You exhale it.

What? Am I serious?

Yes.

A study published in the British Medical Journal found that of 10kg (22 lbs) of fat lost, 8.4 kg (18.5 lbs) was exhaled as carbon dioxide while 1.6 kg (3.5 lbs) is lost as water, either through water vapor in breath, sweat, or urine.

Think of it this way: when your body metabolizes fat, it’s the same as your car burning fuel in its cylinders. The exhaust is filled with carbon monoxide and other molecules. As our bodies metabolize the fat to use as energy, the resulting waste is carbon dioxide and water.

What is the burning process in the body? It’s actually an exothermic oxidation reaction to lipolysis, or the breaking down of fat to be used as energy by the body when it is not getting enough through glycolysis.

When I hear people talking about, “Burning fat” through exercise, they’re kind of right, but mostly wrong. Your body doesn’t burn fat. The more you sweat doesn’t equate to more weight lost. You can sweat a lot without losing weight. Also, just because you sweat a lot doesn’t mean you’re losing more weight.

Guaranteed way to lose weight: consume fewer calories than you use during the day. Method of consuming fewer calories: cut out the grains, dairy, legumes, and alcohol. Foods like meats and vegetables have fewer net calories and will fill you up better and faster with more nutrients per calorie which will allow you to have a calorie deficit without feeling hungry or wanting to over-eat.

Fat burning is a myth. Don’t fall for tricks or gimmicks. There’s only one way to lose weight, ever, and that’s a caloric deficit. You can never out-exercise a bad diet where you exceed your caloric intake.