Muscle vs Fat or am I doing something wrong?

Options
2»

Replies

  • twizzle1942
    twizzle1942 Posts: 8
    Options
    good to hear im not the only one breathe a sigh and keep going but am acquiring a waistline and the bingo wings are smaller ...... so the scales will be used sparingly
  • liftingbro
    liftingbro Posts: 2,029 Member
    Options
    Muscle is heavier than fat, but the difference could just be the scales. Really accurate scales are really expensive. Most home models will vary slightly.

    Muscle is NOT heavier than fat. One pound of muscle = One pound of fat. Muscle, however, is less in "volume." If you burn 1 lb of fat, but gain 1 lb in muscle, you will STILL weigh the same, but you will be smaller.

    You just got a new scale. Take your weight. Start measuring in the mornings, instead of the evening. I weigh every day, but I give myself a 3lb window. If I'm up or down 3 lbs, I assume I'm the same weight. Many things like water retention, bowel movements, sodium levels, etc will affect your pound weight differently on a daily basis. Use the scale as a guide to hold you accountable for what you're eating. If my weight flucuates up 1 lb one day, I don't stress about it - but I do find myself choosing healthier foods, drinking more water, and working harder to get in a workout all that day - and that's not a bad thing. Just make sure you don't obsess over it!

    Incorrect. One cubic inch of fat weighs less than one cubic inch of muscle.
  • kristyklein8
    kristyklein8 Posts: 23
    Options
    You are right. A pound is a pound, it's just the density or volume that is the difference between muscle and fat. I like the poster who said to think of a pound of steak vs. butter. Great analogy!
  • AStoker0604
    AStoker0604 Posts: 2
    Options
    You are right. A pound is a pound, it's just the density or volume that is the difference between muscle and fat. I like the poster who said to think of a pound of steak vs. butter. Great analogy!

    Precisely.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Options
    Muscle is heavier than fat, but the difference could just be the scales. Really accurate scales are really expensive. Most home models will vary slightly.

    Muscle is NOT heavier than fat. One pound of muscle = One pound of fat. Muscle, however, is less in "volume." If you burn 1 lb of fat, but gain 1 lb in muscle, you will STILL weigh the same, but you will be smaller.

    Geez, I don't know why ppl keep posting that!! OF COURSE a pound = pound. That does NOT, I repeat NOT, mean that muscle isn't heavier than fat. It really, really is. Just as a lb of feathers weighing the same as a lb of rocks doesn't mean that rocks aren't heavier. That is why a person of the same height and build with more muscle and less fat that weighs the same as a person with less muscle and more fat will likely be smaller. Becasue the muscle is heavier.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
    Options
    You probably are adding muscle. You're right that it does weigh more than fat, think the difference in size between a pound of lean steak and a pound of butter.

    It metabolises more quickly too though, so you will start burning calories quicker, even at rest. If everything else is going the right way (it sounds like it is) then the weight loss will follow.

    I am confused, how does the burning more calories work...as I keep reading the fitter you are the less calories you will burn?
    Well, that's tricky.

    Generally as you workout and lift weights you will add muscle and more muscle does mean more calories burned.
    However, fat isn't metabolically neutral. Fat burns calories as well, just not as much. So, if you lose 50 pounds of fat and add 5 pounds of muscle your are likely to still be reducing your needed calorie intake just because of the amount of fat you lost that will no longer be burning calories. Also, you don't burn as much dragging the extra weight around.

    The best way to think of this is pound for pound. A man that is 175 and 10% fat will burn a lot more calories than a man that is 175 but 25% fat. So, a more fit person burns more calories pound for pound.

    Thanks for explaining, not crystal clear but not as confused now!
  • dragonflydi
    dragonflydi Posts: 665 Member
    Options
    You are right. A pound is a pound, it's just the density or volume that is the difference between muscle and fat. I like the poster who said to think of a pound of steak vs. butter. Great analogy!

    I'm a visual person and this one helped me understand the density/volume part: 5 lb of fat vs. 5 lb of lean muscle.

    Both weigh 5 pounds, but I'd take that muslce under my skin over that fat ANY day! :)

    5lbs.jpg

Categories