What exactly happens to fat when it is "burned" in the body?

[tim.tdj]

Hi everyone.

I would like to begin this post by explaining what I know (or think I know).

1. Fat is stored in fat cells.

2. Fat cells are not actually made of fat. (An "empty" fat cell contains no fat.)

3. When the body needs to extract energy from fat, it gets released from fat cells and then gets "burned" in whichever cells need the energy.

4. Fat is oily/waxy in nature.

Basically, I would like to know the answer to the following six questions:

1. When fat enters the cells that need the energy, is it still in an oily/waxy form?

2. I rather expect that the fat is not burned in exactly the same way as it would be if it was on fire. I also rather expect that the "burning" process is much slower and produces much less heat than burning by fire. What is the difference from a chemical perspective?

3. What are the all exhaust products of fat burning in the body?

4. Are any of these exhaust products oily/waxy in nature?

5. Does a person who is losing weight excrete more oily/waxy substances than normal?

6. If the answer to question 5 is yes then could some of these excreted oily/waxy substances be leftover, unburned fat which was released by fat cells but never used by the body?

Thank you very much.

Kind regards

Tim

[Kelli9]

I don't know a lot about this at all, but I do know one thing and that is when a person who has any kind of lesser known/talked about illness(lyme disease, heavy metal toxicity, tick borne viruses, mold illness due to exposure and many others) is in the process of losing weight burning fat there are many toxins that have been living in the fat that gets burned gets released into the body somehow making them sicker/flares and the person has to then detox with all the bodies detox pathways and the toxic overload that was being stored in the bodies fat is excreted out sweat glands etc...

A person who is detoxing does have more odor and kind of a slimy like appearance if you could envision someone in a sauna and their sweat looks oily thick and yellow. 

Edited October 29, 2018 by Kelli9

[koti]

In short, its converted to energy which is used by the body to sustain its functions. What is left after the process of metabolism is excreted.

Edited October 29, 2018 by koti

[mistermack]

This is my recollection of the system. It's bound to be far more complicated than what I remember.

1) The energy route is fat - glycerol - glucose via the liver. It's then circulated to the body's cells via the blood. So no is the answer. 

2) The glucose blood sugar is regulated with insulin, and is reacted with blood oxygen via haemoglobin in the body's cells giving off CO2 and H2O 

3) CO2 and H2O as above

4) No

5) No. Not under healthy circumstances