Even when we're in our normal states, we burn fat. Our bodies are working to burn fat all day, not just when we're working out. Fat is a primary source of energy, whether you're working to lose weight or maintain it. But do you ever wonder where all that fat actually goes? High-intensity training sessions or just shedding winter pounds, where does that fat go? 

Recently a panel of doctors, nutritionists and athletic trainers took a survey on fat loss as part of a study published in the British Medical Journal. More than 50% of the experts believe fat is converted to energy and lost as heat. Others believed fat was excreted or turned into muscle. 

Researchers from this furthered this debate by using a method where individual atoms of fat being lost could be traced. The results showed a completely unexpected black hold in the understanding of weight loss among the general public and health and nutrition professionals. 

Over 80% of fat molecules being burned off actually exit the body through exhaling breaths. For every 10 kg of fat lost, 8.4 kg is exhaled as carbon dioxide. The other 20% is lost as water, via urine and sweat. Breathing out fat makes sense; the harder you work, the more you huff and puff during your high-intensity workout. But if the lungs are the primary organs by which we physically lose weight, it begs the question, can you lose weight simply by breathing more?

For every 10 kg of fat lost, 8.4 kg is exhaled as carbon dioxide. The other 20 percent is lost as water, via urine and sweat.

Breathe more, lose weight? The answer is likely no. According to the researchers for every 10kg of fat lost, you need to inhale 29kg of oxygen to break up the fat molecules and release their energy, water and carbon dioxide. 

Yes we breathe heavily during a workout, but the reason  you're burning fat during that workout is because you're drawing on your fat source, not directly because you're breathing it out. If you were to consume more oxygen than you need to sustain your resting metabolic rate. you could have an overwhelming feeling of dizziness and you might start hyperventilating and pass out.