Ever Wondered Where All The Fat Goes When You Lose Weight?

“What’s the best diet for weight loss?”

“How do I lose fat, not muscle?”

“What is water weight?”

With more than two in three adults in the U.S. overweight or obese — and about 50 percent of those folks actively trying to lose weight — it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re getting the most accurate information about weight loss.

The foundation, of course, is a healthy, balanced diet with consistent, challenging workouts.

But have you ever wondered where all that fat that you’re working so hard to lose actually goes?

 Related: Golden Rules Of Fat Loss Explained By An Expert

Where Does Fat Go When You Lose Weight?

While burning more energy than you take in is the root of weight loss, when fat is burned, the vast majority of it is exhaled as carbon dioxide into thin air. (mind=blown).

According to Australian researcher and physicist Ruben Meerman, Ph.D. and colleagues, 84 percent, or 8.4 of every 10 pounds of fat burned, is exhaled as carbon dioxide.

The remaining 16 percent leaves the body as water through urine, sweat, tears, breath, and other bodily fluids. And no, before you ask, you can’t lose weight simply by breathing more.

Where Does Fat Go When You Gain Weight?

Ever wonder where fat goes when you gain weight? If so, consider yourself lucky because most of us know exactly where it goes. (Hello, face and hips!)

In younger women, excess fat tends to accumulate in adipose tissue located around the hips, thighs, and buttocks (think: “pear-shaped”), as well as the breasts. Females store fat all over, but tend to carry it predominantly in the hips, thighs, and buttocks when they’re younger (i.e., pre-menopause). During and after menopause, excess fat increasingly begins to accumulate around the abdomen.

Related: Where does Fat Go When You Lose It.

Men tend to take on more of an “apple” shape, storing excess fat predominantly around their belly region. Unlike women, this typically doesn’t change during their lifetime — bad news for those growing beer bellies.

Of course, if you’re doing strength-training workouts and eating well, you’re probably gaining weight that isn’t fat: It’s muscle.

Contrary to popular belief, muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat — a pound is a pound regardless of its composition. The confusion stems from the fact that muscle is more dense than fat, so it appears to weigh more by volume. In other words, a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat.

So, if you’re getting stronger in body and smaller in size, but seeing the number on the scale go up a bit, it’s likely due to the “lean mass” (AKA muscle) you’re building.

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