When you lose weight, where does it go?
When you lose weight are you burning Calories or are you burning fat?
In this TEDx talk ruben
Meereman agrees that Calories (a unit of heat) and weight loss (a unit of mass)
do not compute and tries to explain that weight loss is about a relatively
simple chemistry equation. Meereman purports that "burning" fat
through exercise is like any combustion reaction which requires fuel, heat and
oxygen. But, does this math add up?
The molar weight of the atoms above are as follows:
- Carbon = 12.010g/mol
- Hydrogen = 1.008g/mol
- Oxygen = 16.000g/mol
Therefore, one could calculate that the weight of one mole
of fat would be:
Similarly, one could calculate that weight
of the oxygen would be:
Such that one could estimate that it would take 5.503lb of
oxygen to burn 1.899lb of fat.
If one considers that Lance
Armstrong has been said to have an active VO2max of 85 ml / kg / min, one
can calculate the volumetric rate of oxygen consumption of a 200lb male with a
VO2max of 85 mL / kg / min would be:
Next, the density of oxygen at standard temperature and
pressure needs to be calculated:
With the volumetric rate of oxygen consumption and the
density of oxygen at standard temperature and pressure known, mass rate of
oxygen consumption can then be calculated:
Lastly, the time to burn 5.503lb (2496g)
of oxygen can be calculated:
Therefore, it would take an elite athlete
8.1 hours at a VO2max of 85 mL / kg / min to burn 1.9lb of fat and 15.3 hours
for the average adult male with a VO2max of 45 mL / kg / min.
Am I saying that the key to weight loss
is simply “eat less and move more” as Ruben is suggesting? No, hormonal
imbalances and metabolic issues prevent you from burning fat no matter how
little you eat or more you move. However, I believe Ruben does a great job
explaining where the fat goes when you do lose weight.
Furthermore, if one
could measure their VO2max, a service offered by many hospitals and universities,
then they would be able to calculate the minimum amount of high intensity
exercise required to achieve the maximum result. Which is exactly what an efficient Biohacker would do.
Devon
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These statements or products referenced are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
