The REAL fat vs. muscle for dummies.

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BodyByBex
BodyByBex Posts: 3,685 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
1 pound is a pound. 1 pound of muscle WEIGHS the SAME as 1 pound of fat.

The difference is the density.

Muscle is more dense than fat, which means it takes up LESS SPACE than fat. Muscle takes up approximately four-fifths as much space as fat. Two people may be the same height and weight, but the person with a higher body fat percentage will wear a larger clothing size.

Since it is more dense, muscle DOES weigh more than fat if you compare SAME-SIZE PORTIONS(pay attention). On average, the DENSITY of FAT is 0.9 g/mL. The DENSITY of MUSCLE is 1.1 g/mL. Using the averages, 1 liter of muscle weighs 1.06 kg, or 2.3 lbs., while 1 liter of fat weighs .9 kg, or 1.98 lbs. This may vary due to numerous factors including race, being extremely lean, or being extremely obese, according to “Exercise Physiology” by William D. McArdle, et al.


Oh the power of Google.

Replies

  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    OK ... now that we've covered that a pound is a pound and the density differences between fat and muscle (apparently bones get no love today) who is going to start a fat vs muscle thread based on caloric burn at rest?
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,210 Member
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    What irks me is when people try to explain how scale weight can stagnate when lifting weights by saying "muscle weighs more than fat", when they really mean "muscle gained offsets fat lost". Muscle's density is irrelevant to that.

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