Does muscle weigh more than fat

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  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 7,252 Member

    For the same volume, muscle is more heavy than fat (it's more dense). Or to put it another way: if you have two people with the same weight (and height), the person with more muscle and less fat will have smaller measurements than the person with less muscle and more fat.

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,352 Member

    If equal VOLUME, then yes muscle weighs more than fat due to density.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer

    IDEA Fitness member

    Kickboxing Certified instructor

    Been in fitness for 40+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 1,053 Member

    No, 1 lb of anything is 1lb. Doesn’t matter what it is.

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,740 Member
    edited May 25
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48625642#Comment_48625642

    True but people were stating volume and there is difference, muscle is about 15% more dense and takes up less space. Translating the obvious, which means that if muscle and fat were the same volume muscle would weight about 15% more.

  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 1,053 Member
    edited May 25
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48625661#Comment_48625661

    Yes, I noticed that others were referencing volume, but I was responding directly to the original poster’s specific question. It’s not always safe to assume what’s obvious to someone else. Personally, I appreciate when people answer the question I actually asked rather than what they think I meant, so I approached it that way. Now both angles are covered, which I see as a win-win.

    Unrelated Example:

    You post a question like, “What’s the best way to export high resolution images from SketchUp?”

    And someone replies with, “Well, you probably meant rendering, so here’s a list of rendering software instead.”

    Even after you clarified that you’re not asking about rendering, just exporting the actual SketchUp model images, they keep insisting on answering the question they think you meant.

    Why it’s frustrating-

    It feels dismissive. Instead of trusting that you asked your question thoughtfully, they reframe it and give you information you didn’t ask for, which wastes time and makes you feel like you’re not being heard. It’s even more frustrating when you’ve worded your question clearly and still get an explanation on something else.

    In the OP’s case I think answering his question first and offering additional context is most helpful.

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,740 Member

    Yep, that's why I agreed with you. 😊

  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 1,053 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48625735#Comment_48625735

    Gas lighting at its finest but okay.

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 9,816 Member
    edited May 25

    muscle does weigh more than fat, but sometimes people who are starting out find their weight fluctuating pretty wildly, what with the ups and downs of new foods, new exercise etc.

    it’s common here to see people saying they’ve lost several pounds of “fat” but gained several pounds of “muscle” in their first couple of weeks here.

    Sadly, that’s just water weight screwing with your head.

    Muscle gains take a long time.

    My experience, fwiw, I lost too much, was below 130, and a size 4 in women’s clothes. I lost a buttload of muscle I’d worked hard to build, too.

    I’m now upper 140’s, packing a lot of muscle, but still in those size 4s.

    Similar size, substantially higher weight, due to added muscle. It took about four years to gain this much muscle, still am, but it’s slowed way down.

    No, not your question directly, but I kind of feel that’s what you’re asking.

    Don’t fear muscle weight. Muscle weight is a lot smoother, fitter, dare I say “toned”, than fat weight. It’s a good thing, but we are taught that it’s all about a scale number.

  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 1,101 Member

    full disclosure … I have not read the other responses.

    1 pound of muscle weighs 1 pound

    1 pound of fat weights 1 pound

    1 pound of muscle is smaller than 1 pound of fat because muscle is more dense than fat.

    image.png image.png

    Extreme alternative comparison:

    Q. Which is heavier 1 kg of feathers or 1 kg of steal?

    A. They both weigh the same.

    Q. Which is smaller in size 1 kg of feathers of 1 kg of steal?

    A. 1 kg of steal because the steal is more dense than the feathers

    image.png
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 9,816 Member

    this reminds me of a question my dad posed when I was small.

    A boat is docked in the harbor. The rope ladder over the side is 12 feet long.

    The tide comes in. The tide is 10 feet high.

    How long is the rope ladder now?


    It’s still 12 feet. The boat floats.

    He had a lot of variations of that one, lol.

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