muscle weighs more than fat?

Options
bethvandenberg
bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Come on kids... a pound is a pound. We all know that. What I think you're meaning to say is that muscle takes up 20% less space for the same amount of fat. So 1 pound of fat (lets say for the sake of argument) is 1.20 cups then the 1 pound of muscle would be one cup.

That is how you can weigh the same but fit into pants that are sizes smaller. You've turned your fat into muscle and it takes up less space now. It still weighs the same. :)

It's like the pound of feathers/pound of iron question. A pound is a pound.

Replies

  • Newfiedan
    Newfiedan Posts: 1,517 Member
    Options
    lol, yes on a volumetric scale fat takes up more space than muscle does, funny post though it made me laugh.
  • kevanos
    kevanos Posts: 304 Member
    Options
    well a pound of fat on earth is a pound. But an earth pound of fat on the moon is only 0.16lbs.

    A kg of fat on earth is a kg of fat on the moon as well though.
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
    Options
    well a pound of fat on earth is a pound. But an earth pound of fat on the moon is only 0.16lbs.

    A kg of fat on earth is a kg of fat on the moon as well though.

    :) Love it.....
  • emmaleigh47
    emmaleigh47 Posts: 1,670 Member
    Options
    Haha I dont care what the reason is ... and whether I am on the moon.
    But this fat azz now apparently has more muscle!! :)
  • woja9640
    woja9640 Posts: 450 Member
    Options
    Is possible they were talking about density. Not positive on that though.
  • sexygenius
    sexygenius Posts: 1,078 Member
    Options
    nobody compares a pound of something to another pound of something to compare weight, thats idiotic, you compare the same volume!!! a cubic foot of fat weighs less than a cubic muscle
  • foodforfuel
    foodforfuel Posts: 569 Member
    Options
    I'm not going to touch the part about "you've turned fat into muscle". Nope. :smile: Not going to touch it! :):):)
  • diviana
    diviana Posts: 53
    Options
    My personal trainer gave me a visual: a pound of fat is roughly the size of a large grapefruit, whereas a pound of muscle is about the size of a pencil.
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
    Options
    I'm not going to touch the part about "you've turned fat into muscle". Nope. :smile: Not going to touch it! :):):)

    Ok correct. That was the wrong phrase to use. But you know what I mean.
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
    Options
    Just kind of kills me a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat.

    Come on a pound is a pound. :))))
  • kevanos
    kevanos Posts: 304 Member
    Options
    Just kind of kills me a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat.

    Come on a pound is a pound. :))))

    nobody ever claims that.

    Thats obviously not what they mean.
  • Imthatg1rl
    Imthatg1rl Posts: 109
    Options
    Its a way of putting things so other people who don't know these things may understand. Who cares if its not TECHNICALLY correct.
  • paigebeverly
    paigebeverly Posts: 46 Member
    Options
    I think the OP was talking about when people say they have gained 2 pounds...then someone else is like "well muscle weighs more than fat so that has to be the reason"...
  • ChantalD75
    ChantalD75 Posts: 680 Member
    Options
    That makes alot of sense!!!
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    Options
    Its a way of putting things so other people who don't know these things may understand. Who cares if its not TECHNICALLY correct.

    It's not technically incorrect either unless you assume that the only valid way to quantify muscle and fat is by weight. A pound is a pound. That's true - true enough for our purposes anyway - but it's also completely irrelevant unless and until someone actually claims that a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat. And I've never once seen it stated that way - at least not unless you count posts like that from the OP that set it up as a "straw man" argument that can then be knocked down.

    People who try to draw an analogy with the "pound of feathers/pound of iron" trick question are overlooking the fact that a unit of measure is actually specified in that riddle. That's why it works. Otherwise it would be perfectly reasonable for any listener who has ever used graph paper to decide which parameters to apply, mentally plot weight against volume, and conclude that iron does indeed weigh more than feathers.

Categories