Another MFP member inspired me to post this....

polar5554

For those of you who are confused about the topic of "muscle weighing MORE than fat"....

Muscle Does Not Weigh More Than Fat (five pounds is five pounds), but it is Much Nicer to Look at



As you can see, the 5 lbs. of fat is much bulkier than the 5 lbs. of muscle, but five pounds is still five pounds. Muscle does not weigh more than fat.

Fat is bulky and lumpy so if you carry an extra five pounds of fat, you'll be lumpier than with five pounds more muscle. A five pound pile of fat will take up more space (volume) than a five pound pile of muscle; but five pounds is still five pounds, so for those of you that don't "get" English, you cannot say one thing weighing a certain weight weighs more than another thing at that same weight. It's a common joke to play on an 8-year old. The correct way to state the muscle weighs more than fat scenario is, "Muscle is heavier by volume than fat."

A woman weighing 150 pounds with 19% fat will look much smaller (and be much healthier) than a woman at 150 pounds with 35% fat. They weigh the same, yet the composition is different. Because muscle is more dense than fat the person with less fat and more muscle will look smaller.

Stop being so obsessed with body weight and start paying attention to body composition. How much body fat do you have compared to muscle? Simply seeing how much you weigh isn't very helpful.

tinareet

LIKE!!! lol

corrinnebrown

yes I agree! MEASURE too!

Naomi91

*flex* :]

Angela4Health

LOL I'm so glad you posted this! I know so many people honestly still believe that muscle weighs more than fat.

Teebowen

awesome post!!!!!!

Shannon7713

Love this post

SarahJaneDeschamp

what great way to look at it, thanks for that

ysamatar

Like it.

Naomi91

i think when people say "muscle weighs more than fat" they mean it is more dense right? I means its like saying bricks weigh more than feathers.... but if you have a pound of both they are equal. I dunno just a thought :] i think they mean well! Just a common phrase :]

althought ill admit it gets on my nerves a bit xD

44isthenew29

Great insight and terrific explanation. I hadn't looked at it that way but it makes perfect sense. Thanks for sharing.

elena99

Muscle most definitely weighs more than fat - 1 cup of muscle weighs more then 1 cup of fat just like 1 cup of feathers weighs more then 1 cup of rocks. What your picture represents - is the volume difference, not the weight difference.

yazminetw

Thanks for posting this. I recently purchased a scale that measures body fat.

cmsdives

:noway: WOW!! THANK YOU!! I am printing out that picture and putting it on my refridgerator as well as my stationary bike for inspiration & motivation!!! :flowerforyou:

mikeylikesit1177

BUMP!!! <

---

First time ever bumping

feliciapeters

There is an old "brain twister" type of puzzle
"which weights more, a ton of rocks or a ton of feathers"

the answer is simple. a ton is a ton, theres just alot MORE feathers than rocks

Kinda the same theory

bethany41h

Thanks for sharing!

bobbijo72

ugh.. still lookin for the "Like" button


LIKE LIKE LIKE!! awesome.. great adding in the picture.. ! thanks.

erickirb

LOL I'm so glad you posted this! I know so many people honestly still believe that muscle weighs more than fat.

muscle by volume does weigh more, and that is what people mean when they say that muscle weighs more than fat. 1 cubic foot of muscle weighs much more than a cubic foot of fat. Muscle is more dense which is why it weighs more.

Saying muscle and fat weight the same is like saying chocolate and carrots have the same amount of calories, because 100 calories of carrots = 100 calories of chocolate. But like muscle to fat, chocolate is more calorie dense. It is the higher density that makes something weigh more, on a volume basis.

katdon88

Thanks for sharing!

JPod279

Kind of like when they say when a man shaves his chest it helps define his muscles. Yeah, it also helps define your fat. :bigsmile:

It would be proper to say muscle is more dense than fat. Think of taking a nice bite of steak (meat) versus a bite of steak fat.

live2smyle

Where is the like button when you need it!!! LIKE! :flowerforyou:

erickirb

There is an old "brain twister" type of puzzle
"which weights more, a ton of rocks or a ton of feathers"

the answer is simple. a ton is a ton, theres just alot MORE feathers than rocks

Kinda the same theory

True, but no one argues that 1lb weighs more than 1lb, they argue that because muscle is more dense it weighs more. And it does and always will as long as gravity is around. the more dense something is the more it weighs, naturally.

marianne_s

Yep... that's why I recently bought one of those scales that provide a body fat calculation....

feliciapeters

There is an old "brain twister" type of puzzle
"which weights more, a ton of rocks or a ton of feathers"

the answer is simple. a ton is a ton, theres just alot MORE feathers than rocks

Kinda the same theory

True, but no one argues that 1lb weighs more than 1lb, they argue that because muscle is more dense it weighs more. And it does and always will as long as gravity is around. the more dense something is the more it weighs, naturally.

That WAS the point I was making

ashleynicoleb

Great post!

kimmerroze

Yep... that's why I recently bought one of those scales that provide a body fat calculation....

I would be careful! they have been known to be EXTREMELY wrong and inaccurate. I wouldn't trust the scales measure of your body fat. Its better to get it tested other ways!

bzmom

If I understand correctly what people try to say is that if you had the exact same size (meaning same length, with and thinckness) in muscle and fat you can guarantee muscle would weight more. I think that is what they are talking about not 5lbs of one and 5lbs of the other. JMO

sandram82

OMG... Thanks for posting that.. I need to be reminded of things like this today!!

erickirb

If I understand correctly what people try to say is that if you had the exact same size (meaning same length, with and thinckness) in muscle and fat you can guarantee muscle would weight more. I think that is what they are talking about not 5lbs of one and 5lbs of the other. JMO

Agreed, the argument that a pound is a pound bugs me to no end, and is irrelevant, and it misses the entire point of someone saying muscle weighs more than fat.

kimmerroze

If I understand correctly what people try to say is that if you had the exact same size (meaning same length, with and thinckness) in muscle and fat you can guarantee muscle would weight more. I think that is what they are talking about not 5lbs of one and 5lbs of the other. JMO

Agreed, the argument that a pound is a pound bugs me to no end, and is irrelevant, and it misses the entire point of someone saying muscle weighs more than fat.

I agree. It bugs me too.. noone in their right mind is going to sit there and tell you that a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat. And What makes EVERYONE assume that when they say muscle weighs more than fat, they are talking about equal pounds? its just as possible to assume that they are meaning by volume. Lets not be so harsh and critical.