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muslce weighs more than fat....hear me out!

Posts: 580 Member
edited September 2024 in Chit-Chat
Ok, I noticed a comment about "muscle does not weigh more than fat" and googled and found all the many articles on the subject. But the fact of the matter is that muscle DOES weigh more than fat. I realize a pound is a pound is a pound so a pound of anything is a pound. That is not the issue I am arguing.

If you hold one feather in your hand, it does not weigh the same as if you were to hold a quarter. They are both small, there is only one of each, but you will feel the quarter in your hand and not feel the feather. Just because a pound of feathers and a pound of quarters is still a pound does not mean the feather and the quarter weigh the same. It would take a lot more feathers to make up a pound than quarters.

So lets look at this from a more reasonable (in my opinion) perspective. If you were to take a square inch of muscle, and a square inch of fat, the muscle would weigh more and so....

muscle weighs more than fat

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Replies

  • Posts: 602 Member
    Ok, I noticed a comment about "muscle does not weigh more than fat" and googled and found all the many articles on the subject. But the fact of the matter is that muscle DOES weigh more than fat. I realize a pound is a pound is a pound so a pound of anything is a pound. That is not the issue I am arguing.

    If you hold one feather in your hand, it does not weigh the same as if you were to hold a quarter. They are both small, there is only one of each, but you will feel the quarter in your hand and not feel the feather. Just because a pound of feathers and a pound of quarters is still a pound does not mean the feather and the quarter weigh the same. It would take a lot more feathers to make up a pound than quarters.

    So lets look at this from a more reasonable (in my opinion) perspective. If you were to take a square inch of muscle, and a square inch of fat, the muscle would weigh more and so....

    muscle weighs more than fat

    You're still incorrect. Muscle is DENSER than fat. Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat.
  • Posts: 666 Member

    You're still incorrect. Muscle is DENSER than fat. Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat.

    This
  • Posts: 602

    You're still incorrect. Muscle is DENSER than fat. Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat.

    That's my little legalistic girl
  • Posts: 12,294 Member

    You're still incorrect. Muscle is DENSER than fat. Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat.

    Because muscle is more dense, the earth's gravitational force causes it to be heavier than the less dense fat. The more dense something is the more it weighs.
  • Posts: 1,138 Member
    I think that what the OP is trying to say is that muscle weighs more than fat *by volume*, which is true. However, no matter how they feel in your hand, a pound of fat and a pound of muscle (or indeed, feathers and quarters) will still weigh exactly the same, i.e. a pound each. This is science, it is not up for debate, no matter how you argue it!
  • Your point in this is what ??? Who cares what ways more. some of you out there love these kinds of threads, would you rather be fat or have muscle tone ?
  • Posts: 125 Member
    So, because I've heard this argument and it confuses the heck out of me.

    If I take a knife and cut out one square inch of muscle off my body and put it on a scale and then did the same for fat and put it on the scale, it would weigh the same?

    In other words, if I take the same amount in volume of fat and muscle and weigh them, they should weigh the same?

    It just seems like if muscle is more dense, then in this particular case, muscle would weigh more if the volume of the two were the same....
  • Posts: 1,330 Member
    JUST FYI, OP, Everyone knows what they are saying, some people just choose to argue semantics.

    Unfortunately you just opened a can of worms.

    No one except those who already agree that this is a really really STUPID arguement for people to argue, will agree with you.

    Those who INSIST that people word this statement as "Muscle is denser than fat" aren't going to agree with you.

    When in reality if you weighed a square inch of fat and a square inch of muscle, they would indeed weigh different amounts.

    So this is a useless battle.
  • Posts: 499 Member
    Everyone knows that pound for pound muscle and fat weight the same and everyone knows that when someone says muscle weighs more than fat they actually mean that inch for inch muscle will weigh more than fat. It's just easier to say muscle weighs more than fat. The people who continually jump on people for saying that are just being pedantic
  • Posts: 602 Member
    This whole thread makes Richard Simmons cry.
  • Posts: 1,645 Member
    Yes you are correct it does take more fat to make a pound and less muscle.

    The density of human muscle is about 1.06 grams per mililiter. The density of human fat is about .9 grams per mililiter. Thus, muscle is about 18% more dense than fat.
  • Posts: 1,138 Member
    In other words, if I take the same amount in volume of fat and muscle and weigh them, they should weigh the same?

    It just seems like if muscle is more dense, then in this particular case, muscle would weigh more if the volume of the two were the same....

    No, by volume (e.g. a square inch of each), the muscle would be heavier. However, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat but takes up less space (i.e. volume). Lookie....

    fatvmuscle.jpg
  • Posts: 80 Member
    LOL! What a silly argument! WHO CARES!?! (I do agree that muscle weighs more than fat, obviously bc it's more dense) but again, who cares!? I don't think anyone could argue that they would rather be 130lbs all fat than 130lbs all muscle. Obviously anyone who is all muscle is going to be slimmer (and less jiggly) than anyone who is all fat even if the all-fat person weighed 115lbs, the all muscle person would still be slimmer, healthier and more fit and isn't that why we are all here? To be a healthier you?
  • Posts: 1,138 Member
    LOL! What a silly argument! WHO CARES!?! (I do agree that muscle weighs more than fat, obviously bc it's more dense) but again, who cares!? I don't think anyone could argue that they would rather be 130lbs all fat than 130lbs all muscle. Obviously anyone who is all muscle is going to be slimmer (and less jiggly) than anyone who is all fat even if the all-fat person weighed 115lbs, the all muscle person would still be slimmer, healthier and more fit and isn't that why we are all here? To be a healthier you?

    I think that regardless of whether your 130lbs was muscle or fat, you'd be pretty floppy without bones! :laugh:
  • Posts: 602 Member

    No, by volume (e.g. a square inch of each), the muscle would be heavier. However, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat but takes up less space (i.e. volume). Lookie....

    fatvmuscle.jpg

    I just fell in love.
  • Posts: 80 Member

    I think that regardless of whether your 130lbs was muscle or fat, you'd be pretty floppy without bones! :laugh:

    LOL! The bones are implied :)
  • Posts: 407 Member

    Because muscle is more dense, the earth's gravitational force causes it to be heavier than the less dense fat. The more dense something is the more it weighs.

    How are you measuring this without gravity? I believe all measurements are done on Earth.
  • Posts: 2 Member
    So, because I've heard this argument and it confuses the heck out of me. ...It just seems like if muscle is more dense, then in this particular case, muscle would weigh more if the volume of the two were the same....

    You are right about the density.

    In the end, it does not make for good mantra (or jingoism) to say a cubic inch of muscle weighs more than a cubic inch of fat. So, people have been mistakenly saying that muscle weighs more than fat.

    But the essence is this: even if you weigh the same this week as last week after working out, that pound of muscle you built up takes up a lot less space than the pound of fat. And eventually, you will have built up the amount of muscle your body needs to do the workouts you are asking your body to do, and then it will be pretty well straight fat loss.

    I haven't weighed myself in two months, but I take weekly body size measurements and have noticed considerable slimming, but likely not a lot on the weight front (due to other factors other than stepping on a scale). I suspect I am losing at the prescribed rate of 2 pounds per week, but I'm losing close to a 3/4 of an inch per week off the belly and waist. And this is good.
  • Not sure what this whole argument is about but I always heard that muscle burns fat so putting on more muscle will take off more fat. Am I correct here?
  • Posts: 1,645 Member
    LOL! What a silly argument! WHO CARES!?! (I do agree that muscle weighs more than fat, obviously bc it's more dense) but again, who cares!? I don't think anyone could argue that they would rather be 130lbs all fat than 130lbs all muscle. Obviously anyone who is all muscle is going to be slimmer (and less jiggly) than anyone who is all fat even if the all-fat person weighed 115lbs, the all muscle person would still be slimmer, healthier and more fit and isn't that why we are all here? To be a healthier you?

    UGH! I care, because when I am working my @$$ off and the scales are staying the same, but my pants are falling off, I like the best explanation. Or how my friend that doesn't work out weighs less than me and I workout, weigh more, but we wear the same size clothes, same body type etc...
  • Posts: 1,138 Member
    LOL! The bones are implied :)

    LOL, I thought they probably were but I thought that in the current climate of pedantry....:laugh:
  • Posts: 86 Member
    I'm confused :S So what's heavier feathers or muscle? Joking :P

    Yea the higher density of muscle is why I don't trust BMI calculations when there is more than an average amount of muscle
  • Posts: 1,138 Member
    I'm confused :S So what's heavier feathers or muscle? Joking :P

    Yea the higher density of muscle is why I don't trust BMI calculations when there is more than an average amount of muscle

    Agreed - the BMI calculator doesn't take into account muscle mass, so a 220lb athlete would be classed as obese!
  • Posts: 1,015 Member
    That phrase will grate on anyone with a scientific mind(it does lack accuracy without further explanation), unless they have the social understanding to look past it. Very few people truly misunderstand the difference in the relationship.
  • Posts: 86 Member
    Nice pic by the way ! (the muscle v fat thing)
  • Posts: 1,330 Member
    That phrase will grate on anyone with a scientific mind(it does lack accuracy without further explanation), unless they have the social understanding to look past it. Very few people truly misunderstand the difference in the relationship.

    You are so smart! :flowerforyou:
  • Posts: 80 Member

    UGH! I care, because when I am working my @$$ off and the scales are staying the same, but my pants are falling off, I like the best explanation. Or how my friend that doesn't work out weighs less than me and I workout, weigh more, but we wear the same size clothes, same body type etc...

    My guess is that you have more muscle than your friend if your exactly the same but you weigh more. And just because I feel compelled to give motherly advice here I'm just going to say that you would be much happier with yourself and your body (not saying your un-happy just that you could be happier) if you didn't compare yourself to your friend and just focused on how you feel about yourself.
  • Posts: 320

    No, by volume (e.g. a square inch of each), the muscle would be heavier. However, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat but takes up less space (i.e. volume). Lookie....

    fatvmuscle.jpg

    I love this....all this other crap is confusing me and driving me nuts....thanks! There should be no argument after this posting!
  • Posts: 1,645 Member

    My guess is that you have more muscle than your friend if your exactly the same but you weigh more. And just because I feel compelled to give motherly advice here I'm just going to say that you would be much happier with yourself and your body (not saying your un-happy just that you could be happier) if you didn't compare yourself to your friend and just focused on how you feel about yourself.
    Yeah you are probably right! I do focus on my friend just a little to much. It is frustrating at times to me, but unfortunately I am not happy with my body and won't be even after I accomplish my weight loss goal. Sorry a little sensitive about the subject because I do deal with it in my personal life every single day. She brags of course.
  • Posts: 390 Member
    How ironic. For a topic about muscle vs. fat density, I'm seeing a lot of 'dense' replies...
This discussion has been closed.