Does Muscle Really Weigh More Than Fat

Lib_B

I've started adding exercise to my diet and all of a sudden my scale has stopped moving. I've heard the old "muscle weighs more that fat." I get that it is more dense, but isn't a pound a pound? so shouldn't i still be losing if i'm netting a caloric deficit?

crystlgrn

Nope, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. However, muscle is more dense than fat so it takes up less room. If you've just started exercising, your muscles could be retaining water. Make sure to take measurements because sometimes the scale won't move but you'll lose inches (which is just as good IMO).

xraychick77

yes..i agree with the above poster..it could be water retention.

if you are a newb to exercise, its sorta possible to gain some muscle mass..but..its not like you'll gain lbs and lbs. maybe a few lbs if that. but on a calorie deficit its very very hard to gain muscle mass. your nutrition must be spot on for that to happen, and only at a very small deficit..its called body recomp.

atjays

The difference is muscle MASS is higher than fat mass. That is not the same as weight. Not going to get into the nitty gritty science stuff, but it's true and has a lot to do with density and such.