Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat.

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lvfunandfit
lvfunandfit Posts: 654 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
That saying drives me crazy. A woman I work with today was trying to tell another co work that muscle weighs more than fat. I don't like to come off like a know it all. So I didn't butt in, but I did email the person who was getting the wrong info to explain.

A pound is a pound no matter what you are weighing. A pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of bricks. You will need less bricks to make a pound. This goes for muscle and fat. Muscle is more dense and takes up less room than fat. If you think of a lb of muscle about the size of your fist and a lb of fat about the size of a loaf of bread, then you it makes sense. That is why people can do an exchange and have the number be the same on the scale for weeks but still lose inches. If you gain a lb of muscle but loose a pound of fat then you are going to get smaller but your weight will be the same.

Sorry.... that just frustrates me when people say muscle weighs more. A pound is a pound regardless of what you are measuring.
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Replies

  • ckmama
    ckmama Posts: 1,668 Member
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    it drives me crazy too. Glad you posted this.

    http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

    this link has a picture and a great explanation.
  • CrystalT
    CrystalT Posts: 862 Member
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    Yes, but muscle is denser than fat so a square inch of muscle is going to weigh more than a square inch of fat. It is all a matter of how you look at it.

    **edit for type-o**
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    Yes, but muscle is denser than fat so a square inch of muscle is going to weigh more than a square inch of fat. It is all a matter of how you look at it.

    **edit for type-o**

    This is how I think of it too- technically, muscle does weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound, but a square inch of one is not a square inch of another. A pound of muscle takes up less room than a pound of fat.
  • pat1eiu
    pat1eiu Posts: 1
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    I agree, there are lots of says that are commonplace that don't actually mean what they say. In this case, the meaning behind the incorrect facts is that 2 people can be the same size, but one can be unhealty and fat while the other is heathy and muscular. I am sure that you knew that but since we are pointing out the obvious I just thought i would weigh in (lol..get it weigh in)
  • Buzzkitty1
    Buzzkitty1 Posts: 134
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    This drives me ape as well. It's just plain wrong! A pound is a pound. I realize muscle is smaller and more dense than fat, but that's not what you're saying when you say "muscle weighs more than fat".
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
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    Yes, but muscle is denser than fat so a square inch of muscle is going to weigh more than a square inch of fat. It is all a matter of how you look at it.

    **edit for type-o**

    This is how I think of it too- technically, muscle does weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound, but a square inch of one is not a square inch of another. A pound of muscle takes up less room than a pound of fat.

    That is not weight, that difference is volume. There is a difference between volume and weight. So technically muscle still does not weigh more than fat.
  • Rev_no_Boosh
    Rev_no_Boosh Posts: 239
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    Thank you! That drives me nuts. Yes muscle is more dense, but I thought we all learned in elementary school that a pound is a pound.
  • parvati
    parvati Posts: 432 Member
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    So yes, if you took a pound of muscle and a pound of fat, it is common sence that they would weigh.... a pound!!!

    However if you looked at a pound of muscle and a pound of fat they would be quite different in size!

    So for arguments sake....
    you could look at a big old pound of fat & then compare it to a small lean pound of muscle & therefore determine that muscle does in fact weigh more than fat.... sorry

    I'd take a pound of muscle over a pound of fat any day.....it might not make me any lighter on the scale, but it will make me look & feel way better!!
  • kandyjo
    kandyjo Posts: 4,648 Member
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    Wow.... who the hell cares?!!!! Sounds like your nit-picking!! :laugh: :laugh: Generally speaking, we all want more muscle than fat...
    PotAto : Potato

    Anyway....continue your discussion... just had to throw my two cents in there :happy:


    Yeah... had to fix my type-o too :wink:
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    Yes, but muscle is denser than fat so a square inch of muscle is going to weigh more than a square inch of fat. It is all a matter of how you look at it.

    **edit for type-o**

    This is how I think of it too- technically, muscle does weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound, but a square inch of one is not a square inch of another. A pound of muscle takes up less room than a pound of fat.

    That is not weight, that difference is volume. There is a difference between volume and weight. So technically muscle still does not weigh more than fat.

    I said that's how *I* think of it. :)
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
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    Yes, but muscle is denser than fat so a square inch of muscle is going to weigh more than a square inch of fat. It is all a matter of how you look at it.

    **edit for type-o**

    This is how I think of it too- technically, muscle does weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound, but a square inch of one is not a square inch of another. A pound of muscle takes up less room than a pound of fat.

    That is not weight, that difference is volume. There is a difference between volume and weight. So technically muscle still does not weigh more than fat.

    I said that's how *I* think of it. :)

    I guess those of us with mathematical backgrounds and think technically are a bit anal about weights and measures.
  • lvfunandfit
    lvfunandfit Posts: 654 Member
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    This drives me ape as well. It's just plain wrong! A pound is a pound. I realize muscle is smaller and more dense than fat, but that's not what you're saying when you say "muscle weighs more than fat".

    Exactly!
  • mvl1014
    mvl1014 Posts: 531
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    I'm going to disagree just a tad here:

    By unit volume, muscle does weigh more than fat... because muscle is more dense.

    But the average person doesn't know or care to know about density and it's relation to mass.

    There's no need to get frustrated over this miscommunication.

    edit: looks like by the time I wrote this, it has already been said.
  • lvfunandfit
    lvfunandfit Posts: 654 Member
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    Well, of course! We all want more muscle and If I weighed 10 lbs more than I do now but was at 15% body fat I'd be happy! In this case we are talking about volume and how much space muscle takes up vs. the amount of space fat uses. But I agree.... We all want MORE muscle and less fat. It's just a pet peeve of mine. Probably because I taught math for 7 yrs and units of measurement shouldn't be confused (IMO).

    This wasn't meant to be a debate or cause an argument. I was just sayin'!
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    Well, of course! We all want more muscle and If I weighed 10 lbs more than I do now but was at 15% body fat I'd be happy! In this case we are talking about volume and how much space muscle takes up vs. the amount of space fat uses. But I agree.... We all want MORE muscle and less fat. It's just a pet peeve of mine. Probably because I taught math for 7 yrs and units of measurement shouldn't be confused (IMO).

    This wasn't meant to be a debate or cause an argument. I was just sayin'!

    Don't you know you can't make a statement on MFP these days without it becoming a debate. :tongue:
  • Deweypc20
    Deweypc20 Posts: 68 Member
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    I'm going to disagree just a tad here:

    By unit volume, muscle does weigh more than fat... because muscle is more dense.

    agreed
  • lvfunandfit
    lvfunandfit Posts: 654 Member
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    Well, of course! We all want more muscle and If I weighed 10 lbs more than I do now but was at 15% body fat I'd be happy! In this case we are talking about volume and how much space muscle takes up vs. the amount of space fat uses. But I agree.... We all want MORE muscle and less fat. It's just a pet peeve of mine. Probably because I taught math for 7 yrs and units of measurement shouldn't be confused (IMO).

    This wasn't meant to be a debate or cause an argument. I was just sayin'!

    Don't you know you can't make a statement on MFP these days without it becoming a debate. :tongue:

    Apparently I didn't get that memo. LOL :noway:
  • whyflysouth
    whyflysouth Posts: 308 Member
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    The problem is the reference to Muscle or Fat as a singular entity having a particular weight.

    Take for example this statement: "Elephants weigh more than humans." Is it true? Well it can be, if we make certain assumptions, particular that the avg weight of adult elephants is heavier than the avg weight of adult humans. One could assume that the statement implies 2 newborn baby elephants weigh more than 100 adult humans, but most rational human beings make the correct assumption given the limited amount of information in that statement.

    For the case of muscle weighing more than fat, once again the statement but itself is lacking enough detail, if we are assuming that 1 lb of muscle weighs more than 1 lb of fat, then the statement is invalid. Maybe it's 1 muscle fiber, or 1 muscle group, compared to the fat in my belly, I can make a ton of assumptions but the most common assumption is with regards to volume. So in regards to volume (e.g. physical space that is taken up by the substance in question), given equal volumes of muscle to fat, the muscle weighs more than fat.

    We make assumptions in communication, these are shortcuts we take so that we don't need to be overly explicit about every detail in order to make a point, that's all it is.
  • MTGirl
    MTGirl Posts: 1,490 Member
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    Well, of course! We all want more muscle and If I weighed 10 lbs more than I do now but was at 15% body fat I'd be happy! In this case we are talking about volume and how much space muscle takes up vs. the amount of space fat uses. But I agree.... We all want MORE muscle and less fat. It's just a pet peeve of mine. Probably because I taught math for 7 yrs and units of measurement shouldn't be confused (IMO).

    This wasn't meant to be a debate or cause an argument. I was just sayin'!

    Don't you know you can't make a statement on MFP these days without it becoming a debate. :tongue:

    Apparently I didn't get that memo. LOL :noway:

    Every time this comes up it's a debate. Here's how I keep myself sane. When someone types "muscle weighs more than fat" I mentally tack on "by volume" and move on. Helps the brain cells not spaz too much!
  • Nikiki
    Nikiki Posts: 993
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    Yes, but muscle is denser than fat so a square inch of muscle is going to weigh more than a square inch of fat. It is all a matter of how you look at it.

    **edit for type-o**

    This is how I think of it too- technically, muscle does weigh more than fat. A pound is a pound, but a square inch of one is not a square inch of another. A pound of muscle takes up less room than a pound of fat.

    That is not weight, that difference is volume. There is a difference between volume and weight. So technically muscle still does not weigh more than fat.

    I said that's how *I* think of it. :)

    I guess those of us with mathematical backgrounds and think technically are a bit anal about weights and measures.

    Ok i might not have a "mathematical background" but I *think* I remember enough of my highschool math to know that 1 cubic inch of fat & 1 cubic inch of muscle are the same volume correct? and one cubic inch of fat weighs less than 1 cubin inch of muscle correct? and that 1 pound of muscle has less volume than 1 pound of fat correct? so... doesnt that mean muscle weighs more than fat? I mean... again I'm sure I'm not the most "educated" person on this board, so I might be completely off base... so please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong...

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