Why fat is "fatter"....

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barefootbeautiful
barefootbeautiful Posts: 144
in Health and Weight Loss
The reason you can lose "inches" and not "weight" can be explained simply by looking at my photo. It has been said often that muscle weighs more than fat - which is kind of true. Muscle is SMALLER than fat, which is why - especially when you are strength training - your the scale won't move but your waistline will.

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  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    The reason you can lose "inches" and not "weight" can be explained simply by looking at my photo. It has been said often that muscle weighs more than fat - which is kind of true. Muscle is SMALLER than fat, which is why - especially when you are strength training - your the scale won't move but your waistline will.

    To be more precise muscle is more dense than fat. They weigh the same.
  • sheddingthelbs
    sheddingthelbs Posts: 26
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    What would cause someone to lose weight but not inches though?
  • sexygenius
    sexygenius Posts: 1,078 Member
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    The reason you can lose "inches" and not "weight" can be explained simply by looking at my photo. It has been said often that muscle weighs more than fat - which is kind of true. Muscle is SMALLER than fat, which is why - especially when you are strength training - your the scale won't move but your waistline will.

    To be more precise muscle is more dense than fat. They weigh the same.

    by volume they do not weigh the same, a cubic foot of fat weighs less than a cubic foot of muscle..
  • ninyagwa
    ninyagwa Posts: 341 Member
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    I had a discussion with my trainer about this today. Say you had a one pound lean steak, and 1 pound of fluff. Which one has more fat and takes up more space...the fluff. Also if you put that fluff, and that meat in seran wrap or a baggie...which ones is going to look smoother and take up less space...the steak. It helps me put fat vs. muscle into perspective, I don't know if it will help anyone else.
  • barefootbeautiful
    barefootbeautiful Posts: 144
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    I had a discussion with my trainer about this today. Say you had a one pound lean steak, and 1 pound of fluff. Which one has more fat and takes up more space...the fluff. Also if you put that fluff, and that meat in seran wrap or a baggie...which ones is going to look smoother and take up less space...the steak. It helps me put fat vs. muscle into perspective, I don't know if it will help anyone else.

    That is a FABULOUS analogy - your trainer rocks!
  • barefootbeautiful
    barefootbeautiful Posts: 144
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    What would cause someone to lose weight but not inches though?

    I'm not sure I've heard of this problem as much. I generally hear complaints about losing a pant size but the scale stays the same. If you're losing weight but not inches, you may be losing muscle mass. Can you elaborate a little?
  • jane77
    jane77 Posts: 489
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    I like the one a lb of popcorn (fat) to a lbs of brick (Muscle) which one takes of less room? A pound is a pound muscle just takes up less room.
  • barefootbeautiful
    barefootbeautiful Posts: 144
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    I am loving these analogies! Gotta share them with the workout group!
  • barefootbeautiful
    barefootbeautiful Posts: 144
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    Doesthe picture help at all? I was thinking of putting it on facebook for some friends of mine.
  • JeninBelgium
    JeninBelgium Posts: 804 Member
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    the picture is a good explanation
  • faythe
    faythe Posts: 245
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    What would cause someone to lose weight but not inches though?

    If you are losing weight but not inches it could be because you are losing muscle mass from not eating enough and being inactive. Reevaluate your diet and make sure you're meeting all of your nutrient goals, especially protein and carbs, and that you are eating at least 1200 calories a day. Hope this helps! :)

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