Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat and put away the damn sc

PunkRockDad

Two of the biggest things on this forum that I see people always saying is that muscle weighs more than fat. It doesn't. The other is the constant worrying about what the scale says. Throw the damn thing away.

First on the fat vs muscle weight myth:

Fat is bulky and lumpy so if you carry an extra five pounds of fat, you'll be lumpier than with five pounds more muscle. A five pound pile of fat will take up more space (volume) than a five pound pile of muscle; but five pounds is still five pounds, so for those of you that don't "get it", you cannot say one thing weighing a certain weight weighs more than another thing at that same weight. It's a common joke to play on an 8-year old. The correct way to state the muscle weighs more than fat scenario is, "Muscle is heavier by volume than fat."

A woman weighing 150 pounds with 19% fat will look much smaller (and be much healthier) than a woman at 150 pounds with 35% fat. They weigh the same, yet the composition is different. Because muscle is more dense than fat the person with less fat and more muscle will look smaller.

Stop being so obsessed with body weight and start paying attention to body composition. How much body fat do you have compared to muscle? Simply seeing how much you weigh isn't very helpful.

Now onto the scale and how much you weigh:

Take measurements and put the scale away. The scale is just one tool out of the toolbox to use to track your progress, but in my opinion is probably the less helpful. The scale has a way of playing mind tricks on you and causing setbacks and hopelessness if you do not hit the number you "think you deserve" from all the exercise you are doing. There are so many factors tied into that number on the scale, that weighing nightly, daily, weekly, every two weeks can play significant emotional mind games with some people. Put the damn thing away and use it monthly to track your progress, if at all, if that number even means anything to you. It doesn't to me.

I gauge my success off how my clothes are fitting, my energy levels, and my overall outlook on life. Not some 3 digits on a scale.

If I am following the recommended caloric guidelines MFP has setup and trying to lower my body fat % by working out and exercising then the weight will come off.

And to end this rant, I will say that most of us here did not become overweight in a week. It took months, if not years of unhealthy living and diet. You cannot expect to lose it all in a week or a month. Stick to the guidelines, simplfy it, and you WILL see results. It's all mind over matter.

-Rant over

MrsLVF

what he said

mmapags

Very good!! Very very good!

KyleB65

ditto!

mjbrenner

When people say that muscle weighs more than fat, they mean per unit volume. No one thinks 5lbs. of anything does not weigh 5 lbs.

foremant86

Glad we got that covered, since this topic is most definitely not posted every fricken week.

kateroot

Good lord, I'm so tired of seeing this over and over again. I have NEVER heard anyone argue that a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat. I don't think many people are that stupid. Muscle DOES weigh more than fat, by volume. THAT is what people are referring to when they say muscle weighs more than fat, and they would be correct. They're saying exactly what you're saying, they're just using different words.

That said, I like your bit about obsessing over the scale

dlwyatt82

No one is saying "5 pounds weighs more than 5 pounds". What they mean, obviously, is that if you have the same volume of muscle versus fat (say, 1 cup), the muscle weighs more. It's more dense, which is exactly the same comparison you made by saying 5 pounds of fat is "larger and lumpier" than 5 pounds of muscle.

Phoenix59

Two of the biggest things on this forum that I see people always saying is that muscle weighs more than fat. It doesn't.

This always annoys me! "Muscle weighs more than fat" just sets my teeth on edge and trying to explain it to some people is just frustrating. A pound is a pound is a pound...why is that so difficult to comprehend? :huh:

AmberJslimsAWAY

Where's the fat vs muscle pic when you need it.

AmberJslimsAWAY

Good lord, I'm so tired of seeing this over and over again. I have NEVER heard anyone argue that a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat. I don't think many people are that stupid. Muscle DOES weigh more than fat, by volume. THAT is what people are referring to when they say muscle weighs more than fat, and they would be correct. They're saying exactly what you're saying, they're just using different words.

That said, I like your bit about obsessing over the scale

effin cheers!! :drinker:

bethanylaugh

When people say that muscle weighs more than fat, they mean per unit volume. No one thinks 5lbs. of anything does not weigh 5 lbs.

exactly.

mallory3411

I once worked with a lady who told me that a pound of muscle weighed more than a pound of fat... Yup! I had to walk away from the stupidness!

PunkRockDad

Well, let's say it like it is. I do not know the educational level of any of the people on this site. When someone posts that muscle weighs more than fat, someone will probably take that as what they are saying.....literally. I see it all the time when someone posts about being bummed that they did not lose any weight this week. You always have someone post about how they probably gained muscle instead and muscle weighs more than fat. Sorry, but that makes no sense to me. And for someone that is emotionally attached to the scale, they are not going to understand what they are trying to really say.

Rae6503

When people say that muscle weighs more than fat, they mean per unit volume. No one thinks 5lbs. of anything does not weigh 5 lbs.

Exactly.

Except for that one lady.

Tourney3p0

Care to post an example of someone on here claiming that a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat? I think you're "dispelling a myth" that doesn't exist.

It's pretty much universally understood that the concept is "by volume". This point is so obvious that no one even bothers clarifying it, because everyone already knows this.

erickirb

When people say that muscle weighs more than fat, they mean per unit volume. No one thinks 5lbs. of anything does not weigh 5 lbs.

.

When people say that muscle weighs more than fat, they mean per unit volume. No one thinks 5lbs. of anything does not weigh 5 lbs.

When people say that muscle weighs more than fat, they mean per unit volume. No one thinks 5lbs. of anything does not weigh 5 lbs.

When people say that muscle weighs more than fat, they mean per unit volume. No one thinks 5lbs. of anything does not weigh 5 lbs.

Quoted multiple times for emphasis.
I don't know why people argue 1lb=1lb, when we know this is what they mean

When someone says muscle weighs more than fat they are implying by volume, when something is implied you don't have to stated it "(by volume) muscle weighs more than fat" is how the statement should be taken.

iLikepistachios

AMEN BROTHA!

foremant86

Well, let's say it like it is. I do not know the educational level of any of the people on this site. When someone posts that muscle weighs more than fat, someone will probably take that as what they are saying.....literally. I see it all the time when someone posts about being bummed that they did not lose any weight this week. You always have someone post about how they probably gained muscle instead and muscle weighs more than fat. Sorry, but that makes no sense to me. And for someone that is emotionally attached to the scale, they are not going to understand what they are trying to really say.

I'll give you that. Way too many people on this site respond with "oh you're just gaining muscle" Um no, you don't gain muscle on a calorie deficit.
But it's been hashed and rehashed on here so many times, it's unreal.

wk9t

Great post!

chrischinchilla

Haha!