FAT VERSUS MUSCLE

iluvsparkles

Someone posted this picture recently, and i think it deserves more attention.

REMEMBER MUSCLE WEIGHS MORE THAN FAT!!
Most of us has tried to incorporate some exercise into our daily routine.YAY US! This means we are building muscle..That is great for many reasons, some of which are:

• Muscle looks smoother, healthier and better than fat (see below)
• Muscle burns calories/fat at rest, so you can rest assured you are healthier even when you are being lazy!
• You are stronger!!

BUT, as i said before...Muscle weighs more than fat! Try not to get discouraged (especially if you don't have very much to lose!) because no change on the scale does NOT reflect your progress!!! Even inches can't be totally reliable, you have to go by how you feel. i.e. My thighs are now the same inches around as when i started, but before they jiggled, and now they barely do! THIS is great!!

iluvsparkles

Someone posted this picture recently, and i think it deserves more attention.

REMEMBER MUSCLE WEIGHS MORE THAN FAT!!
Most of us has tried to incorporate some exercise into our daily routine.YAY US! This means we are building muscle..That is great for many reasons, some of which are:

• Muscle looks smoother, healthier and better than fat (see below)
• Muscle burns calories/fat at rest, so you can rest assured you are healthier even when you are being lazy!
• You are stronger!!

BUT, as i said before...Muscle weighs more than fat! Try not to get discouraged (especially if you don't have very much to lose!) because no change on the scale does NOT reflect your progress!!! Even inches can't be totally reliable, you have to go by how you feel. i.e. My thighs are now the same inches around as when i started, but before they jiggled, and now they barely do! THIS is great!!

jlwhelan1

Thanks for the reminder!

Cassia

whoa...:sick: that fat...:sick:

soup78

Nice picture! :sick:

Really puts things into perspective....thanks for words of wisdom! :bigsmile:

ChubbyBunny

I just had this conversation with my mom.
She's diabetic and her doctors are giving her crap cause she needs to "weigh this much...." by the next time they see her.

She's discouraged cause she uses this site, works out (a lot more then me) and hasn't seen the scale budge. However, today I forced her to measure herself so I could log it for her.....she's down inches all over!

Sadly the docs have pounded into her head that if the numbers don't move there isn't progress. Which is a load if I've ever heard one....I am only down 6 lbs...but I can't keep my clothes yo anymore....

I am hopin I got through this morning. I did up her calories though, since she is working out so much.

Theresa35

I love visuals like that! Thanks for the reminder and the great perspective!!! :drinker:

Theresa35

I just had a revolation....

I have lost 13 lbs so far...that is almost 3 of those fat blobs gone from my body...WHOOHOOO!!!

Thank you, thank you for giving a visual perspecitve!!!

soup78

I just had this conversation with my mom.
She's diabetic and her doctors are giving her crap cause she needs to "weigh this much...." by the next time they see her.

She's discouraged cause she uses this site, works out (a lot more then me) and hasn't seen the scale budge. However, today I forced her to measure herself so I could log it for her.....she's down inches all over!

Sadly the docs have pounded into her head that if the numbers don't move there isn't progress. Which is a load if I've ever heard one....I am only down 6 lbs...but I can't keep my clothes yo anymore....

I am hopin I got through this morning. I did up her calories though, since she is working out so much.

I think your mom is lucky to have you around and encouraging her. Good for you! Hopefully she'll take your advice to heart and tell her doctors all the progress she has been making. More importantly, she hasn't given up! So, keep on keeping on! :happy:

ChubbyBunny

I just had this conversation with my mom.
She's diabetic and her doctors are giving her crap cause she needs to "weigh this much...." by the next time they see her.

She's discouraged cause she uses this site, works out (a lot more then me) and hasn't seen the scale budge. However, today I forced her to measure herself so I could log it for her.....she's down inches all over!

Sadly the docs have pounded into her head that if the numbers don't move there isn't progress. Which is a load if I've ever heard one....I am only down 6 lbs...but I can't keep my clothes yo anymore....

I am hopin I got through this morning. I did up her calories though, since she is working out so much.

I think your mom is lucky to have you around and encouraging her. Good for you! Hopefully she'll take your advice to heart and tell her doctors all the progress she has been making. More importantly, she hasn't given up! So, keep on keeping on! :happy:

Ah, thanks...I am the thorn in her side, the albatross around her neck, and I refuse to let her wuss out and not eat some of those dang workout calories.

kistinbee

Thank you for posting this. I actually was quite frustrated this morning as it is my weigh in day and I am up 1/2 a pound from last week. But this reminds me that since I am adding weights into my routine now, I AM gaining muscle...I can even see it! And I need to remember that although smaller in size, it's heavier in mass. SO...THANKS! You made me feel a little better!:flowerforyou:

iluvsparkles

yes yes kistinbee

ALSO remember

1 just ONE 8 oz glass of water weighs a half a pound! Thats right! 2 glasses of liquid and you have gained a pound of water weight!!!!

Keep this in mind when you weigh. A half pound could be accounted for in many ways, mostly, the water you drink and retain, but also waste and food! That is why it is important to get a consistent weigh in time, idealy after you have 'eliminated' water and waste from your body in the morning...

p90x_Dude

Amen, that's why BMI can be a bit deceiving. We should always incorporate body fat % and measurements as feedback of success/failures.

Good info.

iluvsparkles

thanks guys...i just wanted to bump this post for others to read... i re read it almost daily for my own piece of mind...

MontanaGirl

yes yes kistinbee

ALSO remember

1 just ONE 8 oz glass of water weighs a half a pound! Thats right! 2 glasses of liquid and you have gained a pound of water weight!!!!

Keep this in mind when you weigh. A half pound could be accounted for in many ways, mostly, the water you drink and retain, but also waste and food! That is why it is important to get a consistent weigh in time, idealy after you have 'eliminated' water and waste from your body in the morning...

Just a friendly reminder - the average drinking glass is 16+ ounces!! A juice glass holds about 8 - 10 ounces. So 1 regular glass of water can add a whole pound!

runnerwithstyle

Great Visuals!

MumOfADuo

Misconception...muscle DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT!!! A pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of bricks...a pound is a pound is a pound!!! BUT the difference is in the DENSITY!!! Muscle is WAY more dense than fat, taking up less room so you can get more muscle into a spot where fat was.....not sure if that makes sense but really, muscle does not weigh more...impossible....but because it takes up less room than fat, you can replace 1 pound of fat with say 2 pounds of muscle....but again, a pound is a pound is a pound....
Maybe a better visual would be to have a large rubbermaid tub and pretend it is filled with fat...dump out the fat into a pile and fill the bin with muscle. Dump the muscle out next to the fat and you will see different sized piles and different weights...more muscle will fit into the bin than fat because it takes up less room...okay...I will stop before I thoroughly confuse even myself!! But I do know that it is a scientific impossibility for muscle to weigh more than fat....
Blessings!
Kathey

iluvsparkles

yes yes kistinbee

ALSO remember

1 just ONE 8 oz glass of water weighs a half a pound! Thats right! 2 glasses of liquid and you have gained a pound of water weight!!!!

Keep this in mind when you weigh. A half pound could be accounted for in many ways, mostly, the water you drink and retain, but also waste and food! That is why it is important to get a consistent weigh in time, idealy after you have 'eliminated' water and waste from your body in the morning...

Just a friendly reminder - the average drinking glass is 16+ ounces!! A juice glass holds about 8 - 10 ounces. So 1 regular glass of water can add a whole pound!

Nuts huh?! 1 tall glass = 1 lb! So just think how much a meal that is still in your body weighs!

arnab

Yes, that's definitely a nice picture.

destiny_206

I want my lbs to start being muscle and stop being fat. the water knowledge is great though. I did not realize it was that huge of a weight gain though. I know I down 24 oz bottles multiple times a day.

iluvsparkles

I want my lbs to start being muscle and stop being fat. the water knowledge is great though. I did not realize it was that huge of a weight gain though. I know I down 24 oz bottles multiple times a day.

yup, i did the math, and each 24 oz of water is a pound and a half!!! wow! (i get all of this info from the fact that a gallon of water weighs approx 8 lbs) so (excuse my candor) if you haven't peed or sweated the water out yet, or if you have had alot of sodium which helps retain water, then you will definitely weigh more.


And indeed, mumofduo, muscle doesn't actually weigh more than fat, that was just a simple way for me to say that if muscle was the same size or volume of the fat, it would weigh significantly more...
it is definitely a case of a pound of feathers versus a pound of lead...a pound of feathers takes up a whole pillow case but the pound of lead would take up only the corner of the pillow case!

iluvsparkles

i thought i would bump this for others. (and if you want to tell me that muscle does not weigh more than fat, please do so on the other thread devoted especially to that, Here:http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/22603-muscle-does-not-weigh-more-that-fat