Fat to Muscle????

End6ame · August 2011

Add on question: which is heavier, Fat or Muscle? If I am shrinking my fat cells and gaining muscle mass, will that make it look like I'm gaining or staying the same? I can tell when I'm losing by how clothes fit, but am very curious.

Thanks for any input!

Muscle does not weigh more than fat. 5lbs of fat is equal to 5 lbs of muscle. Muscle just takes up less space, it's more dense. It's more important to consider body composition than the weight on the scale. A 200 lb man with 12% bodyfat is gonna look and be healthier than a 200lb man with 25% bodyfat. They both weigh 200lbs, one just has more muscle than the other.

Here is a link with a pic and a little explanation. Sorry, don't know how to insert pics.
http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

Yes muscle does weigh more it does so because it is more dense. When comparing weights of 2 things try keeping volume constant, if you do that muscle will always weigh more than fat, and that is the correct way to compare. 1 cubic foot of muscle will weigh more than 1 cubic foot of fat.

Taking your argument and moving it to food would them mean that carrots and butter have the same caloric content because 100 cals of carrots have the same amount of cals as 100 cals of butter. You completely miss the point of muscle weighs more than fat when you come back with 5lbs=5lbs.

Well since someone else started it this time. Erickirb is right?

Weight = (Density x Volume) x Gravity

So anything that is more dense, also weighs more per a constant volume.

bobbybdoe · August 2011

Sorry, I think I might not have explained myself very well here. I don't mean turning fat to muscle. I know that you cannot turn fat to muscle. But burning fat and building muscle. The comment I read implied that you couldn't do that.

I don't really do much resistance training. I know I should do more. I'm just more of a cardio person.

If you don't lift you won't build muscle. If you are in a caloric defict you will not build muscle unless you are lifting and are new to lifting and after a few months you will level off. To build muscle after you are conditioned to weight training you have to eat more calories than you burn.

Not necessarily bro. Eat 1-1.2g of protein daily per pound in your body while eating a small caloric deficit will allow you to burn fat while gaining muscle. Resistance training 3x a week and cardio 3-5x (sometimes on the same day as resistance day) and you'll be fine.

It isn't the protein that you need it is sufficient protein and a caloric surplus. This is body builders to bulk and cut phases. They lose muscle as they cut, and gain while eating a surplus of calories during the bulk phase. Unless you are new to lifting you will not gain muscle while in a caloric deficit, it just doesn't happen, unless you are taking performance enhancing drugs.

What you are saying would limit the amount of muscle you lose while in a caloric deficit.

Well, I eat at a 400 calories caloric deficit. I could never gain muscle until I upped my protein a couple months ago (based on a book I read by Tom Venuto). Now I lift more, and my muscles are WAAAY tighter. I was doing the same exercises, but until I upped my protein, I wouldn't gain any muscle. I don't believe in "Bulking" either. I just eat clean as much as I can, and make sure I hit 160g of protein a day and the muscle is beginning to pile on.

Pile on!? What is your routine?

Also know that muscle fiber recruitment and building muscle are not the same thing.

Not piling on persay, but I'm gaining more muscle (slowly but surely

). I'm doing P90X and Insanity + some of my own interval training.

What's the difference then?

alleyag · August 2011

I think the misconception here is this. People don't seem to understand creating new muscle and strengthening muscle are two completely different tasks. While you may very well strengthen existing muscle tissue while on a caloric deficit, you will not build muscle. Just as you wouldnt gain fat, you won't build muscle. Strength training while on a deficit may make you look "bigger" "leaner" this is because you are losing fat and toning muscle. If your body does not have the raw material "calories" new tissue will not develop. Not muscle, not fat, nothing. Every person has a given amount of fat stores. How fat you are depends on how filled these fat stores are. When your constantly on a deficit your body can release some of these stores to be used in the muscles for energy. As many have already stated, Unless your a beginner its usually one or the other. Fat burn or muscle build. Surplus or deficit. On a deficit its about protecting lean muscle tissue not trying to build more. Stay motivated mfp!

alleyag · August 2011

Sorry, I think I might not have explained myself very well here. I don't mean turning fat to muscle. I know that you cannot turn fat to muscle. But burning fat and building muscle. The comment I read implied that you couldn't do that.

I don't really do much resistance training. I know I should do more. I'm just more of a cardio person.

If you don't lift you won't build muscle. If you are in a caloric defict you will not build muscle unless you are lifting and are new to lifting and after a few months you will level off. To build muscle after you are conditioned to weight training you have to eat more calories than you burn.

Not necessarily bro. Eat 1-1.2g of protein daily per pound in your body while eating a small caloric deficit will allow you to burn fat while gaining muscle. Resistance training 3x a week and cardio 3-5x (sometimes on the same day as resistance day) and you'll be fine.

It isn't the protein that you need it is sufficient protein and a caloric surplus. This is body builders to bulk and cut phases. They lose muscle as they cut, and gain while eating a surplus of calories during the bulk phase. Unless you are new to lifting you will not gain muscle while in a caloric deficit, it just doesn't happen, unless you are taking performance enhancing drugs.

What you are saying would limit the amount of muscle you lose while in a caloric deficit.

Well, I eat at a 400 calories caloric deficit. I could never gain muscle until I upped my protein a couple months ago (based on a book I read by Tom Venuto). Now I lift more, and my muscles are WAAAY tighter. I was doing the same exercises, but until I upped my protein, I wouldn't gain any muscle. I don't believe in "Bulking" either. I just eat clean as much as I can, and make sure I hit 160g of protein a day and the muscle is beginning to pile on.

Pile on!? What is your routine?

Also know that muscle fiber recruitment and building muscle are not the same thing.

Not piling on persay, but I'm gaining more muscle (slowly but surely ). I'm doing P90X and Insanity + some of my own interval training.

What's the difference then?

your strengthening and making the muscles you already have. If your are in fact gaining it may be on accident. Meaning your mis judging you calorie needs and may actually be over shooting. In this case you would build.

joejccva71 · August 2011

I think the misconception here is this. People don't seem to understand creating new muscle and strengthening muscle are two completely different tasks. While you may very well strengthen existing muscle tissue while on a caloric deficit, you will not build muscle. Just as you wouldnt gain fat, you won't build muscle. Strength training while on a deficit may make you look "bigger" "leaner" this is because you are losing fat and toning muscle. If your body does not have the raw material "calories" new tissue will not develop. Not muscle, not fat, nothing. Every person has a given amount of fat stores. How fat you are depends on how filled these fat stores are. When your constantly on a deficit your body can release some of these stores to be used in the muscles for energy. As many have already stated, Unless your a beginner its usually one or the other. Fat burn or muscle build. Surplus or deficit. On a deficit its about protecting lean muscle tissue not trying to build more. Stay motivated mfp!

^^ This. Spoken like a true prodigy.

End6ame · August 2011

Sorry, I think I might not have explained myself very well here. I don't mean turning fat to muscle. I know that you cannot turn fat to muscle. But burning fat and building muscle. The comment I read implied that you couldn't do that.

I don't really do much resistance training. I know I should do more. I'm just more of a cardio person.

If you don't lift you won't build muscle. If you are in a caloric defict you will not build muscle unless you are lifting and are new to lifting and after a few months you will level off. To build muscle after you are conditioned to weight training you have to eat more calories than you burn.

Not necessarily bro. Eat 1-1.2g of protein daily per pound in your body while eating a small caloric deficit will allow you to burn fat while gaining muscle. Resistance training 3x a week and cardio 3-5x (sometimes on the same day as resistance day) and you'll be fine.

It isn't the protein that you need it is sufficient protein and a caloric surplus. This is body builders to bulk and cut phases. They lose muscle as they cut, and gain while eating a surplus of calories during the bulk phase. Unless you are new to lifting you will not gain muscle while in a caloric deficit, it just doesn't happen, unless you are taking performance enhancing drugs.

What you are saying would limit the amount of muscle you lose while in a caloric deficit.

Well, I eat at a 400 calories caloric deficit. I could never gain muscle until I upped my protein a couple months ago (based on a book I read by Tom Venuto). Now I lift more, and my muscles are WAAAY tighter. I was doing the same exercises, but until I upped my protein, I wouldn't gain any muscle. I don't believe in "Bulking" either. I just eat clean as much as I can, and make sure I hit 160g of protein a day and the muscle is beginning to pile on.

Pile on!? What is your routine?

Also know that muscle fiber recruitment and building muscle are not the same thing.

Not piling on persay, but I'm gaining more muscle (slowly but surely ). I'm doing P90X and Insanity + some of my own interval training.

What's the difference then?

The difference is that in someone untrained (or undertrained in strength training) you don’t use all of your muscle fibers ( I am using the term muscle fiber broadly. I am actually referring to the myofibrils within your muscle fibers). So when you begin strength training the first thing that happens is that you start to recruit more muscle fibers to do the job. This results in some strength gains. Once your existing fibers reach saturation, then and only then, will you begin to build more muscle.

alleyag · August 2011

I think the misconception here is this. People don't seem to understand creating new muscle and strengthening muscle are two completely different tasks. While you may very well strengthen existing muscle tissue while on a caloric deficit, you will not build muscle. Just as you wouldnt gain fat, you won't build muscle. Strength training while on a deficit may make you look "bigger" "leaner" this is because you are losing fat and toning muscle. If your body does not have the raw material "calories" new tissue will not develop. Not muscle, not fat, nothing. Every person has a given amount of fat stores. How fat you are depends on how filled these fat stores are. When your constantly on a deficit your body can release some of these stores to be used in the muscles for energy. As many have already stated, Unless your a beginner its usually one or the other. Fat burn or muscle build. Surplus or deficit. On a deficit its about protecting lean muscle tissue not trying to build more. Stay motivated mfp!

^^ This. Spoken like a true prodigy.

Thanks Joe!

ejackson127 · August 2011

I guess by now you've gotten the idea that fat cannot be transformed into muscle. The one key point I want to add ( which I think someone else may have mentioned) is that you MUST add strength training in with your cardio in order to gain lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass is extremely important because it uses more calories when you are at your resting rate, therefore it's more efficient at burning away fat when you are exercising.

bcattoes · August 2011

Muscle does not weigh more than fat. 5lbs of fat is equal to 5 lbs of muscle.

OMG, this again? Nothing weighs more than anything else. So friggin' funny!!

bobbybdoe · August 2011

I think the misconception here is this. People don't seem to understand creating new muscle and strengthening muscle are two completely different tasks. While you may very well strengthen existing muscle tissue while on a caloric deficit, you will not build muscle. Just as you wouldnt gain fat, you won't build muscle. Strength training while on a deficit may make you look "bigger" "leaner" this is because you are losing fat and toning muscle. If your body does not have the raw material "calories" new tissue will not develop. Not muscle, not fat, nothing. Every person has a given amount of fat stores. How fat you are depends on how filled these fat stores are. When your constantly on a deficit your body can release some of these stores to be used in the muscles for energy. As many have already stated, Unless your a beginner its usually one or the other. Fat burn or muscle build. Surplus or deficit. On a deficit its about protecting lean muscle tissue not trying to build more. Stay motivated mfp!

Ah, I get it now! Thanks man.

alleyag · August 2011

And misjudging cals is easy to due. You have to factor in ones individual metabolism, what the meaning of sedentary or lightly or extremely active is to one person. I'll use myself as an example. By the numbers from lean body mass + exercise I should be eating 3200 cals to gain some weight. In reality I'm eating 4000 cals to gain weight. Where are they going I don't really know. Point is if I eat 3200 I lose weight or maintain. I'm very precise in measuring all my food and protein supp. Down to the gram. I log everything. My metabolism is just faster than normal or I consider my life active when its extremely active. Easy to misjudged. Trial and error is the only way.

alleyag · August 2011

I think the misconception here is this. People don't seem to understand creating new muscle and strengthening muscle are two completely different tasks. While you may very well strengthen existing muscle tissue while on a caloric deficit, you will not build muscle. Just as you wouldnt gain fat, you won't build muscle. Strength training while on a deficit may make you look "bigger" "leaner" this is because you are losing fat and toning muscle. If your body does not have the raw material "calories" new tissue will not develop. Not muscle, not fat, nothing. Every person has a given amount of fat stores. How fat you are depends on how filled these fat stores are. When your constantly on a deficit your body can release some of these stores to be used in the muscles for energy. As many have already stated, Unless your a beginner its usually one or the other. Fat burn or muscle build. Surplus or deficit. On a deficit its about protecting lean muscle tissue not trying to build more. Stay motivated mfp!

Ah, I get it now! Thanks man.

Glad you understand. Tom venuto is a very intelligent man. His literature is great and his ideas work. Not the only answer but it does work for most. Great job on your progress thus far!

jenomaha · August 2011

Add on question: which is heavier, Fat or Muscle? If I am shrinking my fat cells and gaining muscle mass, will that make it look like I'm gaining or staying the same? I can tell when I'm losing by how clothes fit, but am very curious.

Thanks for any input!

Muscle does not weigh more than fat. 5lbs of fat is equal to 5 lbs of muscle. Muscle just takes up less space, it's more dense. It's more important to consider body composition than the weight on the scale. A 200 lb man with 12% bodyfat is gonna look and be healthier than a 200lb man with 25% bodyfat. They both weigh 200lbs, one just has more muscle than the other.

Here is a link with a pic and a little explanation. Sorry, don't know how to insert pics.
http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

Yes muscle does weigh more it does so because it is more dense. When comparing weights of 2 things try keeping volume constant, if you do that muscle will always weigh more than fat, and that is the correct way to compare. 1 cubic foot of muscle will weigh more than 1 cubic foot of fat.

Taking your argument and moving it to food would them mean that carrots and butter have the same caloric content because 100 cals of carrots have the same amount of cals as 100 cals of butter. You completely miss the point of muscle weighs more than fat when you come back with 5lbs=5lbs.

In the same amount of space, yes, the muscle will weigh more. However, people like to use the excuse sometimes that when they gain weight, it's all due to gaining muscle, which is not always the case. I think it's important to move away from just the scale to determine the success they have in their overall health and fitness. Composition is important as well as measurements, how clothes fit, increased endurance, increased strength and the list goes on. People get discouraged and quit because of that dang number on the scale.

And please, let's be positive and supportive of each other. re: "you miss the point" everyone interprets questions and posts differently. Good day.

NaloMeli · August 2011

Here is a link with a pic and a little explanation. Sorry, don't know how to insert pics.
http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

Thanks - that's just what I needed to read and see!!

Fat to Muscle????

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