Muscle vs Fat
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barbacasec
Posts: 106
I know people have mentioned this before but I continue to see people post that Muscle weighs more than Fat...
It DOES NOT!!! A lb of muscle is the same weight as a lb of fat!!
Muscles are a lot more dense so they take up less room... so you look smaller...but a lb is a lb.
For example a 2 lb brick and 2 lbs of feathers..... a 2 lb brick will take up a lot less space then 2 lbs of feathers!! but they are both still 2 lbs!!
If you take a person who weighs 200lbs but has a lot of muscle (lower body fat) and put them next to a person with more fat the one with more muscles will actually be and look smaller but will still weigh the same......
thats why when you are working out it is important to take your measurements because if you are working out you are building lean muscle mass which might not make the scale move right away but you will be getting smaller!! Eventually the scale will move because muscles burn more calories then fat does even when resting..... so once you turn fat into muscles your body will work more efficiently and eventually burn off the fat and lbs!!
ok thats my rant for the day!! a lb is a lb!!
It DOES NOT!!! A lb of muscle is the same weight as a lb of fat!!
Muscles are a lot more dense so they take up less room... so you look smaller...but a lb is a lb.
For example a 2 lb brick and 2 lbs of feathers..... a 2 lb brick will take up a lot less space then 2 lbs of feathers!! but they are both still 2 lbs!!
If you take a person who weighs 200lbs but has a lot of muscle (lower body fat) and put them next to a person with more fat the one with more muscles will actually be and look smaller but will still weigh the same......
thats why when you are working out it is important to take your measurements because if you are working out you are building lean muscle mass which might not make the scale move right away but you will be getting smaller!! Eventually the scale will move because muscles burn more calories then fat does even when resting..... so once you turn fat into muscles your body will work more efficiently and eventually burn off the fat and lbs!!
ok thats my rant for the day!! a lb is a lb!!
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Replies
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its a fact of volume, not weight.0
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if you take the same exact volume of muscle and fat...muscle will out weigh the fat...
obviously if you take one lb of one and one lb of another, it will be the same....but consider having the same volume of both and then measure....0 -
Thank you for your Rant. We all need to be reminded of this every so often. While my scale may not be shooting down.......with 10 lbs lost -- I have lost 11.25 in inches in measuring six different areas. I strength train as much as I do cardio.0
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Example of why weight loss should be done via mirror and not scale
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It that why chickens look so big ?0
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Couldn't agree more. It's density v mass and the amount of people I know that complain they're not losing weight is unreal. But when it's explained to them they start to feel better. Measurements are a better indicator at times and we all need a gentle reminder ;-)0
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I know people have mentioned this before but I continue to see people post that Muscle weighs more than Fat...
It DOES NOT!!! A lb of muscle is the same weight as a lb of fat!!
Muscles are a lot more dense so they take up less room... so you look smaller...but a lb is a lb.
For example a 2 lb brick and 2 lbs of feathers..... a 2 lb brick will take up a lot less space then 2 lbs of feathers!! but they are both still 2 lbs!!
If you take a person who weighs 200lbs but has a lot of muscle (lower body fat) and put them next to a person with more fat the one with more muscles will actually be and look smaller but will still weigh the same......
thats why when you are working out it is important to take your measurements because if you are working out you are building lean muscle mass which might not make the scale move right away but you will be getting smaller!! Eventually the scale will move because muscles burn more calories then fat does even when resting..... so once you turn fat into muscles your body will work more efficiently and eventually burn off the fat and lbs!!
ok thats my rant for the day!! a lb is a lb!!
When they say 'muscle weighs more than fat' I think they do mean "muscle is denser than fat therefore takes up less space". It's just a bit easier to say the first one.0 -
Excellent! Good reminder of why taking measurements is so important in tracking fitness progress!0
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I know people have mentioned this before but I continue to see people post that Muscle weighs more than Fat...
It DOES NOT!!! A lb of muscle is the same weight as a lb of fat!!
Muscles are a lot more dense so they take up less room... so you look smaller...but a lb is a lb.
You are right with the measuring thing but not this part. Like the other people have said, it's the VOLUME that matters. Obviously a pound is a pound. When people say muscle weighs more than fat, take a CUP of fat and a CUP of muscle. The muscle will weigh more. I just don't want people to get confused on this.0 -
I always suggest that people track their measurements along with their weight. I think people get frustrated on weeks when they don't show losses on the scale. But, with measurements, you can see improvement in other areas even when the scale isn't moving or isn't moving fast enough.
--Carter0 -
True, in some ways, but I could not do this Fitness Pal program without the encouragement of a scale once a week. I need that re-enforcement! When I look in a mirror I am really not able to see much difference yet, even though i have lost 11 pounds. I agree that a tape measure is a great boost, also. My am cursed with a large waist -- that's where much of my extra weight likes to settle --and it is really encouraging to see on my tape measure that it is starting to get smaller.0
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..... so once you turn fat into muscles your body will work more efficiently and eventually burn off the fat and lbs!!
ok thats my rant for the day!! a lb is a lb!!
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When they say 'muscle weighs more than fat' I think they do mean "muscle is denser than fat therefore takes up less space". It's just a bit easier to say the first one.
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I think it's pretty funny that in your rant you say you can turn fat into muscles. I wouldn't have brought it up because I know you mean when fat is replaced by muscle....but.0 -
A picture is worth a whole bunch of words:
Nuff Said!0 -
I know people have mentioned this before but I continue to see people post that Muscle weighs more than Fat...
It DOES NOT!!! A lb of muscle is the same weight as a lb of fat!!
Muscles are a lot more dense so they take up less room... so you look smaller...but a lb is a lb.
For example a 2 lb brick and 2 lbs of feathers..... a 2 lb brick will take up a lot less space then 2 lbs of feathers!! but they are both still 2 lbs!!
If you take a person who weighs 200lbs but has a lot of muscle (lower body fat) and put them next to a person with more fat the one with more muscles will actually be and look smaller but will still weigh the same......
thats why when you are working out it is important to take your measurements because if you are working out you are building lean muscle mass which might not make the scale move right away but you will be getting smaller!! Eventually the scale will move because muscles burn more calories then fat does even when resting..... so once you turn fat into muscles your body will work more efficiently and eventually burn off the fat and lbs!!
ok thats my rant for the day!! a lb is a lb!!
Worst argument in the world, when someone says muscle weighs more than fat they are implying "by volume" muscle weighs more than fat. Because muscle is more dense it weighs more.
Your argument would be like saying you and I weigh the same because 1lb of you weighs the same as 1lb of me. That does not make any sense what so ever.
I have always said and will continue say that muscle weighs more than fat, because it does, in equal volumes.0 -
I understand that if you are basing it on volume then yes - muscle will weigh more-
I am basing my rant on stepping the scale. (WEIGHT) not (Volume) ... not a cup vs a cup....but a lb vs a lb
it is 2 totally different measurements but when a person states that muslce weighs more when they step on the scale they are incorrect. 200lbs of muscle is the same "weight" as 200lb of fat -
my example is by lbs not cups.... of course a cup of fat will weigh less than a cup of muscle... but thats not what you are doing when you take a "person" and sticking them on a scale - you are measuring weight not volume.
if you take a 2 people that weigh the same and measure them out cup by cup ..... you will still end up with the same weight you will just have a lot less cups to fill...... but you will still have the smae weight!! I am basing this rant on scale weight not volume!!
I just wanted to reiterate how important it is to take your measurements as well as the scale because you can end up with lots of NSV's !!0 -
Exactly my point! and yes i meant that when you replace the fat with muscle---- thats the problem with Ranting - sometimes you miss type becuase your brain is moving faster then your fingers can type.....0
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I think, in the end, most of us only care about volume. Weight is just a number on a scale, but the volume is directly indicitive of how you look. Id be happy at 190 and 5% body fat, but my reality is 170 and 16% or so.0
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@keith0373 unfortunately not every one thinks like you do -
A lot of women "myself included" want to see that magic number on the scale.
and that was my point from the get go....
the scale might not be moving but you are getting smaller and healthier
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I'd like to add that you cannot turn fat into muscle. That will never happen. Fat is fat and muscle is muscle. You can work to decrease your fat cells, they will never disappear.0
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A picture is worth a whole bunch of words:
Nuff Said!
Mmm that would be nice grilled
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