does muscle really weigh more than fat?

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  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    You do look thinner with muscle and more refined.................but a pound is a pound is a pound:bigsmile:
    The OP never asked if 1 lb of muscle weighs more than 1 lb of fat, so why add words to what they asked. When someone says muscle weighs more than fat they are implying "by volume". since by volume is implied they do not need to stated it.

    What they mean by volume muscle weighs more than fat, what they say muscle weighs more than fat, since by volume is implied they are correct in the second statement.

    The reason why muscle weighs more is because it is more dense, so taking equal volumes with different densities on Earth, the gravitational force on Earth will cause the more dense tissue to weigh more if in equal volumes.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    You should ignore anyone who suggests that while on a fat loss diet that you might be gaining muscle.


    Wrong!!


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447514-athletes-can-gain-muscle-while-losing-fat-on-deficit-diet

    Well - firstly - it changes from person to person so if you have a lot of fat to lose, then yes, it is possible.

    The lower in fat you get the harder it becomes until when you get to circa 10-20% body fat (for a male) it becomes very difficult indeed.

    secondly - In this study - it was pointed out that as these athletes worked their legs and not their upper body prior to the study, their upper body would have responded with a greater proportional growth than normal as shown by the fact that virtually no growth game from their legs.

    thirdly, the point of this topic was asking if an increase in weight of several pounds in a week could be due to losing fat and gaining muscle which weighs more and would account for the increase in weight.

    I would love to be able to gain 2lbs of lean muscle in a week, never mind gain however much the OP would have gained lean muscle for it to balance against fat loss.

    You can't gain a lot of muscle but you can gain LEAN muscle while in deficit. Usually at the 1-2lbs a MONTH rate. Eat proper, keep the protein up and it's very much possible. Granted even on a performance enhancing drug you aren't going to gain 2lbs of lean muscle in a deficit. You have to feed them to grow them.

    Even 1-2 lbs/month is not attainable for most people while in a deficit. I would need to be in a surplus to gain that much. The more fat you have the more likely you are to gain some muscle, but once you BF% drops, some of that gained muscle will say bye bye as you lose the remaining fat.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
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    You should ignore anyone who suggests that while on a fat loss diet that you might be gaining muscle.


    Wrong!!


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447514-athletes-can-gain-muscle-while-losing-fat-on-deficit-diet

    Well - firstly - it changes from person to person so if you have a lot of fat to lose, then yes, it is possible.

    The lower in fat you get the harder it becomes until when you get to circa 10-20% body fat (for a male) it becomes very difficult indeed.

    secondly - In this study - it was pointed out that as these athletes worked their legs and not their upper body prior to the study, their upper body would have responded with a greater proportional growth than normal as shown by the fact that virtually no growth game from their legs.

    thirdly, the point of this topic was asking if an increase in weight of several pounds in a week could be due to losing fat and gaining muscle which weighs more and would account for the increase in weight.

    I would love to be able to gain 2lbs of lean muscle in a week, never mind gain however much the OP would have gained lean muscle for it to balance against fat loss.

    You can't gain a lot of muscle but you can gain LEAN muscle while in deficit. Usually at the 1-2lbs a MONTH rate. Eat proper, keep the protein up and it's very much possible. Granted even on a performance enhancing drug you aren't going to gain 2lbs of lean muscle in a deficit. You have to feed them to grow them.

    Even 1-2 lbs/month is not attainable for most people while in a deficit. I would need to be in a surplus to gain that much. The more fat you have the more likely you are to gain some muscle, but once you BF% drops, some of that gained muscle will say bye bye as you lose the remaining fat.

    Speaking more of noob gains at this point since I don't think many here that are asking this question have been lifting long.
  • mbar12
    mbar12 Posts: 125 Member
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    Muscle weighs the same as fat.
    A pound is a pound is a pound.

    BUT the density of muscle takes up much less room making you appear smaller.

    You would not necessarily gain from muscle, it takes MONTHS and the most you can gain in a year is 12 pounds on a VERY strict diet/exercise plan.
    Although, sometimes after you start an intense weight training routine, your muscles retain water, just the same as sodium does so your weight may go up the day after a intense workout.
    I wondered why I sometimes weigh more when I do a lot of strength training - the water retention! Thanks for explaining.
  • reaolliemama
    reaolliemama Posts: 489 Member
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    iv seen quite afew people in the last week saying muscle is heavier so makes you gain weight :huh:

    Because they want to feel better about gaining, so they fool themselves...a pound is a pound no matter what it's made of (fat, muscle, feathers or lead) now the SIZE of that pound is different, a pound of lead is MUCH smaller than a pound of lead, a pound of muscle is some smaller than a pound of fat! Your original thinking is right. Don't buy into the delusions of those who tell you than a pound of anything WEIGHS more than a pound of anything else!

    Oh and the scales most of us weigh in on weigh by weight NOT VOLUME...the question wasn't does fat have greater volume than fat...
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle ---

    But a pound of fat takes up more space than a pound of muscle ---

    Muscle is more dense than fat.
  • Justjoshin
    Justjoshin Posts: 999 Member
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    . it takes months of training to gain a pound of muscle so you wouldn't see that kind of gain overnight.

    That isnt true. You can gain a pound of muscle weight every week. There are exercise regimes out there that show you how to. You can even gain 3 pounds of muscle a week, but that is by using very extreme methods.

    You need to bear in mind what you are doing and where you are starting. If you are already well muscled then you will not gain a lot and if you dont do the right exercises and eat enough protein you wont either. However a slim person drinking shakes all day and working out a couple of hours a day can put on a serious amount of muscle weight.. and I am not talking from google information here either as I once worked out a lot and I gained a 24 pounds in muscle.


    Seriously? I'm doing it wrong. I train like a beast and I have NEVER gained 1lb of muscle a week let alone 3. (3lbs a month is do-able)

    You're telling me I can gain 52lbs of LEAN muscle in a year? I'd love to see your training/eating/supplement schedule that doesn't include anabolics.

    Are you really claiming to have put on 24lbs of lean mass in 8 weeks? I'd love to see pics and more info. Hah..
  • MummyOfSeven
    MummyOfSeven Posts: 314 Member
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    Muscle weighs more than fat -- BY VOLUME!

    In other words, a gallon of muscle weighs more than a gallon of fat.
    Why? Muscle is more dense than fat like lead is denser than water.

    That's all people mean when they say muscle weighs more than fat.
    Some may not express the concept correctly, but that's what they mean.

    ^^^^THIS^^^^
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
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    . it takes months of training to gain a pound of muscle so you wouldn't see that kind of gain overnight.

    That isnt true. You can gain a pound of muscle weight every week. There are exercise regimes out there that show you how to. You can even gain 3 pounds of muscle a week, but that is by using very extreme methods.

    You need to bear in mind what you are doing and where you are starting. If you are already well muscled then you will not gain a lot and if you dont do the right exercises and eat enough protein you wont either. However a slim person drinking shakes all day and working out a couple of hours a day can put on a serious amount of muscle weight.. and I am not talking from google information here either as I once worked out a lot and I gained a 24 pounds in muscle.


    Seriously? I'm doing it wrong. I train like a beast and I have NEVER gained 1lb of muscle a week let alone 3. (3lbs a month is do-able)

    You're telling me I can gain 52lbs of LEAN muscle in a year? I'd love to see your training/eating/supplement schedule that doesn't include anabolics.

    Are you really claiming to have put on 24lbs of lean mass in 8 weeks? I'd love to see pics and more info. Hah..

    Agreed, no possible way to gain 1lb of muscle a week on a deficit. Not even with supplementation. I think the person that wrote that must of got month and week mixed up. I also laughed at the 24lbs of muscle part, that person was either A. on the juice or B. delusional to do that in a short amount of time. Just insane to think of 24lbs of muscle gained unless it was a year plus.
  • ThinningDownChick
    ThinningDownChick Posts: 95 Member
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    No, muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weighs exactly the same as a pound of fat—they both weigh one pound. A pound IS a pound. Point blank.

    This whole misconception is always misunderstood and misused. The rationale that muscle weighs more than fat is often used as an explanation for why a person might find that they aren’t losing weight, or are gaining weight, when they kick off an exercise program.

    Now, where it differs is in the amount of room it takes up in your body. If you have a 150 pound female who has a pretty good amount of muscle mass and is clocking in around 18% body fat she is going to look SMALLER then a 140 pound female who doesn't have as much muslce and has a higher body fat, say 22%. So although muscle and fat weigh the same, the apperance usually leaves someone to think that muscle weighs "less."

    First and foremost, the body is inefficient at gaining muscle and loosing fat at the same time. The only times when both happen at peak efficiency are: If a person is just starting weight lifting then it's a new stimulus to the body and muscle can be gained while fat is lost OR if a person is coming back after a period of no weight training in which case the body is just regaining muscle tissue that has been previously built.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
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    You should ignore anyone who suggests that while on a fat loss diet that you might be gaining muscle.


    Wrong!!


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447514-athletes-can-gain-muscle-while-losing-fat-on-deficit-diet

    Well - firstly - it changes from person to person so if you have a lot of fat to lose, then yes, it is possible.

    The lower in fat you get the harder it becomes until when you get to circa 10-20% body fat (for a male) it becomes very difficult indeed.

    secondly - In this study - it was pointed out that as these athletes worked their legs and not their upper body prior to the study, their upper body would have responded with a greater proportional growth than normal as shown by the fact that virtually no growth game from their legs.

    thirdly, the point of this topic was asking if an increase in weight of several pounds in a week could be due to losing fat and gaining muscle which weighs more and would account for the increase in weight.

    I would love to be able to gain 2lbs of lean muscle in a week, never mind gain however much the OP would have gained lean muscle for it to balance against fat loss.

    You can't gain a lot of muscle but you can gain LEAN muscle while in deficit. Usually at the 1-2lbs a MONTH rate. Eat proper, keep the protein up and it's very much possible. Granted even on a performance enhancing drug you aren't going to gain 2lbs of lean muscle in a deficit. You have to feed them to grow them.

    Even 1-2 lbs/month is not attainable for most people while in a deficit. I would need to be in a surplus to gain that much. The more fat you have the more likely you are to gain some muscle, but once you BF% drops, some of that gained muscle will say bye bye as you lose the remaining fat.

    Another thing to point out is that your body doesn't retain extra muscle that it doesn't need. Obese people are naturally going to have a lot of muscle underneath because they need it to carry around the extra ~100 lbs of fat they are carrying. But once they start burning that fat, they don't need the muscle either unless they are doing a lot of resistance training. So if you are burning lots of fat and doing moderate exercise, there is no way you are gaining muscle, certainly not by accident.
  • chrishgt4
    chrishgt4 Posts: 1,222 Member
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    You should ignore anyone who suggests that while on a fat loss diet that you might be gaining muscle.


    Wrong!!


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447514-athletes-can-gain-muscle-while-losing-fat-on-deficit-diet

    Well - firstly - it changes from person to person so if you have a lot of fat to lose, then yes, it is possible.

    The lower in fat you get the harder it becomes until when you get to circa 10-20% body fat (for a male) it becomes very difficult indeed.

    secondly - In this study - it was pointed out that as these athletes worked their legs and not their upper body prior to the study, their upper body would have responded with a greater proportional growth than normal as shown by the fact that virtually no growth game from their legs.

    thirdly, the point of this topic was asking if an increase in weight of several pounds in a week could be due to losing fat and gaining muscle which weighs more and would account for the increase in weight.

    I would love to be able to gain 2lbs of lean muscle in a week, never mind gain however much the OP would have gained lean muscle for it to balance against fat loss.

    You can't gain a lot of muscle but you can gain LEAN muscle while in deficit. Usually at the 1-2lbs a MONTH rate. Eat proper, keep the protein up and it's very much possible. Granted even on a performance enhancing drug you aren't going to gain 2lbs of lean muscle in a deficit. You have to feed them to grow them.

    If you can gain muscle at the rate of 2lbs a month in deficit good on you.

    But there isn't such thing as muscle and lean muscle - muscle by definition is lean - it's what is included in lean body mass i.e. when fat is removed.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    iv heard afew people over last few day say that they have gained weight even tho they are exercising etc and people have commented saying dont worry its probably muscle your gaining,

    well i thought that muscle didnt weigh more than fat it was just more compact so you can weigh the same yet look thinner :indifferent:

    now im unsure as iv seen quite afew people in the last week saying muscle is heavier so makes you gain weight :huh:

    Initial weight gain from exercise is almost certainly due to water rather than actual muscle mass, but it still makes the muscle appear bigger. If you have been very sedentary for a long period of time before you begin exercising, some of it could be muscle.

    If you do actually gain muscle mass then yes, you could weigh more but be the same size or smaller because muscle is more dense, and therefore weighs more, than fat. Being more dense is what causes muscle to weigh more, so it's just semantics when people argue that point.
  • galegetsthin
    galegetsthin Posts: 1,352 Member
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    a pound is a pound is a pound......... That said...... a full coke can weighs more than an empty one. Because it is full. The fibers in muscle are compact and fill every possible space.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,925 Member
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    You should ignore anyone who suggests that while on a fat loss diet that you might be gaining muscle.


    Wrong!!


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447514-athletes-can-gain-muscle-while-losing-fat-on-deficit-diet

    Is it possible? YES. Is it going to happen by accident and be a common reason people on MFP might nott lose weight? NO!

    Oh I know this, but I was pointing out your wrong statement. It takes a different dedication to gain muscle and cut body fat but it is possible.

    What was wrong about my statement? I made a suggestion that is more often than not going to be valid.
    Because you said to ignore people that say it MIGHT happen. Now you changed your original comment to include MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. Basically your agreeing that it can happen, but your amendment makes you right......see what you did there?
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
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    You should ignore anyone who suggests that while on a fat loss diet that you might be gaining muscle.


    Wrong!!


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447514-athletes-can-gain-muscle-while-losing-fat-on-deficit-diet

    Is it possible? YES. Is it going to happen by accident and be a common reason people on MFP might nott lose weight? NO!

    Oh I know this, but I was pointing out your wrong statement. It takes a different dedication to gain muscle and cut body fat but it is possible.

    What was wrong about my statement? I made a suggestion that is more often than not going to be valid.
    Because you said to ignore people that say it MIGHT happen. Now you changed your original comment to include MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. Basically your agreeing that it can happen, but your amendment makes you right......see what you did there?

    No I don't. My original point still stands. If someone is not losing weight, the more likely scenarios are 1) underestimating calories consumed, 2) overestimating calories burned, or 3) water weight is hanging around.

    People don't accidentally gain muscle when their goal is to burn fat. Certainly not enough to actually offset the fat loss.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,925 Member
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    You should ignore anyone who suggests that while on a fat loss diet that you might be gaining muscle.


    Wrong!!


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447514-athletes-can-gain-muscle-while-losing-fat-on-deficit-diet

    Is it possible? YES. Is it going to happen by accident and be a common reason people on MFP might nott lose weight? NO!

    Oh I know this, but I was pointing out your wrong statement. It takes a different dedication to gain muscle and cut body fat but it is possible.

    What was wrong about my statement? I made a suggestion that is more often than not going to be valid.
    Because you said to ignore people that say it MIGHT happen. Now you changed your original comment to include MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. Basically your agreeing that it can happen, but your amendment makes you right......see what you did there?

    No I don't. My original point still stands. If someone is not losing weight, the more likely scenarios are 1) underestimating calories consumed, 2) overestimating calories burned, or 3) water weight is hanging around.
    You just want to be right......, now your going off into a different nutritional direction altogether, now it's people that aren't losing weight......basically another strawman. It is possible to gain muscle in a deficit, and also there is something called regional mass gains, which is shifting muscle mass to area's that are worked moreso in a deficit.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
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    You should ignore anyone who suggests that while on a fat loss diet that you might be gaining muscle.


    Wrong!!


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447514-athletes-can-gain-muscle-while-losing-fat-on-deficit-diet

    Is it possible? YES. Is it going to happen by accident and be a common reason people on MFP might nott lose weight? NO!

    Oh I know this, but I was pointing out your wrong statement. It takes a different dedication to gain muscle and cut body fat but it is possible.

    What was wrong about my statement? I made a suggestion that is more often than not going to be valid.
    Because you said to ignore people that say it MIGHT happen. Now you changed your original comment to include MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. Basically your agreeing that it can happen, but your amendment makes you right......see what you did there?

    No I don't. My original point still stands. If someone is not losing weight, the more likely scenarios are 1) underestimating calories consumed, 2) overestimating calories burned, or 3) water weight is hanging around.
    You just want to be right......, now your going off into a different nutritional direction altogether, now it's people that aren't losing weight......basically another strawman. It is possible to gain muscle in a deficit, and also there is something called regional mass gains, which is shifting muscle mass to area's that are worked moreso in a deficit.

    Stop being so obtuse. Why should people believe they are gaining muscle when they're not? Because there is a 0.1% chance I need to make them believe that they are?
  • TONYAGOOCH
    TONYAGOOCH Posts: 470 Member
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    A pound is a pound is a pound. A pound of fat just takes up more room than a pound of muscle.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,925 Member
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    You should ignore anyone who suggests that while on a fat loss diet that you might be gaining muscle.


    Wrong!!


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447514-athletes-can-gain-muscle-while-losing-fat-on-deficit-diet

    Is it possible? YES. Is it going to happen by accident and be a common reason people on MFP might nott lose weight? NO!

    Oh I know this, but I was pointing out your wrong statement. It takes a different dedication to gain muscle and cut body fat but it is possible.

    What was wrong about my statement? I made a suggestion that is more often than not going to be valid.
    Because you said to ignore people that say it MIGHT happen. Now you changed your original comment to include MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. Basically your agreeing that it can happen, but your amendment makes you right......see what you did there?

    No I don't. My original point still stands. If someone is not losing weight, the more likely scenarios are 1) underestimating calories consumed, 2) overestimating calories burned, or 3) water weight is hanging around.
    You just want to be right......, now your going off into a different nutritional direction altogether, now it's people that aren't losing weight......basically another strawman. It is possible to gain muscle in a deficit, and also there is something called regional mass gains, which is shifting muscle mass to area's that are worked moreso in a deficit.

    Stop being so obtuse. Why should people believe they are gaining muscle when they're not? Because there is a 0.1% chance I need to make them believe that they are?
    There you go again, moving the goal posts. Pretty much any novice that incorporates weight training into their weight loss jouney will experience muscle mass gains at the beginning. Does everyone do that, no, will they gain LBM if they don't weight train, probably a 0.1% chance. Again my point is that people do experience LBM in a deficit and why your ORIGINAL statement is still wrong....if you with your knowledge, which is quite obvious you do have in nutrition, made that distiction, that it is possible under certain circumstances (weight training, sufficient protein intake) to gain muscle mass, I wouldn't along a few others need to remind you that it does happen quite frequently to those that do make the right adaption.

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