Does muscle weigh more than fat?

belindab10

For real though, does it? I see some say yes others say no. I've been hitting plateaus recently and right now I've been working out mainly on my exercise bike and yesterday started adding T25 after finishing. I see changes in how my shirts and pants feel as they are looser but the scales show I've gained 4 lbs since last weigh in. I'm not discouraged cause I know it will change but I don't feel like I've gained that much weight...I actually feel opposite. I feel good and my clothes are fitting really good so I was just wondering if it could be the muscle weighing heavier or is it just hype? Thanks

wheird

Some people confuse the meaning, other people are pedantic about it.


Muscle is more dense than fat, therefore 1lb of muscle will take up less space than 1lb of fat.

MyChocolateDiet

a cup of muscle if you could put it in a cup would weight more than a cup of fat.

due to density.

do not try this at home.

instead think of weighing a cup of hamburger and a cup of butter. see what happens.

MyChocolateDiet

Some people confuse the meaning, other people are pedantic about it.


Muscle is more dense than fat, therefore 1lb of muscle will take up less space than 1lb of fat.

Wait. Did I just say the wrong thing? Or did I just say it backwards? ANd STAHP following me in the front of me!!!

ninerbuff

In scientific measure, yes. When comparing two materials for for density, one will compare volume vs volume. So a liter of muscle will weigh much more than a liter of fat.
However when people speak of weightloss, they are comparing a pound to pound. And a pound is a pound regardless of material if that's the comparison.
As for your weight gain, chalk it up to water retention due to new exercise routine. Water is retained to store more glycogen in the cells in anticipation for the next workout. Gaining muscle on a calorie deficit is improbable.

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

Some people confuse the meaning, other people are pedantic about it.


Muscle is more dense than fat, therefore 1lb of muscle will take up less space than 1lb of fat.

Wait. Did I just say the wrong thing? Or did I just say it backwards? ANd STAHP following me in the front of me!!!

We said the same thing in different ways. I'LL LEAD IF I WANT

Alatariel75

Just think of it like a pound of spinach leaves and a pound of apples. The apples take up less space, but they both weigh a pound.

So you can weigh the same but if your muscle % is higher, you will be physically smaller.

But muscle gain is unlikely to be the cause of a gain or a failure to lose if you're eating at a deficit.

47Jacqueline

1pound of muscle = 1 pound of fat

however,

1 pound of muscle has less MASS than one pound of fat.

feedmedonuts

Hmmm. So if one starts eating more and working out less and ends up LOSING weight...is it just muscle loss not fat loss? That has happened to me recently because I'm pregnant and I was completely shocked because I had been struggling to lose weight for over a year with nothing, and now with less effort it goes away when I don't need it to. WTH? And yes, I apologize for sounding clueless u_u

StarvingInSuburbia

Muscle is much more dense than fat. If you take a pound of muscle, it will be MUCH smaller than a pound of fat.

Because of this, I suggest measuring yourself instead of weighing yourself. I do that and even though I've only seen a bit of a change with weight, I've seen a major change with measurements.

RaggedyPond

Could be just water weight gain.

Aaron_K123

1pound of muscle = 1 pound of fat

however,

1 pound of muscle has less MASS than one pound of fat.

No it doesn't. Mass and weight are equivalent. Weight is just the effect of gravity on mass. If two objects weigh the same under an equivalent gravitational field then they have equivalent mass. 1 pound of fat and 1 pound of muscle have the exact same mass. Muscle is more dense than fat but density is not a measure of mass.

Aaron_K123

Hmmm. So if one starts eating more and working out less and ends up LOSING weight...is it just muscle loss not fat loss? That has happened to me recently because I'm pregnant and I was completely shocked because I had been struggling to lose weight for over a year with nothing, and now with less effort it goes away when I don't need it to. WTH? And yes, I apologize for sounding clueless u_u

Think you are ignoring the more obvious culprit which is just changes in water retention associated with hormonal changes in your body. I doubt you lost muscle unless you were malnourished and deprived of protein for an extended time.

Aaron_K123

OP when you think of the question does muscle weigh more than fat you are thinking about the same question as asking do bricks weigh more than feathers? Its actually a nonesensical question. If your measure is weight then one pound of bricks weighs the same as one pound of feathers, its just that one pound of feathers will be a lot more space filled than one pound of bricks would be.

Muscle is denser than fat...it is the brick to fat being feathers. 1 pound of muscle weighs the same as one pound of bricks but if you had one pound of muscle in front of you it would be considerably smaller in volume than 1 pound of fat.

belindab10

Thank you so much everyone. Your answers have helped me a great deal to understand what's going on with my body.