put one in the newcomers forum - but i don't like doing that...

anyway

I have been curious about exercise and weight loss, and more specifically how the fat leaves your body when you exercise.

So when you exercise how does the fat leave your body? Is it via heat, water, some product of a reaction that you would later excrete, or a combination of all 3?
In theory given identical circumstances would you be able to measure a weight loss immediately after exercise that has burnt fat, or would you need to wait x hours to mesure the loss?

Thanks to anyone that can give me insight into this as it has been bugging me for years (but only just thought about asking on a forum :confused:)
 
Nooty said:
Hi all i'm new here - I should have probably split this thread into two and put one in the newcomers forum - but i don't like doing that...

anyway

I have been curious about exercise and weight loss, and more specifically how the fat leaves your body when you exercise.

So when you exercise how does the fat leave your body? Is it via heat, water, some product of a reaction that you would later excrete, or a combination of all 3?

In theory given identical circumstances would you be able to measure a weight loss immediately after exercise that has burnt fat, or would you need to wait x hours to mesure the loss?

Thanks to anyone that can give me insight into this as it has been bugging me for years (but only just thought about asking on a forum :confused:)
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You burn fat that comes either from fat stored in your body or from the foods you eat. When you ' burn ' fat, the term ' burning ' actually refers to the process in which your body breaks down molecules.

When you do that, you do generate heat - as well as generating water, carbon-dioxide, and energy ( ATP ), with energy being what we need to fuel our exercise.

However, your body needs energy not only for fuel DURING exercise but to re-fuel itself ( i.e restore muscle energy ) but AFTER exercise as well. So, you body will burn fat after you exercise to get the energy it needs to refuel itself.
 
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Okay - so let me see if i have this right.

When you exercise, the fat is broken down and used accordingly, and the actual reduction in weight is from drinking water and urinating?
 
Nooty said:
Okay - so let me see if i have this right.

When you exercise, the fat is broken down and used accordingly, and the actual reduction in weight is from drinking water and urinating?
Click to expand...

Even if you did burn a measurable amount of fat during exercise, you can't nail down ' exactly ' what changes in weight from an exercise session is solely due to a reduction in fat tissue weight.

Not only does your weight normally fluctuate throughout the day anyway, but your pre-exercise weight may not be accurate either due to pre-exercise nutrition and or hydration causing it to be overstated.

All that aside, the actual loss of a pound of fat involves the burning of a fair number of calories ( i.e around 3,500 ), so for most gym rats, losing a lb of actual fat ( strictly due to cardio ) may take a week or two - or more. So, for most gym rats, you simply can't weight yourself, then hop on a treadmill for 1 hour , then hop off and quickly weight yourself again and claim you just " burned off " 2 lbs of fat. :)
 
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Wrangell said:
Even if you did burn a measurable amount of fat during exercise, you can't nail down ' exactly ' what changes in weight from an exercise session is solely due to a reduction in fat tissue weight.

Not only does your weight normally fluctuate throughout the day anyway, but your pre-exercise weight may not be accurate either due to pre-exercise nutrition and or hydration causing it to be overstated.

All that aside, the actual loss of a pound of fat involves the burning of a fair number of calories ( i.e around 3,500 ), so for most gym rats, losing a lb of actual fat ( strictly due to cardio ) may take a week or two - or more. So, for most gym rats, you simply can't weight yourself, then hop on a treadmill for 1 hour , then hop off and quickly weight yourself again and claim you just " burned off " 2 lbs of fat. :)
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oh yeh - i know that.. i was just curious from a scientific view. I like to know the way things work
 
Here's a pretty clear explanation I found:

For stored fat to be liberated from the fat cell, hydrolysis (lipolysis or fat breakdown), splits the molecule of triaglycerol into glycerol and three fatty acids. An important enzyme called hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) is the catalyst for this reaction.

The stored fat (energy) gets released into the bloodstream as FFA’s and they are shuttled off to the muscles where the energy is needed. As blood flow increases to the active muscles, more FFA’s are delivered to the muscles that need them.

An important enzyme called lipoprotein lipase (LPL), then helps the FFA’s get inside the mitochondria of the muscle cell, where the FFA’s can be burned for energy. If you’ve ever taken a biology class, then you’ve probably heard of the mitochondria. This is the “cellular powerhouse” where energy production takes place and this is where the FFA’s go to be burned for energy.

When the FFA’s are released from the fat cell, the fat cell shrinks and that’s why you look leaner - because the fat cell is now smaller. A small or “empty” fat cell is what you’re after if you want the lean, defined look.
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In other words, you don't really burn off fat cells. Instead, you shrink them. And those of us who have been fat for a while probably have a lot more fat cells to shrink. The average young male has around 40 billion fat cells, but someone like me may have up to 80 billion fat cells.
 
That is great info - i think if i know more about the way things work exactly, the easier it will be for me to lose the weight.
 
A quick google searched netted me the following -

When you consume fewer calories than your body needs, your body turns to fat for energy. Body fat is broken down through a series of complex metabolic processes. Your body uses the energy produced by these processes. The waste products from these processes are water and carbon dioxide. You excrete water primarily through urine and sweat, and carbon dioxide by exhaling.
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So how did you lose the weight?

Tom O How did you drop 75 lbs in a little over a year?



TomO said:
Here's a pretty clear explanation I found:



In other words, you don't really burn off fat cells. Instead, you shrink them. And those of us who have been fat for a while probably have a lot more fat cells to shrink. The average young male has around 40 billion fat cells, but someone like me may have up to 80 billion fat cells.
Click to expand...
 
This is what happens when I go on the internet after taking Ambien and not going to sleep.
 
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