Muscle weighs more than fat

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  • gracielee1
    gracielee1 Posts: 71 Member
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    all debates about muscle vs. fat aside, you have a great work out schedule, and im excited to hear about your progress. Best of luck!
  • SooZ1138
    SooZ1138 Posts: 65
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    It seems everyone has addressed the more dense issue. (I think this is what most people mean when they say 'weighs more.' Of course a pound is a pound, I think it's the just wording that gets jumbled. Let's be nice. It's one thing to politely correct semantics, but another to tear into someone. Harping on this isn't helping to answer her question.) Anyhow....

    I agree that it's most likely your muscles retaining water to repair the micro tears that exercising causes. However, over a longer period of time, you can certainly gain weight and lose inches.

    The photo below shows me at 150lbs in June of 2010 on the left, and me at 150lbs in November 2011. (In between these two photos, I did lose quite a bit of weight and got thinner, and then since I started strength training this summer, have gained weight back.)
    Screenshot2011-11-22at100559AM.png

    From a Nerd Fitness article, look at Staci. She weighs 131lbs on the left and 142lbs on the right:
    Screenshot2011-11-23at100602AM.png

    (source: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/)

    However, this does take a bit of time, and isn't going to happen in a week. I just wanted to share so you had some images to see when you start thinking long term.



    This was great! Thanks for the visual!

    I get it now... I'm new to all of this, I have NEVER really paid any attention to my body, the way I eat, or the scale. I heard years ago from someone that she weighed more when she got fit than when she first was trying to lose weight. This all makes it pretty clear. Thank you for those with CONSTRUCTIVE responses... those who try to make people feel stupid for being ignorant are pretty rude. That's okay, I'm not on here to change people.... just looking for information. Thanks!
  • morez610
    morez610 Posts: 13 Member
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    This is such a timeless topic where you'll get both sides of the arguement giving their thoughts - both are valid of course from the perspective of how they interpret the fat vs. muscle stance, but I think you always have to consider how this ultimately affects YOU - forget everything else because at the end of the day, it's all about you.

    If it helps any - my experience has been more straightforward. Since i've joined MFP, i've lost over 30 lbs and have only gone over my daily caloric intake maybe 4 or 5 times (and according to the site, i've logged in for 210 days in a row). At one point, I weighed about 153 lbs (down from 189 when I first joined). For the past 5 weeks or so, i've increased my exercise regimen and added several elements of strength training which ultimately caused my muscles to retain water. I gained 5 lbs in the process, but I am seeing some noticeable changes in my body's shape.

    So again, just be careful with how you take this information as the only thing that really matters is how this will help you in the end.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,708 Member
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    Hi there! So I started this program a week ago and have been EXTRA vigilant in making sure to keep my calories at my mark and have a new found love of working out. I do a pilates class one day a week, Zumba one day a week, run 3 days a week and strength train for 2 days out of the week (obviously some of these overlap each other). My question is, is it normal to gain muscle during this process and not see a huge difference in your weight each week because of this?
    Nope. You need to be in calorie surplus to gain muscle.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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