When you lose weight, where does it go? What about conservation of mass?

Answer 1

Mass is conserved, most definitely - mass in equals mass out!

The thing is, your body is always breaking down the chemicals in your body to use for nutrition. Even at rest, your heart is beating...and such beating requires energy...which is provided by the breakdown of molecules into usable forms (Krebs cycle, ATP, etc)

And when you exercise, this happens even more.

Now, the thing is...even every element is conserved within all of this metabolism of the body and reactions for energy (ATP to ADP, etc.). However, there are the byproducts (or wastes) of metabolism...such as water, carbon dioxide, urea, creatinine, etc...

And these products are gotten rid of by sweating, urinating, stooling, and expiration, etc.

In the end analysis though, mass in equals mass out.

Thus if you are losing weight, it means your output (peeing, pooping, sweating, expiration, etc.) is greater than your input (eating, drinking, inhaling). You could literally weigh everything in and it would equal all that going out.

If you are gaining weight, it means your input is greater than your output.

Its as simple as that.

People with a "high metabolism" utilize more energy at rest than people with a "low metabolism". Thus, if both people ate the same thing, the first would not gain as much weight as the second. Instead of utilizing the food (and peeing off the byproducts), the second person would store up that food in the form of lipose (fat tissue).

Unfortunately, as we get older, our metabolisms slow down...so we may eat the same thing we use to (or even much less), and we still end up gaining weight!

Therefore, in the end analysis...there is only one way to lose weight:
Make your output greater than your input.

This is achieved by:
Decreasing input
>>Eating less.
Increasing output
>>Exercising more (using the calories you eat).
>>Pooping more of the food you eat (with medicines that bind
chemicals and prevent your from absorbing them - like Xenical)
>>Having surgery to bypass your stomach, and prevent your
body from absorbing food in (and pooping more)
>>Somehow increasing your metabolism with drugs
(dangerous).

But again, mass is conserved!

I always think about this when I eat a big piece of chocolate cake. I think, well...maybe if I poop more later today, I can avoid gaining weight. Unfortunately, you have no control over this (unless, like the bulemic...you make yourself throw-up, etc). And drugs like xenical (though I have never tried them), makes your stool really gross, nasty, and smelly!!! Most people stop taking it just because of this!

People ought to eat healthier and exercise more, rather than trying to take pills to fix their problems. But I suppose that is easier said than done.

...but I am digressing from your question!
;)

Anyway, hope this clears things up from you...

Answer 2

rake the leaves as a family

Answer 3

Get monthly workout calender

Answer 4

run 5 percent of a marathon at a 10 minute mile pace

Answer 5

It is conserved, the weight that you lose hides in various places, waiting for the chance to jump back into you. In women, it hides in the wedding cake, as soon as they eat some of their own wedding cake, they start to put on weight. With men, it hides in couches, and absorbs into them, generally in the evenings and weekends.

Hope this helps

Answer 6

short answer- it gets converted to heat, plus some of it is sweated out. It is this way in everyone, losing weight or not- it's what keeps you warm (and alive). If you are losing weight, you are using up more calories than you are consuming in food, so you start breaking down stored fat, rather than food.

Answer 7

You will breath in oxygen and breath out carbon dioxide. That's where the mass is going, you breath it out. I also think that some weight leaves with your pee.

Answer 8

Consume low calorie food

Answer 9

eat four meals with chopsticks instead of a fork slowing down can help you consume about 25 fewer calories per meal

Answer 10

a mediterranean diet not only comes with heart benefits studies show it leads to more weight loss than low fat diets