Ask FitRinny - Where does fat go when I lose it?

Question:  When I lose weight, where does it go?  Bodily functions and sweat?  Does it evaporate?  Where does all that ‘stuff’ go?

Answer:  Everyone has a set number of fat cells determined by genetics.  These fat cells have an almost unlimited capacity to store fat.  They expand when you gain weight and shrink when you lose it.  So when you are thinner, you still have the same number of fat cells, they are just smaller.  Some people have more trouble losing weight because they were blessed/cursed with more fat cells.  For most of us, this set number of fat cells only increases with pregnancy or by gaining A LOT of weight.  The only way to reduce the number of fat cells is through liposuction, but then if you gain weight, it will just get stored in the remaining cells elsewhere.  

Think of fat as stored fuel.  When you are dieting and losing weight, your body is in caloric deficit.  Thus, it taps into these fat reserves.  It uses the fat to fuel bodily functions and then excretes waste through sweat and urine.  

Have a question?  Email me at FitRinny@gmail.com.