Muscle vs Fat

barbacasec
barbacasec Posts: 106
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
I know people have mentioned this before but I continue to see people post that Muscle weighs more than Fat...

It DOES NOT!!! A lb of muscle is the same weight as a lb of fat!!

Muscles are a lot more dense so they take up less room... so you look smaller...but a lb is a lb.

For example a 2 lb brick and 2 lbs of feathers..... a 2 lb brick will take up a lot less space then 2 lbs of feathers!! but they are both still 2 lbs!!

If you take a person who weighs 200lbs but has a lot of muscle (lower body fat) and put them next to a person with more fat the one with more muscles will actually be and look smaller but will still weigh the same......

thats why when you are working out it is important to take your measurements because if you are working out you are building lean muscle mass which might not make the scale move right away but you will be getting smaller!! Eventually the scale will move because muscles burn more calories then fat does even when resting..... so once you turn fat into muscles your body will work more efficiently and eventually burn off the fat and lbs!!

ok thats my rant for the day!! a lb is a lb!!
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Replies

  • 311Phil
    311Phil Posts: 397
    its a fact of volume, not weight.
  • strandedeyes
    strandedeyes Posts: 392 Member
    if you take the same exact volume of muscle and fat...muscle will out weigh the fat...

    obviously if you take one lb of one and one lb of another, it will be the same....but consider having the same volume of both and then measure....
  • Sheila_KI
    Sheila_KI Posts: 206 Member
    Thank you for your Rant. We all need to be reminded of this every so often. While my scale may not be shooting down.......with 10 lbs lost -- I have lost 11.25 in inches in measuring six different areas. I strength train as much as I do cardio.
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
    Example of why weight loss should be done via mirror and not scale ;)
  • roebuck1908
    roebuck1908 Posts: 185
    It that why chickens look so big ?
  • adew1972
    adew1972 Posts: 9
    Couldn't agree more. It's density v mass and the amount of people I know that complain they're not losing weight is unreal. But when it's explained to them they start to feel better. Measurements are a better indicator at times and we all need a gentle reminder ;-)
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    I know people have mentioned this before but I continue to see people post that Muscle weighs more than Fat...

    It DOES NOT!!! A lb of muscle is the same weight as a lb of fat!!

    Muscles are a lot more dense so they take up less room... so you look smaller...but a lb is a lb.

    For example a 2 lb brick and 2 lbs of feathers..... a 2 lb brick will take up a lot less space then 2 lbs of feathers!! but they are both still 2 lbs!!

    If you take a person who weighs 200lbs but has a lot of muscle (lower body fat) and put them next to a person with more fat the one with more muscles will actually be and look smaller but will still weigh the same......

    thats why when you are working out it is important to take your measurements because if you are working out you are building lean muscle mass which might not make the scale move right away but you will be getting smaller!! Eventually the scale will move because muscles burn more calories then fat does even when resting..... so once you turn fat into muscles your body will work more efficiently and eventually burn off the fat and lbs!!

    ok thats my rant for the day!! a lb is a lb!!

    When they say 'muscle weighs more than fat' I think they do mean "muscle is denser than fat therefore takes up less space". It's just a bit easier to say the first one.
  • Lazr1430
    Lazr1430 Posts: 12 Member
    Excellent! Good reminder of why taking measurements is so important in tracking fitness progress!
  • MistyMtnMan
    MistyMtnMan Posts: 527 Member
    I know people have mentioned this before but I continue to see people post that Muscle weighs more than Fat...

    It DOES NOT!!! A lb of muscle is the same weight as a lb of fat!!

    Muscles are a lot more dense so they take up less room... so you look smaller...but a lb is a lb.


    You are right with the measuring thing but not this part. Like the other people have said, it's the VOLUME that matters. Obviously a pound is a pound. When people say muscle weighs more than fat, take a CUP of fat and a CUP of muscle. The muscle will weigh more. I just don't want people to get confused on this.
  • CarterGrt
    CarterGrt Posts: 289 Member
    I always suggest that people track their measurements along with their weight. I think people get frustrated on weeks when they don't show losses on the scale. But, with measurements, you can see improvement in other areas even when the scale isn't moving or isn't moving fast enough.

    --Carter
  • Hammock
    Hammock Posts: 37
    True, in some ways, but I could not do this Fitness Pal program without the encouragement of a scale once a week. I need that re-enforcement! When I look in a mirror I am really not able to see much difference yet, even though i have lost 11 pounds. I agree that a tape measure is a great boost, also. My am cursed with a large waist -- that's where much of my extra weight likes to settle --and it is really encouraging to see on my tape measure that it is starting to get smaller.
  • jroulo
    jroulo Posts: 50 Member
    ..... so once you turn fat into muscles your body will work more efficiently and eventually burn off the fat and lbs!!

    ok thats my rant for the day!! a lb is a lb!!
    [/quote]

    When they say 'muscle weighs more than fat' I think they do mean "muscle is denser than fat therefore takes up less space". It's just a bit easier to say the first one.
    [/quote]

    I think it's pretty funny that in your rant you say you can turn fat into muscles. I wouldn't have brought it up because I know you mean when fat is replaced by muscle....but.
  • ZebraHead
    ZebraHead Posts: 15,207 Member
    A picture is worth a whole bunch of words:

    716078_6195.jpg


    Nuff Said!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I know people have mentioned this before but I continue to see people post that Muscle weighs more than Fat...

    It DOES NOT!!! A lb of muscle is the same weight as a lb of fat!!

    Muscles are a lot more dense so they take up less room... so you look smaller...but a lb is a lb.

    For example a 2 lb brick and 2 lbs of feathers..... a 2 lb brick will take up a lot less space then 2 lbs of feathers!! but they are both still 2 lbs!!

    If you take a person who weighs 200lbs but has a lot of muscle (lower body fat) and put them next to a person with more fat the one with more muscles will actually be and look smaller but will still weigh the same......

    thats why when you are working out it is important to take your measurements because if you are working out you are building lean muscle mass which might not make the scale move right away but you will be getting smaller!! Eventually the scale will move because muscles burn more calories then fat does even when resting..... so once you turn fat into muscles your body will work more efficiently and eventually burn off the fat and lbs!!

    ok thats my rant for the day!! a lb is a lb!!

    Worst argument in the world, when someone says muscle weighs more than fat they are implying "by volume" muscle weighs more than fat. Because muscle is more dense it weighs more.

    Your argument would be like saying you and I weigh the same because 1lb of you weighs the same as 1lb of me. That does not make any sense what so ever.

    I have always said and will continue say that muscle weighs more than fat, because it does, in equal volumes.
  • barbacasec
    barbacasec Posts: 106
    I understand that if you are basing it on volume then yes - muscle will weigh more-

    I am basing my rant on stepping the scale. (WEIGHT) not (Volume) ... not a cup vs a cup....but a lb vs a lb

    it is 2 totally different measurements but when a person states that muslce weighs more when they step on the scale they are incorrect. 200lbs of muscle is the same "weight" as 200lb of fat -

    my example is by lbs not cups.... of course a cup of fat will weigh less than a cup of muscle... but thats not what you are doing when you take a "person" and sticking them on a scale - you are measuring weight not volume.

    if you take a 2 people that weigh the same and measure them out cup by cup ..... you will still end up with the same weight you will just have a lot less cups to fill...... but you will still have the smae weight!! I am basing this rant on scale weight not volume!!

    I just wanted to reiterate how important it is to take your measurements as well as the scale because you can end up with lots of NSV's !!
  • barbacasec
    barbacasec Posts: 106
    Exactly my point! and yes i meant that when you replace the fat with muscle---- thats the problem with Ranting - sometimes you miss type becuase your brain is moving faster then your fingers can type.....
  • keith0373
    keith0373 Posts: 2,154 Member
    I think, in the end, most of us only care about volume. Weight is just a number on a scale, but the volume is directly indicitive of how you look. Id be happy at 190 and 5% body fat, but my reality is 170 and 16% or so.
  • barbacasec
    barbacasec Posts: 106
    @keith0373 unfortunately not every one thinks like you do -
    A lot of women "myself included" want to see that magic number on the scale.
    and that was my point from the get go....

    the scale might not be moving but you are getting smaller and healthier :)
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    I'd like to add that you cannot turn fat into muscle. That will never happen. Fat is fat and muscle is muscle. You can work to decrease your fat cells, they will never disappear.
  • roebuck1908
    roebuck1908 Posts: 185
    A picture is worth a whole bunch of words:

    716078_6195.jpg


    Nuff Said!

    Mmm that would be nice grilled:love:
  • kevanos
    kevanos Posts: 304 Member
    I understand your point. Somebody who weights 200lbs but has a total boby volume of 0.1 cubic meters has less fat than somone who weighs the same 200lbs but has a toal body volume of 0.12 cubic meters. They weigh the same but the sencond person is much larger.

    Its a good point but your argument is kind of silly.

    If I said gold weighs more than silver, you would say not true, 1lb of anyting equals 1 pound of anything else. But the atomic weight of gold is higher than that of silver. So 1 atom of gold does weight more than 1 atom of silver.

    To use the term weight properly, we would have to say this weighs more than that per unit volume or particle. Volume would ahve to be measured at similar pressures and tempuratures.When someone says bricks weight more than feathers, its understood what they mean, same for fat vs muscle.
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    Am I the only one having a time warp moment? :huh:
  • keith0373
    keith0373 Posts: 2,154 Member
    I understand your point. Somebody who weights 200lbs but has a total boby volume of 0.1 cubic meters has less fat than somone who weighs the same 200lbs but has a toal body volume of 0.12 cubic meters. They weigh the same but the sencond person is much larger.

    Its a good point but your argument is kind of silly.

    If I said gold weighs more than silver, you would say not true, 1lb of anyting equals 1 pound of anything else. But the atomic weight of gold is higher than that of silver. So 1 atom of gold does weight more than 1 atom of silver.

    To use the term weight properly, we would have to say this weighs more than that per unit volume or particle. Volume would ahve to be measured at similar pressures and tempuratures.When someone says bricks weight more than feathers, its understood what they mean, same for fat vs muscle.


    Gold is a bad example. A pound of gold is only 12 oz vs 16 for everything else.

    You are wrong on the gold vs feathers . . .


    While on the face of it a pound of feathers would seem to weigh the same as a pound of gold, this overlooks the fact that gold is universally weighed using a different definition of 'pound' than that used for most other materials.

    Precious metals such as gold are measured in troy weight. A troy pound is 12 troy ounces, and each troy ounce is 480 grains, making a total of 5760 grains to the pound of gold.

    Most materials use pounds and ounces from the avoirdupois system, and such a standard pound is made up of 16 ounces, where each ounce is 437.5 grains, making a total of 7000 grains to the pound of feathers.

    All this means that a "pound" of feathers (or bricks, or lead) is heavier than a "pound" of gold.

    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Which_weighs_more_a_pound_of_gold_or_a_pound_of_feathers
  • keith0373
    keith0373 Posts: 2,154 Member
    Gold and silver would be the same though :)
  • barbacasec
    barbacasec Posts: 106
    holy crap.... really

    this is not where I thought this rant would go... atoms, the difference in weighing gold vs silver....

    and my argument is not silly.... everyone has opinions and thats why people discuss things..... so if someone is wrong about something people can express why they think they are wrong... no need to be condesending and insulting.

    I thought we were all adults. I guess I will keep my opinions to myself from now on.
  • kevanos
    kevanos Posts: 304 Member
    That's a dirty trick. I didn`t see that comming.

    Another reason to hate the imperail system.
  • keith0373
    keith0373 Posts: 2,154 Member
    I wasn't trying to be mean or condesending. I just remembered hearing that somewhere and figured it would get a chuckle.
  • kevanos
    kevanos Posts: 304 Member
    holy crap.... really

    this is not where I thought this rant would go... atoms, the difference in weighing gold vs silver....

    and my argument is not silly.... everyone has opinions and thats why people discuss things..... so if someone is wrong about something people can express why they think they are wrong... no need to be condesending and insulting.

    I thought we were all adults. I guess I will keep my opinions to myself from now on.

    I meant no offense by that. I was just pointing out a flaw in your argument.
  • KrisPage
    KrisPage Posts: 539 Member
    I think you all have good points the biggest thing here is a lb=lb what ever you are weighing, pound and volume are not the same in any way. Fat doesn't turn into muscle, but building muscle burns fat.

    Using a scale as well as meassurements are going to show you the change your life changes are making in your body.

    So use what ever method works for you to measure your self, a scale, a tape measure or if you want to know you volume submurge your self in a tub of water and measure the displacement.

    Good Luck to us all in our weightloss journey!!
  • Mollywater
    Mollywater Posts: 42 Member
    It's interesting how "to heart" people take things that are posted on a public and free forum. Why do people always go for the throat in their responses? Is it cause you can let it all loose knowing no one really knows who you are? Just because we all hide behind a "User Id" doesn't mean we cannot treat people with respect. The OP was just trying to bring up a pet peeve (from how I read it) when people compare a pound of fat to a pound of muscle. The do not usually bring up volume. I totally know where she is going with that. When I was at weight watchers and would hit a plateau, people would always say "Don't worry, your gaining muscle and muscle weighs more than fat". I truly doubt they were all speaking about volume.

    I don't think the OP needs to be criticized for her topic or her opinion.
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