"Muscle Weighs More Than Fat"

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  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
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    What??? How about if you convert lead into gold, what does it weigh then?

    Yup! Muscle is denser than fat. But if you convert a pound of fat to muscle, you get a pound of muscle. You can't create mass from nothing.
  • Fit_Canuck
    Fit_Canuck Posts: 788 Member
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    I love the fact the by the logic, nothing actually weighs more than anything cos a "pound is a pound"

    1000 pounds of elephants weighs the same as 1000 pounds of mice! Yes, but I am pretty sure I can say that elephants weigh more than mice!!!
    Yup! Muscle is denser than fat. But if you convert a pound of fat to muscle, you get a pound of muscle. You can't create mass from nothing.

    Please tell me your joking, you can't transform fat into muscle, they are two different types of tissue. You burn fat tissue and you build muscle tissue.
  • porffor
    porffor Posts: 1,212 Member
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    fat-v-muscle.jpg?w=300

    This is all that should ever have to be said on this topic.

    Loving this image!! Thank you!

    And the comment in the OP about 'having a lot to lose' resulting in weight loss as well as muscle gain - I'm hoping at 182lb I still apply here.. as I'm only 5'3" - I'm even more determined to find out now!

    Thanks for a great thread!
  • littlemsmuffet
    littlemsmuffet Posts: 84
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    [/quote]
    Yup! Muscle is denser than fat. But if you convert a pound of fat to muscle, you get a pound of muscle. You can't create mass from nothing.
    [/quote]

    Please tell me your joking, you can't transform fat into muscle, they are two different types of tissue. You burn fat tissue and you build muscle tissue.
    [/quote]

    Yeah, that's right, but the raw materials from fat catabolism can be used to build muscle (fat = C, H, O and muscle = C, H, O, N). All you need is more protein. Free fatty acids are readily used by muscles as well as the liver :D So if you are in an energy deficit, weight lifting, and you are in a positive-nitrogen balance, you can convert the energy from adipose-tissue to the energy needed for muscle gain and repair.
  • Bikini27
    Bikini27 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    fat-v-muscle.jpg?w=300

    This is all that should ever have to be said on this topic.

    Loving this image!! Thank you!

    And the comment in the OP about 'having a lot to lose' resulting in weight loss as well as muscle gain - I'm hoping at 182lb I still apply here.. as I'm only 5'3" - I'm even more determined to find out now!

    Thanks for a great thread!

    :flowerforyou:
  • 70davis
    70davis Posts: 348 Member
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    bump
  • Picola1984
    Picola1984 Posts: 1,133
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    Just reading a Closer magazine on my lunch break and theres an article on Kelly Holmes (Olympic runner) who says "I'm actually lighter than when I was competing because muscle weighs more than fat"


    :/
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    OK, I am sure this has been posted before and has been a pet peeve of many. So, I post this article to help out a little....Fav part? A pound is a pound is a pound.
    Enjoy! :flowerforyou:

    http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=8311

    Ask the Personal Trainer: Does Muscle Weigh More Than Fat?
    We resolve the controversy once and for all.
    Article By: William R. Sukala, MS, CS
    Q:Does muscle really weigh more than fat?



    Muscle does not weigh more than fat, any more than lead weighs more than feathers. A pound is a pound is a pound. Where the misunderstanding often comes in is that muscle is much more dense than fat, so that, by volume, it seems to weigh more. That is, a pound of muscle occupies less space than a pound of fat. In addition, because a pound of muscle burns more fat than a pound of fat, even at rest, by increasing your lean muscle tissue mass, you're helping your body burn more calories.

    But back to your question. If you only have a small amount of weight to lose, then you may feel like the weight training is not helping you move down on the scale. In fact, the number may even go up, but you will look thinner. This is due to an increase in lean body mass (muscle, bone, blood volume) and a decrease in body fat. In other words, even if the scale doesn't change much, you will probably see a difference in how your clothes fit.

    On the other hand, if you have a lot of weight to lose, you will also experience an increase in lean body mass and loss of body fat. But the results on the scale will probably be more dramatic.


    In this Q&A series, William Sukala, MS, CSCS, answers questions about fitness and exercise. Read more articles from our personal trainer.

    Yes a pound is a pound.

    But muscle will weigh more than fat if both a piece of fat and a piece of muscle are exactly the same size.

    If both pieces are say one square inch in size, the muscle piece will weight more. THIS is what people mean when they say muscle weighs more than fat.

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