A pound is a pound...

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ladybg81
ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

Muscle does not weigh more than fat.

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" English, 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.

I copied this straight from the internet so I guess I need to be prepared to be innundated by ugly comments. Bring it!! :devil:
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Replies

  • ANewLucia
    ANewLucia Posts: 2,081 Member
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    No ugly comments from me...that is absolutely correct!
  • dfunk06
    dfunk06 Posts: 56
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    You are completely right. How do we measure body fat vs body muscle compositions tho?
  • fitniknik
    fitniknik Posts: 713 Member
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    Im totally sick of hearing "muscle weighs more than fat"!!! well said!
  • SassyStef
    SassyStef Posts: 413
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    thank you finally someone else who gets it lol I tell my brother this all the time and he wants to freaking argue!! BAH lol
  • CassieLEO
    CassieLEO Posts: 757 Member
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    Nothing coming from me either! Its like when you are in highschool and your teachers says "What weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks" It still weighs the same, only there is more volume in one of them.
  • dragonflydi
    dragonflydi Posts: 665 Member
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    http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat.

    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" English, 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.

    I copied this straight from the internet so I guess I need to be prepared to be innundated by ugly comments. Bring it!! :devil:

    I have a photo that demonstrates this very thing, but can't figure out how to get it to post on here :(
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
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    Can we sticky this one Mike? I am soooooooooooo tired of people saying muscle weighs more than fat. I really don't think ALL of these people failed grade 1 math but it really seems that way sometimes.
  • njean888
    njean888 Posts: 399 Member
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    You couldn't be more correct. I have a cousin which is constantly calling to tell me she has lost this or that, but she still looks terrible. I do not tell her this, I just say "great job why don't you start exercising with me to tone it all up"
  • LovelySnugs
    LovelySnugs Posts: 389
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    this is actually something that still manages to drive me nuts. when i'm having a conversation on the subject, i prefer the phrase "muscle is denser than fat".

    that said, i should go ahead an point out that in the last few months, i've seen no less than a dozen threads making your exact same point. it's like "lose vs loose" and "should i eat my exercise calories". my opinion hasn't changed, but i will say. . this has been done already.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Thank you thank you. I've been saying this for weeks on here. weeks.
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    Im totally sick of hearing "muscle weighs more than fat"!!! well said!

    Me too!!!! That statement makes no sense whatsoever. I've used the analogy that 1 pound of fat weighs the same as 1 pound of feathers. You will have a huge pile of feathers compared to the fat but put them on the scale and they will weigh the same. The amount of space they take up is vastly different.
  • sockmontey
    sockmontey Posts: 19
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    Great post. I still like to weigh (not obsessively) myself since I've got a lot of fat to lose still and I need something to gauge my progress other than the mirror :)
  • TurtlesRule
    TurtlesRule Posts: 53
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    how do I get my body compositon?? When ever I do anything online it says im obese but I know Im not!

    ****My profile pic is a bet I lost enough with the laughing :laugh:
  • nikkijedlo
    nikkijedlo Posts: 30 Member
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    Amen!!
  • blkelley
    blkelley Posts: 7
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    There is a huge misconception about this very topic! It is common for people to think that muscle weighs more than fat because it is more dense. You nailed it! I actually was educated on this recentlyr. 5 pounds is always going to be 5 pounds no matter what it is!!! Good post.
  • lupin03
    lupin03 Posts: 3 Member
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    Totally agree!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    You are completely correct. A pound is a pound whether it's a pound of iron or a pound of feathers. My usual way to state this is that a cubic inch of muscle weighs more than a cubic inch of fat. I can't bear to say "a cubic foot" although some of us are carrying around a few cubic feet of fat, I know! :laugh:
  • emmajane_2288
    emmajane_2288 Posts: 132 Member
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    Totally agree with you! :)

    People should stop encouraging others when they have put on a few pounds by saying 'oh don't worry, youve been to the gym so youve probably gained muscle, it weighs more than fat!' They are just giving the poor cow false hope.
    Anyone in this situtation should really ask themselves if they are being totally honest with themselves ... How many times do you look at a piece of cake, biscuit or chocolate and say 'oh a little wont hurt...' but the truth is it does!!

    Great post :)
  • bfnp
    bfnp Posts: 58
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    Hold on though. In context, nobody ever says a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat. This like says a car weighs more than a kitten is not a true statement. Sure a pound of a car weighs the same as a pound of a kitten, but even then we're talking a bit of a size difference, right? So in terms of any kind of motivation for someone trying to make himself/herself feel better about the way he/she looks, I take no issue with the statement.
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    I have a photo that demonstrates this very thing, but can't figure out how to get it to post on here :(
    Here it is (I have it on my profile, too :wink:):
    112576_5207.jpg

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