WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: When We Lose Weight, Where Does It Go?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vogel Bomb here with another classic

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<v Speaker 2>episode for you. In this one, we explore the biochemistry

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<v Speaker 2>of burning fat. We should note at the top here

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<v Speaker 2>that bodies are complicated and health is a lot more

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<v Speaker 2>than a number on a scale. But when we do

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<v Speaker 2>lose weight by burning fat, where does it go? Hey

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<v Speaker 2>brain stuff, Lauren vogl Bomb here. For many of us humans,

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<v Speaker 2>our body size and shape are things in flux from

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<v Speaker 2>one month to the next, depending on a host of factors,

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<v Speaker 2>both within and without our control. Our genes might be

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<v Speaker 2>a little tighter or a little looser. Our question of

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<v Speaker 2>the day is when we lose weight, where does that

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<v Speaker 2>lost weight go? The short answer is that our bodies

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<v Speaker 2>convert molecules in fat cells two usable forms of energy,

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<v Speaker 2>thus shrinking the cells. But getting this to happen isn't

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<v Speaker 2>just about sweating to the oldies or however you prefer.

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<v Speaker 1>To work out. Understanding how our bodies perform this tummy

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<v Speaker 1>trimming trick requires a little more detail. We know that

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<v Speaker 1>weight loss hinges on burning calories. Calories are the measure

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<v Speaker 1>of the potential energy in the food you eat in

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<v Speaker 1>the form of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. If our bodies

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<v Speaker 1>were cars, energy would be the gas that keeps everything running.

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<v Speaker 1>Lounging in front of the television is like cruising the strip,

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<v Speaker 1>while sprinting around a track is more like drag racing

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<v Speaker 1>at maximum speeds. In short, more work means more energy

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<v Speaker 1>is needed. The body uses some of the calories we

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<v Speaker 1>ingest to digest that very food. Once the food is

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<v Speaker 1>broken down into its respective parts of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins,

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<v Speaker 1>it either uses the remaining energy or converts to fat

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<v Speaker 1>for storage in fat cells. And as doctor who fans know,

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<v Speaker 1>fat cells live in adipose tissue, which basically acts like

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<v Speaker 1>an internal gas station storing away fuel reserves. To lose weight,

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<v Speaker 1>you must burn more calories or of energy than you

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<v Speaker 1>consume to start using up that fuel reserve. Essentially, if

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<v Speaker 1>you're not ingesting enough calories to fuel your additional work,

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<v Speaker 1>your body must pull from fat stores. According to the

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<v Speaker 1>law of conservation of mass, matter is neither created nor destroyed,

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<v Speaker 1>but it may alter its form through chemical reaction. Essentially,

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<v Speaker 1>that tells us that while we lose mass in our

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<v Speaker 1>bodies by burning up fat, it doesn't just disappear, it

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<v Speaker 1>simply changes form. When we eat, the glucose and other

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<v Speaker 1>sugars harnessed from carbohydrates are the first things our bodies

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<v Speaker 1>use as fuel stores. The liver stores the glucose in

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<v Speaker 1>the form of glycogen and releases it into the bloodstream

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<v Speaker 1>as necessary to keep our bodies trucking a long Think

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<v Speaker 1>of your blood stream as an interconnected conveyor belt that

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<v Speaker 1>takes necessary nutrients to the body parts that need them.

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<v Speaker 1>Once that glucose runs out, fat takes over. Harnessing energy

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<v Speaker 1>by burning fat is referred to as catosis. It works

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<v Speaker 1>like this. Hormones regulating our blood sugar levels activate an

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<v Speaker 1>enzyme in the blood vessels of fat tissue called liepace.

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<v Speaker 1>Liepace ignites fat cells to release macromolecules called triglycerides, which

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<v Speaker 1>are what makes fat cells fat. Sutorides are made up

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<v Speaker 1>of glycerool and three fatty acid chains. When they receive

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<v Speaker 1>the signal from lipase to exit the fat cells, the

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<v Speaker 1>triglyrides break up into their respective components and enter the

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<v Speaker 1>bloodstream for use. The liver snatches up the glycrool to

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<v Speaker 1>break it down for energy, and some of the fatty

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<v Speaker 1>acids move to the muscles that can farm them for

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<v Speaker 1>energy as well. The action of breaking down triglycerides into

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<v Speaker 1>usable energy is called like polysis. Once the components of

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<v Speaker 1>the glycerol and fatty acids are inside are muscle or

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<v Speaker 1>liver cells, organelles called mitochondria shuffle and reshuffle those compounds

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<v Speaker 1>to harness their potential energy, sort of like a furnace

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<v Speaker 1>burns wood. The mitochondria break down and recombine those components

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<v Speaker 1>of our fat cells and produce heat, water, carbon dioxide,

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<v Speaker 1>and adenysine. Triphosphate or ATP. ATP hauls potential energy in

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<v Speaker 1>its molecular bonds for use. When we exercise, like intercellular

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<v Speaker 1>carb loading, the water exits our bodies as sweat and urine,

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<v Speaker 1>and we exhale the carbon dioxide. Now that the body

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<v Speaker 1>has really leaved fat cells of some glycerool and fatty acids,

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<v Speaker 1>the cells get smaller and so sell by cell, our

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<v Speaker 1>body shape changes. Today's episode is based on the article

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<v Speaker 1>when we Lose weight, Where does the lost weight Go?

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<v Speaker 1>On How Stuffworks dot Com, written by Kristin Conger. To

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<v Speaker 1>hear more from Kristin, check.

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<v Speaker 2>Out her podcast on Ladylife Brain Stuff is production of

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<v Speaker 2>I heart Radio in partnership with HowStuffWorks dot Com and

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<v Speaker 2>is produced by Tyler Klang.

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<v Speaker 1>Four more podcasts my heart

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<v Speaker 2>Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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