Muscle weigh more than fat?? Help!

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kimbar303
kimbar303 Posts: 5 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I hope someone maybe able to answer a question for me as my weight loss has stopped completely! I,m 5'8 and currently weigh 12st 11lb my goal is 11st 10lb. I have been loosing inches but not weight and wondering if its because i've increased strength training but cut back on my running machine workouts? I've dropped my calorie intake to 1300 and try not use any calories i've burnt through exercise. I know I need to drink more as well. When attending slimming world a year ago the leader there said its a myth that muscle weighs more? Very confused and any advice gratefully received!!! :happy:

Replies

  • moochachip
    moochachip Posts: 237 Member
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    From what I've read and heard, muscle weights more then fat by volume.

    But honestly, when someone looks at you are they going to see a scale over your head that reads your weight? No, they're going to see the composition of your body, and all of the inches you've lost.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    Bones weigh more than muscle or fat... I win!!
  • Amber82479
    Amber82479 Posts: 629 Member
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    Hi there,

    Sorry to hear you're feeling frustrated! Saying that muscle weighs more than fat is not true - it's a misconception. A pound is a pound no matter how you weigh it. The truth is that a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. That's why you can lose inches but not weight - because you're gaining muscle and losing fat, so you get smaller (a pound of fat is larger than a pound of muscle), but your weight may not change much. For example, a pound of feathers would take up a LOT of space, whereas a pound of concrete would take up very little space... I hope that helps!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,121 Member
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    From what I've read and heard it's true, muscle weights more than fat, by volume.


    Fixed that for you.....so all the arguers can chillax.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    By volume, muscle does weigh more. A cubic foot of muscle weighs more than a cubic foot of fat.

    But if you've recently switched up your exercise, it's much more likely that your muscles are retaining fluid as they repair. It's almost impossible to gain muscle on a calorie deficit.

    Forget the scale for a few weeks.
  • moochachip
    moochachip Posts: 237 Member
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    From what I've read and heard it's true, muscle weights more than fat, by volume.


    Fixed that for you.....so all the arguers can chillax.
    Good save.
  • emilyrosedye
    emilyrosedye Posts: 66
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    I'd noticed too that Ive been doing a lot more cardio and strength work outs but my weight barely changed ts all but when i look in the mirror I can see a change in my figure and to me thats more important than what the scales say!
  • yummy♥
    yummy♥ Posts: 612 Member
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    Bones weigh more than muscle or fat... I win!!

    skin is the heaviest organ in the human body.
  • malins2
    malins2 Posts: 154 Member
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    Muscle have higher density than fat, so that means same volume muscle weighs more than fat.
    Eating too few calories will not help you loose weight, the risk is that you get into starvation mode and possibly burn the musvcles you're building. So I'd try and eat a little more (lots of protein, nuts, vegetables). How little cardio and how much weights are you doing/week?
    Also, don't forget loosing inches clearly shows that you're doing something right :)
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
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    Fat in volume takes up a larger amount of space then muscle. Muscle has more density but 1lb of weight is 1lb of weight.

    If you are on a deficit you are not gaining mass you are just on a plateau. Up your cals and change up your workouts and up the intensity.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    Bones weigh more than muscle or fat... I win!!

    skin is the heaviest organ in the human body.

    Maybe for you. I'm 'big boned'.
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
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    Bones weigh more than muscle or fat... I win!!

    skin is the heaviest organ in the human body.

    Skin is the largest organ of the human body!!! Touche
  • kimbar303
    kimbar303 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your feedback! Lots of good advise there so will try and look at from a positive inch loss perspective and carry on regardless! :smile:
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
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    Instead of just the link I thought I would copy and paste for all our benefit... this should answer the question at hand!!!

    fat-v-muscle.jpg

    As you can see, the 5 lbs. of fat is much bulkier than the 5 lbs. of muscle, but five pounds is still five pounds. 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.

    Copied from: http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html
  • kimbar303
    kimbar303 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thats a great link thanks very much for the information. i think it shows well what others have explained so great to see it visually and like you say hope it helps others out. :)

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