Pondering Weight

by Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN on January 12, 2017 · 0 comments

How Much Do You Need To Lose Before People Notice?

A study done at the University of Toronto found that most people did not notice weight loss in others until at least 8 pounds were lost. To truly be identified by others as someone who has lost weight, women of average height needed to lose about 14 pounds (approximately one dress size) and men needed to lose 18 pounds.

When you lose weight, where does the fat go?

The most common misconception about lost fat, even among health professionals, is that it is converted into energy or heat. Not true.

Professor Andrew Brown for the University of New South Wales explains that most weight loss is breathed out as carbon dioxide. It simply goes off into thin air. He reported this phenomenon in a research paper where he explained that if you lose 10 kilograms (22 pounds), 8.4 kilos (18.48 pounds) are exhaled as carbon dioxide and the remaining 1.6 kilos (3.5 pounds) are lost as water through urine, stools, sweat, tears and other body fluids.

And, no, you cannot lose weight by breathing more. Breathing more than needed to support life can lead to hyperventilation which can cause dizziness, palpitations and even loss of consciousness.

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