Guest Author - Tatiana Eerochenko, PgD

Question:

I am very concerened about this problem. I hope you can find some time to answer me.

I am a 19/m 6"2 college student with no illness. During the day I hyperventilate subtely feeling tingling in the extremities. Moreover, the hyperventilation is totally voluntary and due to anxiety. My hyperventilation is subtle and lasts 2-3 hours at a time 3 or 4 episodes a day.

Because of the short duration of the hyperventilation my body does not really kick in to compensation mode because renal compensation takes 2-3 days to take full effect. In other words my body is frequently in uncompensated respiratory alkalosis. At the same time, unrelated, I am on a diet and losing weight through exercise and healthy nurtrition.

Will the respiratory alkalosis change the way fat is burned from my face (proportion-wise, will my face look different if I lose weight while frequently in respiratory alkalosis than if I were to lose it with normal breathing? My question boils down to this: Will my face look the same if I lose weight whilst my body is frequently in uncompensated respiratory alkalosis during the day because of 2-3 hours of hyperventilation 2-3 times a day, each episode separated by at least an hour? can respiratory alkalosis at all affect the way fat will be burned from my face, or does it have no effect whatsoever?

Even more simply, would hyperventilation at all affect the way my body burns fat? Or, is there a bodily "program" wherein the body loses weight the same way, burning fat in an even distribution so that I will look the same at 190 as I did 4 months ago, now that I have gone up to 220 lbs. and am losing weight to go back down to 190, 4 months later. The only difference being that this time while I am losing weight, I am hyperventilating subtely (I can feel tingling in my extremities) during a good portion of the day.

David

Answer:

Hi David,

Thanks for the interesting question. First, let me ask you what do you do to get rid of your hyperventilation? Are you aware of Buteyko breathing technique?

Now, back you your questions.,

1. Your fat burning rate is up due to hyperventilation, which is due to increased ketone bodies production. Some of successful diets utilize this mechanism (e.g., Oxycise and the Negative Calorie Dietc)

2. You burn fat mostly all over. The only spot-specific fat burning and depositing is that due to insulin balance-imbalance and the spot is abdomen. Dr. Schwarzbein called it "insulinometer." Dr. Agatston (South Beach Diet) promised that "belly fat goes first" - because of the insulin-normalizing effect of "bad" carbs removal from the diet.

3. It's always better to be in a controlled state than out of control. I'd recommend to learn how to control your breathing and how to eat right.

More information:

Uniqueness of Breathing (Part 1)
A man is sitting in a closed room and is doing something. The window is closed, the air conditioner is off. Oxygen is consumed, carbon dioxide is exhaled, thus increasing the CO2 concentration in the room. What happens? None can say for sure!

Do We Need to Control Our Breathing? (Part 2)
Some breathing techniques manuals instruct to uncover a baby and see how rhythmically it´s stomach rises and falls. The chest barely moves. That type of breathing is called diaphragmal...

Buteyko Breathing (Part 3)
Buteyko´s system is a series of simple breathing exercises that are exactly opposite all breathing schools (excepting maybe the Pranajama).

Is Deep Breathing Dangerous?
Simply increasing or decreasing the breathing rate and depth, the body manages to adjust its chemistry to any changes in environmental condition and swings in metabolic rate