# Literal "Pound of Flesh" - best choices? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 23, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564 "2006-11-23T17:34:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/1 "2006-11-23T17:34:41Z")
Warning: this thread may cause loss of appetite. Ok, suppose you are a healthy adult and had to literally give up a pound of flesh. What stays and what goes? Let’s define flesh as tissue with the following caveats: Hair, bone, teeth, and fluids such as blood, spit, etc. don’t count. No toenails, too. Adipose tissue (fat tissue) is too easy… so it’s out. You’re healthy, so no tumors or gangrenous tissue. Here’s my thoughts: it breaks down into three categories. 1. Things you’d permanently regret losing (like brain, heart, hands, genitalia, etc.) 2. Things you’d temporarily regret losing (like skin that grows back, or you got a duplicate like kidney / lung) 3. Things you won’t miss or would gladly lose (appendix, tonsils, uvula, sinuses) Do the things in category 3 add up to a pound? ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/2 "2006-11-23T19:00:04Z")
Can the pound of flesh be from somebody else? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/3 "2006-11-23T19:02:55Z")
[QUOTE=The Controvert] Adipose tissue (fat tissue) is too easy… so it’s out. [/QUOTE] “Too easy”? Who died and made you the Taliban? ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/4 "2006-11-23T19:55:25Z")
When I had my colon removed, I weighed six pounds less after the surgery. Surgical resectioning of the bowel is a relatively common procedure, and I’ll bet that the removal of one pound of colon would be barely noticeable to the patient. ---
**Author:** ![Spidey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Spidey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spidey)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/5 "2006-11-23T20:33:07Z")
Ideally it would be a pound of undigested cow flesh sitting in my belly. If I had the benefit of a good surgeon, antibiotics etc. I’d opt for having numerous little strips of skin removed, so that it would leave a cool scarring pattern all over my body. Also if i got to keep the object, I might try to have a kidney properly removed so that I could sell or donate it. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/6 "2006-11-23T20:35:26Z")
Glutes. Could you afford to lose a one pound piece off ass. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/7 "2006-11-23T22:00:08Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] “Too easy”? Who died and made you the Taliban? [/QUOTE] Ok, if you must have an explanation… the cannibal to whom you owe the pound is watching his or her figure. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/8 "2006-11-23T22:47:08Z")
Most folks (including me) who have had their gall bladders removed scarcely notice the difference. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/9 "2006-11-23T23:14:35Z")
[QUOTE=The Controvert] Ok, if you must have an explanation… the cannibal to whom you owe the pound is watching his or her figure. [/QUOTE] how’s (s)he feel about tucking into a nice juicy colon? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/10 "2006-11-24T01:39:22Z")
[QUOTE=The Controvert] the cannibal to whom you owe the pound is watching his or her figure. [/QUOTE] Make mine colon too, then. Ask 'em if they’d like stuffing with that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/11 "2006-11-24T14:29:20Z")
What about one pound of small intestine? Assuming you connect it back, bonus on future weight loss! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/12 "2006-11-24T14:48:53Z")
I have a left lung that is useless. It’s yours! ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/13 "2006-11-24T14:49:32Z")
[QUOTE=pinkfreud] Most folks (including me) who have had their gall bladders removed scarcely notice the difference. [/QUOTE] And where are you going to put your bile? In your desk draw? No, but seriously. I was under the impression that by removing the organ that stored bile would significantly make it more difficult to digest any fat injested, not to mention neutralizing stomach acids. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/14 "2006-11-24T15:37:22Z")
My appendix is just sitting there, doing nothing. Since I don’t plan to employ my uterus, we can add that to the pile. I’m not a drinker, so I suppose I could sacrifice some liver or a kidney, but as a smoker, I probably should hang onto both lungs. Just in case, you know. . . . ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/15 "2006-11-24T16:00:33Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] Glutes. Could you afford to lose a one pound piece off ass. [/QUOTE] You could, but I don’t think you would be able to walk upright anymore. If you had a surgeon do it selectively by muscle, and not just hack out a steak, you might be able to work it so you could still walk hunched over. But the glutes are what yank your pelvis and spine upright on top of your femurs (leg bones). I’d go for gastric bypass with the loss of some small intestine. Might as well snip out that bit of stomach. Everyone wins. Most of us could lose a pound of liver without ill effect. It’ll just grow back. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/16 "2006-11-24T16:45:35Z")
How about the 9/10 of the brain we’re supposedly not using? I know, I know… ---
**Author:** ![Firebringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@Firebringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Firebringer)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/17 "2006-11-24T16:53:13Z")
I’d probably opt for appendix failing that one of my feet. (Not in exchange for a flying car though 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/18 "2006-11-24T17:20:33Z")
:: reads several posts, then bursts into song :: “All of me, why not take all of me…” :: continues to sing as various castoff body parts are flung in his direction :: ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/19 "2006-11-24T19:08:47Z")
Assuming I can immediately get some neato bionic replacement, I’m more than willing to trade in both knees (all bone and connective tissue). That’s got to be close to a pound, but if I must continue: I’m not using my tonsils or appendix, and honestly think I’d be happier sans uterus. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564/20 "2006-11-24T21:13:33Z")
Doesn’t liver regenerate? I think that would be the best option. And it’s surprisingly dense, so a little section would probably go a long way towards satisfying the 16 ounces. But if I’m a few ounces short, I’ll throw in my appendix and however many lymph nodes are needed to make up the balance. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literal-pound-of-flesh-best-choices/381564.md?page=2)