A Pound of Muscle weight more than and a Pound of fat?

Great post...unfortunately sooooo many are still going to miss the point.



Ladies---THROW OUT THE SCALE! (yes I am yelling, it is a point that needs to be yelled)

If you want to measure your progress, do measurements and go by how your clothes are fitting and how you feel. That number is going to drive you insane.

When I was at the height of my fitness, I actually weighed more than when I was at my "skinniest". But I was toned and lean and fit. Where as, when I weighed less, I was what they call skinny fat. I was smaller but I was lumpy and jiggly. :laugh:

This works if you' re just a bit fat, if you are obese you're not going to replace every pound of fat with muscle, so it's good to keep an eye on your weight

Totally. You have to remember there are plenty of people over 250lb reading these posts, and they tend to be those that need more help

So I've always known this and understood it, but I still get confused with the numbers I see on the scale. For example, I've recently started working out more and I think I've definitely built a little more muscle. The last time I took my measurements they had not changed however, but my weight has gone up 3 lbs.! I am recovering from an eating disorder, so seeing a three pound gain is something that would usually give me extreme anxiety, but I'm trying to stay positive and not worry because I feel as if I am doing everything right. So my question is, is it possible that I've gained weight from building muscle? Or have I actually gained fat as well? How much will my weight go up or fluctuate while building muscle mass? Does anyone have any personal experience to share?

If you've just started working out it is probably water retention, your muscles hold on to it to help repair after a work out. Takes about a month to actually build muscle. Even if it is fat dw, if you've had an eating disorder you could probably do with a couple of extra pounds.We all need a bit of fat to look good and be healthy.
Just keep at it, I have a friend who had anorexia, she turned her body obsession into a health obsession, she started body building, eating the calories needed for body building, and she's turned her life around to be really fit and healthy and happy (:

Great post...unfortunately sooooo many are still going to miss the point.



Ladies---THROW OUT THE SCALE! (yes I am yelling, it is a point that needs to be yelled)

If you want to measure your progress, do measurements and go by how your clothes are fitting and how you feel. That number is going to drive you insane.

When I was at the height of my fitness, I actually weighed more than when I was at my "skinniest". But I was toned and lean and fit. Where as, when I weighed less, I was what they call skinny fat. I was smaller but I was lumpy and jiggly. :laugh:

This works if you' re just a bit fat, if you are obese you're not going to replace every pound of fat with muscle, so it's good to keep an eye on your weight

Yea, I am more than just a little fat. And that scale drives me completely insane. But you know what does go down consistently? Measurements.

I never said you shouldn't measure, you should, I do.
And I never said the scales are the be all and end all of weight loss.
I just meant that it's never going to be healthy to weigh 300lb, so you shouldn't "throw out the scales" as it is still important to keep an eye on weight, to see how close you are to a healthy bmi etc.

Here's how I explain this to people who don't get it.


What would a muscular but average built person weigh if that old tale were true? They'd be 400lbs right? A little 5'3" irishman with lean muscle would have to be well over 300lbs.

Then I look at them, waiting for them to get it. But for some reason they just think I'm a jerk...

Great post...unfortunately sooooo many are still going to miss the point.



Ladies---THROW OUT THE SCALE! (yes I am yelling, it is a point that needs to be yelled)

If you want to measure your progress, do measurements and go by how your clothes are fitting and how you feel. That number is going to drive you insane.

When I was at the height of my fitness, I actually weighed more than when I was at my "skinniest". But I was toned and lean and fit. Where as, when I weighed less, I was what they call skinny fat. I was smaller but I was lumpy and jiggly. :laugh:

This works if you' re just a bit fat, if you are obese you're not going to replace every pound of fat with muscle, so it's good to keep an eye on your weight

Yea, I am more than just a little fat. And that scale drives me completely insane. But you know what does go down consistently? Measurements.

I never said you shouldn't measure, you should, I do.
And I never said the scales are the be all and end all of weight loss.
I just meant that it's never going to be healthy to weigh 300lb, so you shouldn't "throw out the scales" as it is still important to keep an eye on weight, to see how close you are to a healthy bmi etc.

I will always be overweight according to BMI because of my lean body mass. In order to be normal by BMI standards I need to lose lean body mass. In all reality, after I lose this fat I will once again be trying to build lean body mass and will eventually be obese by BMI standards and be at a healthy body fat percentage of 12% to 15%. So what I am saying is that a healthy BMI is pointless.

honey, he can post this **** all day as long as he uses that avatar :devil:

This poor dead horse.


I so sorry horsey.

save a horse, ride a cowboy

I do understand where you are coming from. As I build muscle, the scale tends to fluctuate in a strange way. My own real world example of the difference between the volume of fat vs. the volume of muscle goes like this: When I first began losing weight, I got all the way down to about 190 lbs. I was thrilled. I hadn't started strength training yet but I was thrilled with what the scale was telling me. Over the next couple of years, this and that happened and I put about 20 lbs back on. As I re-started my exercise program, I included strength training. I started losing the weight. Very slowly. What started to change were my measurements. My legs lost some, my waist, my arms, everything started to change but the scale lagged sorely behind. Then I had that moment when I realized what was really happening. As I lost fat and replaced it with muscle, the scale would barely change but suddenly my pants are too bid. My trainer said to me, and I quote, "girl, you're pants are too baggy, you need to go shopping"! The pants I could wear at 190 lbs fit me right now and I'm 14 lbs heavier. I'm training myself to watch my clothes and measurements rather than put too much focus on what the scale says. When I told someone once that I weighed 200 lbs, she said, "no way, there's no way you weigh that much". I marched over to the scale and show her. Then she grabbed my arm. "You're all muscle!" Well, I'm not all muscle and I would like to get down to about 185 lbs some day. I still cry sometimes when I get on the scale and my trainer has to put the kid gloves on and point out my measurements. You keep your chin up and remember we're all here for you!

Density( more ester type bonds for lipids )

muscle = 1.03kgl^-1
fat=0.9kgl^-1

Both weigh a pound but the fat has more volume

One word folks DENSITY.

Exactly. That is what I think every time this comes up.