Transcriber: Yoshie Asahara Reviewer: Tanya Cushman About seven years in the past, I noticed this picture of myself and determined that I needed to do one thing about this factor. So I ate much less meals, moved round a bit extra, and lo and behold, this occurred. I misplaced 16 kilograms. And also you’re in all probability questioning, How did he do it? However I used to be questioning, The place did the 16 kilograms go? And I have been infatuated with this query ever since. I ended up publishing a paper about it within the British Medical Journal, very temporary paper – 850 phrases, two figures. After which, I revealed a ebook about it, which was no bestseller as a result of it advised you that you just needed to eat much less and transfer extra to shed pounds. Nobody desires to listen to that. However it’s now a first-year topic on the College of New South Wales, and so I higher clarify that I didn’t work out the place fats goes once you shed pounds. That was completed a very long time in the past. In actual fact, here is a while posts for you. When Captain Prepare dinner sailed previous Bundaberg in 1770, we did not know what occurs to fats once you shed pounds. However when the First Fleet sailed into Sydney Cove, we did know the reply, and it was all found out by this bloke in between. His identify’s Antoine Lavoisier. He found out that respiration is a combustion. You flip meals into carbon dioxide and water. And within the course of, nothing is misplaced. Nothing is created. The whole lot is simply reworked. And so, what did I do? Nicely, once I misplaced weight and I first considered this, I used to be so infatuated. I needed to know if I lose 10 kilos, the place does the ten kilos go exactly? And it took me months to determine this out. However it seems that once you shed pounds, 8.4 kilos out of each 10 comes out of your lungs, which I feel is the most effective reality I’ve ever heard, so I gave – you have to add oxygen to do that, so you’ll be able to’t do it (snap) like that. It takes some time. So I gave a speak about this at TEDxQUT a very long time in the past now, after which I did a narrative for ABC TV Catalyst, and I met this fellow, Professor Andrew Brown, who teaches biochemistry. And I confirmed him my calculations, and he mentioned, “That is fairly fascinating. Let’s try to get that revealed.” And so he helped me get it into the British Medical Journal. And the opposite factor we did was we surveyed 150 docs, dieticians and private trainers and requested them what they thought. And here is the factor: what they assume occurs is inconceivable. You’ll be able to’t flip fats into vitality, as a result of it is made from atoms. And also you would wish antimatter atoms to annihilate them. In order that’s actually inconceivable. And since then, I’ve realised, effectively, cling on, that is a part of a a lot larger hole in well being literacy. I’ve requested actually 1000’s of children this query: Once you breathe in, what are you inhaling? Oxygen. And what are you exhaling? Carbon dioxide. What they do not realise is that they are inhaling atoms, and two go in, however three come out. And it is this atom right here that’s the hole in well being literacy. It is also the key to weight reduction as a result of it signifies that your exhaled breath is heavier than your inhaled breath. And once you ask round, so few individuals know this. Nicely, have a hear to those individuals: (Audio) Ruben Meerman: What is the fuel that you just inhale in out of the air that retains you alive known as? Oxygen. Oxygen. RM: And what is the fuel you breathe out since you’re alive? Carbon dioxide? Carbon dioxide? RM: Now third query. The place did the carbon atoms within the carbon dioxide come from? Oh … I do not know. (Chuckle) No thought. I’ve acquired no thought. I would not have a clue, mate. Ooh, ahhhh. Ummmm, wow! Good query. I ought to have concentrated extra in chemistry. So the place do carbon atoms come from? Or … Umm, air pollution? Fumes? Gasoline? Automobiles and stuff? I do not know. Yeah. Automobiles. Do not know. Cow poop? (Laughter) Ought to know, however do not know. So to be someplace within the physique, proper? Out of my lungs. My lungs? From the atmosphere? Out of your blood stream? From residing issues? Perhaps from the blood? From crops? My chemistry days are over. I’ve acquired nothing. From the meals we eat? RM: You recognize that! You bought there! Actually? So that you eat it. RM: Yeah We eat it? From what? RM: Have you ever heard of carbohydrates? Sure. Oh, sure. Oh, OK. RM: What do you assume the carbo bit means? Carbon dioxide. Most likely carbon dioxide? Does it connect with someplace? Like carbon and hydrogen and oxygen collectively? RM: Sure! Carbon – carbohydrate, yeah. It is not the identical phrase. By no means thought. It is C-H-A. Carbon-hydrogen. OK, fascinating. RM: What do you do for a crust? I am a PDH PE instructor. (Onstage) This isn’t a spot in well being literacy. This can be a gaping black gap in well being literacy. And the wonderful factor is we supposedly realized all these items in school. We realized all of the dots, however nobody ever teaches you how one can join them. So the phrase carbohydrates is the large clue, and that is as a result of it stands for carbon atoms which have been hydrated by – effectively, should you’re dehydrated, it’s essential drink water. And water has a chemical components, which stands for a bunch of atoms. So the place do these carbohydrates that you just eat come from? I imply what’s these items? And all of it begins in crops. So Step 1 in making carbohydrates is crops suck water out of the soil. They take the water molecules, stick it right into a molecule known as chlorophyll, you have all heard of. It takes a photon of daylight to zap that bond and zap that bond, and now we’ve the atoms free. You do this twice, and you have got sufficient atoms now to make an oxygen molecule, which is the waste product of photosynthesis. And by the way in which, you breathe that stuff. So each oxygen molecule you inhale got here from two water molecules. Step 2 is to take carbon dioxide out of the air into the leaf, and right into a chemical course of, which known as the Calvin Cycle. And should you get six carbon atoms and stick them collectively, you may make glucose, which is an important carbohydrate within the cosmos. If you happen to rearrange these atoms, then you may make fructose, which is what sugarcane does, which I’ve a stalk of over there, and should you stick it in daylight, it is going to flip carbon dioxide and water into sugar. If you happen to stick glucose to fructose, you get desk sugar, and should you stick galactose to glucose, you get one other well-known disaccharide. It is known as lactose. If you happen to’re lactose illiberal, you’ll be able to’t break the bonds between this oxygen atom and its neighbours. So all of these items is comprehensible if you realize about atoms, and all of it begins in crops. However you do not simply eat carbohydrates. So here is every part that you just eat, all of the macronutrients. We have checked out carbs. This is fat. The three most typical fatty acids in nature? palmitic acid will get its identify from palm oil, oleic from olive oil. There’s solely three atoms there although. Three sorts. Three components. And should you stick these three fatty acids to a glycerin molecule, you will make a triglyceride. That is what olive oil is; that is what each fats in nature is. It is the fats in your fats cells that you just wish to lose should you’re making an attempt to shed pounds. And once you burn it, what you are actually doing is popping it into carbon dioxide and water. You name it metabolism. Folks say they’re burning fats. It means you are turning it into carbon dioxide and water. And there is two methods to do it. The principle freeway known as the beta oxidation pathway, however there’s one other method known as the ketogenic pathway, and the low-carb individuals will probably be throughout this. It is taking fatty acids and turning them into smaller molecules – acetyl acetate – which may then be changed into acetone, and beta hydroxybutarate. However the level is you continue to add oxygen and it nonetheless turns into carbon dioxide and water, so it would not matter what sort of eating regimen you are on. If you happen to’re burning fats, you are turning it into CO2 and H2O. And alcohol’s made from the identical three atoms. Protein’s an fascinating one. It is made out of 20 sorts of amino acids, however there’s solely two extra sorts of atoms. So for all their complexity, there’s solely 5 components. And should you eat them – effectively, let’s have a look. As a result of to make a human, you want these 20 amino acids. All of the protein in nature is made out of those 20 amino acids. A child, a human, is 60% water, 16% protein, 19% fats and 5% a little bit of different stuff. And once you burn protein, should you eat a whole lot of it, you’ll be able to’t retailer it. So you will burn it, and you will flip it into carbon dioxide and water, a little bit of urea and a few sulfate. These two issues will find yourself in the bathroom by way of your bladder, and now you realize the place every part that you just eat goes. You may be questioning, although, “I am consuming carbon, hydrogen, oxygen. What’s all this speak about diets?” Amazingly, this junk eating regimen can also be made from nothing however carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, however you are not getting many nutritional vitamins and minerals. So let’s check out these. This is all 14 nutritional vitamins that it’s essential eat. If you happen to do not eat them, you will get scurvy, beriberi rickets – you will go blind. However the wonderful factor is per day, you solely want about half a gram of these items. The 14 components that you must take, we name them minerals. Right here they’re. These are the really useful every day intakes, and should you stick all that collectively, it is seven grams price of stuff. It is not very a lot. That is why we name them micronutrients. So once I inform individuals this, the primary query I get requested is “So what? I simply need to breathe extra?” They usually’ll begin hyperventilating. (Laughter) So let’s speak about respiration. Discuss to anybody who works in an ICU unit, they usually’ll inform you {that a} human who’s mendacity completely nonetheless wants 3.5 millilitres of oxygen, and a pair of.6 to 2.9 millilitres of CO2 will come out of them per kilogram of that individual. Now, I weigh 72 kilos, so meaning I want about 252 millilitres of oxygen simply to remain alive. That is 15 litres per hour, and over right here, I’ve an hour’s price of respiration. That is how a lot air I’ve to breathe simply to get that one balloon of oxygen into my bloodstream. A balloon is about 15 litres. In order that’s how a lot oxygen I want per hour simply to remain awake and alive – not awake, sorry – I imply alive. It is my resting metabolic charge. And in that hour, once I breathe all this air again out once more, it’s going to have a balloon price of CO2 in it, and these numbers simply get higher and higher and higher. If you happen to add up all of the carbon atoms in that a lot CO2, it is 136 to 151 grams a day of simply carbon. It is a few kilo per week. It is about 49 to 55 kilos a 12 months. If you wish to shed pounds, do not eat that a lot carbon again in. That is the entire key to respiration your self skinny. Docs will – if you’re not respiration, they’ll monitor your respiration. If you happen to’re having an operation, the anaesthetist will search for your breaths. That is how a lot CO2 there must be in your breath. If you happen to hyperventilate, your physique is just not producing extra CO2. You are simply respiration out greater than it’s essential, and so this can occur. You are pumping out greater than you are making; the quantity in your physique will go down. It is known as hypocapnia. It would result in a lack of consciousness should you do it for too lengthy. And a few individuals ask me: “What about individuals who have COPD or emphysema? Might they get obese as a result of they cannot eliminate sufficient CO2?” Nicely, they cannot do the Calvin Cycle – a plant can – so you’ll be able to’t flip the CO2 that you just’re not respiration out again into fats. It is inconceivable. So, you realize, there’s a whole lot of misconceptions about this enterprise. Now, it takes some time to breathe out the carbon that you just eat. So let’s take a look at how a lot carbon you’ll be able to put in actually rapidly. I fairly like these items, and there’s a lot of sugar in lemon-flavoured gentle drink. It is one of many highest. So, how a lot sugar are we speaking about? Nicely, one stick is 3 grams, so there’s 23 and a 3rd of a stick in there, which seems to be like this. And if you wish to flip that a lot sugar into carbon dioxide and water, effectively, it is going to take some time. You are going to have to breathe in that a lot oxygen. You may make that a lot CO2. How a lot is that? It is 4 balloons price. And it is 4 balloons’ price of CO2. So, how lengthy is it going to take me to breathe out that a lot carbon? It is going to take me 4 hours as a result of I solely breathe out one balloon of carbon dioxide per hour if I keep nonetheless, but when I’m going for a stroll, I will breathe it out in an hour. If I run, it’s going to solely take me half-hour. That is why they are saying eat much less, transfer extra. As a result of once you’re transferring extra, you are respiration extra. And there is all the time CO2 in your breath. What about if we evaluate it to one thing a bit more healthy? As a result of this has acquired nutritional vitamins and amino acids and all the good things in it. But when we take these elements, and we chuck it into the equation for meals, then you definitely uncover that, truly, it is 4 hours as effectively. And so is that this tuna salad sandwich on natural wholemeal bread, grown on the north facet of the hill, blessed by a monk, all of the issues. (Laughter) However it’s nonetheless 4 hours of respiration, proper? So the purpose is they don’t seem to be equal in how wholesome they’re, however they’re equal in how lengthy they take to exhale. An apple takes an hour; a enjoyable measurement chocolate bar, an hour, 10 minutes; common measurement, 3.5 hours; and a king-sized, 5.25. If you happen to’re making an attempt to shed pounds, do not drink gentle drink, as a result of that is acquired carbon atoms in it. Drink water. If you happen to like these items – and who would not? – a big espresso and a chunk of cake. That is 10 hours of respiration between breakfast and lunch. So watch out. A big, pretty burger like this man – 7 hours. Have a big fries with it, 13 hours; massive drink, 16 hours; bang in a big sundae – it is a complete day price of respiration. You’ll be able to see why there’s an weight problems epidemic, however nobody is aware of what actually is occurring of their physique. So, often, we speak about energy in, energy out. How’s this data going that will help you? Nicely, I want to speak about atoms in, atoms out. And once you’re counting energy, you are truly counting carbon atoms as a result of the vitality in meals is wherever you see a carbon and a hydrogen atom caught collectively. And it is in all meals. So simply – and it is daylight that put that there. So my venture that I actually wish to rise up and operating right here at Bundaberg is let’s educate your kids this, and you are able to do it. Little youngsters love studying about atoms. Adults freak out on the thought. However little youngsters completely adore it. That is Ithaca Creek State Faculty in Brisbane. This can be a college in India, and these youngsters are utilizing amino, they usually’re making amino acids and sticking them collectively to construct a protein. You are able to do that with wonderful useful resource that my buddy Ian Stewart invented. They’re known as “sticky atoms”. He is a retired physics and chemistry instructor. He taught in Brisbane. They’ve magnetic bonds so three-year-olds, even youthful, can play with this stuff and find out about atoms. And for the educators within the room, they conform to the concrete pictorial summary method of educating. It is a implausible pedagogy, and Ian and I are hoping to work collectively. We took this out backstage, simply moments in the past. As a result of what we wish to do is educate kids what’s truly occurring of their our bodies. And you’ll’t do this should you’re not speaking in regards to the atoms that they are made from. Sadly, the curriculum doesn’t introduce the idea of atoms and molecules till youngsters are in Grade 9, they usually do not see the periodic desk till they’re in Grade 10. Why? As a result of a fellow known as Jean Piaget, who was type of a recent of Freud. He thought that youngsters cannot have these summary ideas till they’re about 14. We do not use Freud’s psychology anymore. We nonetheless be taught it, however we do not use it. However our curriculum remains to be underneath the spell of an individual who died way back, whose concepts about training have been, effectively, somebody needed to have these concepts, however they have been incorrect. So I hope to see what occurs if youngsters develop up with this data. In 10 years, what do weight problems charges appear to be in a city like Bundaberg if all the youngsters be taught this at major college? Will they develop as much as settle for the recommendation that to shed pounds, simply eat much less, transfer extra and preserve respiration? Thanks. (Applause)