When we ‘burn fat’ where does it actually go?

7 September 2017
By Fashion Quarterly

burn-fat-feature

Burn, baby. Burn.

Before we jump into this topic, we have a disclaimer: we’re not telling you your body needs to be a certain way, shape or weight. Not at all. But there’s no denying that when spring arrives the search phrase ‘how to get a summer bod’ rises on Google.

Okay, so that’s not exactly a fact, but around now seems to be the time of year most of us start coming out of winter hibernation and getting back into a more regular health and exercise routine, right?!

Right… so when you’re F45ing is up or hitting the gym for HIIT (high intensity interval training) like Les Mills’ Grit, you’re going to be burning a lot of fat but where does last week’s #regrets 2am Maccas run actually go?

It doesn’t just disappear and nor does it turn into energy; you actually sweat and breathe it out, an Australian study says.

The University of NSW’s School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences has discovered that we actually breathe out fat as carbon dioxide.

They even went so far as working out that in order to lose 10 kgs of fat, one must inhale 29 kgs of oxygen… breathe in… which then metabolises into 28 kgs of carbon dioxide… breathe out… and 11 kilograms of water or sweat and urine.

So there you have it, next time you complain about feeling too puffed at the gym, revel in that sweet, sweet burn; your summer bod is closer than you think.

Photo: Getty Images

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