Question:
Did you know that muscle does not weigh more than fat?
I have been reading some answers where people are saying that some weight gains and stalls/plateaus are due to gaining muscle weight or just for whatever the reason, that muscles weigh more than fat and this is just NOT true...Fat and muscle weigh the same amount. However, by volume they LOOK very different...Just like 10 pounds of feathers weigh the same as 10 pounds of Iron...But if you stuff a pillow with the same 10 pounds of feathers as the 10 of iron, you will have a fluffier pillow with feathers...Same goes for the fat vs muscle... Muscle (like iron) is much denser than fat (like feathers) and looks leaner on in a body...but it does not weigh more or less than fat! Muscle does not turn into fat and fat does not turn into muscle either! Do the research yourself...I say this all the time because IT MATTERS, "Learn how your body works"...There are sooooooo many old diet myths that need to be clarified for any of us to have success!! MYTHS do no one any good! And if people believe that they are gaining because of muscle, by the time they gain 25-50 pounds back it's too late to know that this just was not true! I make mistakes myself...but this one keeps coming up and it was making me crazier than I already am! No offense meant to anyone! I promise, because I used to think the same thing for so long and might have even repeated it myself! I just want to clear up an old myth so people will stop passing it around... — .Anita R. (posted on February 9, 2009)
February 9, 2009
You're wrong by your own logic and you're just not seeing it. Of course
10lbs of this and 10lbs of that weigh the same because you're only taking
into account the WEIGHT. Weight is not the only form of measure. If you
measure something by volume and then compare it to weight, THAT is where
you get the difference. If you take the same size lumps of fat vs the same
size lumps of muscle (size being compared in volume) then compare their
weights then the muscle will absolutely weigh more than the fat. Just like
1 cup of granular sugar will weigh more than 1 cup of confectioner's sugar.
A 1 gallon ziplock bag full of air will weigh less than a 1 gallon ziplock
of water. They're the same volume but absolutely do not weigh the same. A
person weighing 145 today who starts an intensive body building program can
be smaller but end up weighing more in the long run because muscle
absolutely weighs more than fat.
— Launa N.
February 9, 2009
I get what you mean Anita. I agree with you. So much for trying to help
someone not gain ALL their weight back!!!
— RebeccaMulligan
February 9, 2009
Anits,
Afraid i'm with Laurie on this one. Try an experiment; weight
a ziploc bag of salt and a ziploc bag of water. Two entirely different
things that weigh differently by volume. That is why not everyone gets the
same dosage of medicine even if they are adults of what "looks"
like relatively the same size. This is not a myth check with a personal
trainer or an exercise physiologist if you don't believe us. Even a
doctor. Your body works by getting rid of a lot of excess waste through
fluids think about that.
Sweat, urine, breathing. Not trying to insult at all but that isn't
logical to think that weight is one solitary thing because it isn't.
vinnigirl, retired RN
— vinnigirl
February 9, 2009
I have to agree with Luana Nehi on this. If you take a square foot of FAT
and compare it to a square foot of MUSCLE or MEAT, the MEAT will weigh
more. THAT is what people mean when they say that muscle weighs more than
fat. If you want ANOTHER way of checking this out, toss the fat on top of
a fairly deep body of water (say a foot or two deep) and watch it FLOAT.
Try the same thing with MEAT,and you will see it SINK. That is because the
fat is LIGHTER in density that water, while the meat is NOT. This is why
FAT people can FLOAT better than skinny people. ;-)
— hubarlow
February 9, 2009
I did make the volume comparison...By volume YES it looks different...We
don't put ourselves in zip lock baggies and get in the water to weigh
ourselves...WE GET ON SCALES...Regular scales that we buy in the store, do
not measure VOLUME, they measure how heavy you are! Plain and simple! If
you are gaining weight, you can rest assured, it's not muscle...it's fat!!
(or the occassional water retention weight) But you all certainly have the
right to your opinions! I get the whole salad oil floats...fat people
float... volume vs weight....but when we get on a scale we are weighing
pound for pound...not volume! That is my point and that's all....Hugs
everyone!
— .Anita R.
February 9, 2009
I'm not sure where your reasoning or logic is coming from, but doctors
& personal trainers alike will tell you the exact opposite of what you
are saying.
— BroadwayRose
February 9, 2009
WOW I didnt know this. Thanks for sharing.
— deb44m
February 9, 2009
I agree with Launa on this one too. When I start working out I immediately
weigh more. Muscle builds up and they get bigger in volume when you work
out. The more muscle you build the quicker you burn off fat. That is when
you start losing the weight. At first you gain a little. Not 25 to 50 lbs
but maybe 5 to 10 lbs. Then you start to lose as the fat starts to burn
off. If you take a person the same size and shape as another person and
one is all muscle and the other is all fat. Muscle person will weigh more.
No offense to you either but I don't agree with you on this one.
— azoreangal
February 9, 2009
I see where everyone is coming from, and have thought about this many times
over the years. It is HOW you say it, and HOW you are thinking about it -
and let's face it - we all THINK differently. (By the way, the capital
letters are trying to emphasize the words, not saying I am yelling them :)
People use to say "1 lb of muscle weighs more than 1 lb of fat" -
well, that's just not possible - 1 lb is 1 lb. But the amount of space it
takes up is different - the volume - which is what I think EVERYONE is
saying. Here's the deal, though - if you are losing weight and not working
out to gain muscle but just to tone up and stay healthy, chances are you
are not increasing your muscle weight - and so what you are losing is
probably fat. But, if you are lifting weights and trying to build up
muscle while losing fat - well, yes, you can technically be the same size
(volume/inches) and weigh more. A gal I work with is 5'3" tall and
weighs nearly 200 lbs (she is a body builder), but she wears a size 8. I
know, this totally shocked me. But she is very muscular. There is no way
she could weigh 200 lbs and be this size without it being mostly muscle!
(She looks fantastic, by the way! And she is 49 years old.) Anyway, what
I was trying to say is that you all are saying the same thing - but it is
how our brain thinks of it and processes it. And I am just like many
others, and try and convince myself that if I am plateauing or gaining, it
must be muscle weight - the truth is I don't do enough of that sort of
exercise to gain muscle yet, but I am toning it and that helps with lost
inches as well.
— Wendy M.
February 9, 2009
The same volume of muscle weighs more than the same volume of fat is what
it breaks down to. As you build muscle you are burning fat simply by
building muscle and sometimes the loss doesn't show on the scale it may
show in measurement around waist, thighs, arms wherever you are focusing on
building more muscle and burning fat. You can reach times when your fat and
muscle volumes are shifting and you may not see the difference as much on
the scale as you do in change in clothes size or like I said measurments.
No this is not an excuse to gain weight back but an encouragement to those
that may have reached a platue and are struggling. Maybe you need to build
more muscle to help burn more fat and raise your metabolism. The body is a
wonderful creation and if we work with it and allow it to do it's functions
properly we will be healthier in the long run.
— Lisa von Wallmenich
February 10, 2009
Anita, I totally get what you are trying to say, you want people to quit
being dellusional about weight gain. I go once a month and am weighed in
water to measure my lean muscle mass and fat. (My doctors idea of a fun
experience put on a swimsuit in front of a bunch of strangers). Anyway in
the past 2 months my fat has gone down, but my lean muscle mass has also
gone up dramatically. If I was not working out I would (according to them)
weigh a lot less, but I would probably be a bigger size! So I understand
what you are trying to say, I agree, we have to be totally vigilant, if we
are gaining we can't make excuses we just have to try and get it under
control. But technically by volume muscle weighs more than fat. Anyway, I
hate to hear people who have fought so hard to get to this point start to
make excuses. If you watch Biggest Loser you will totally get
this...Joelle's excuses about not losing because she had "turned up
the intensity", was her way of saying muscle weighs more than fat and
no one believed her because it was an excuse for letting food get the
better of her. Good luck and have a great day.
— brindledanes
February 10, 2009
i dont know if i agree with you anita. i read this and asked my work out
instructor, and asked my bariatric doctor. they both say fat weighs less
than muscle. i do understand what your saying about once you have gaines
25-50 pounds its to late. Where are you getting your facts from?
— jackie L.
February 10, 2009
i'm going to have to disagree. i went to a support group tonight. the
nutritionist passed around 5lbs of fat vs. 5lbs. of muscle. biggg
difference. even physical trainers will tell you the same, muscle
definitely weighs more.
— OhBeckles
February 10, 2009
Anita, I think one of the most important things you said has been totally
overlooked - that "Muscle does not turn into fat and fat does not turn
into muscle." Fat tissue is always fat tissue, and muscle tissue is
always muscle tissue. And yes, a pound of fat and a pound of muscle weigh
the same in pounds but have very different volumes (i.e. take up different
amout of space), which is what some responders are trying to argue.
Basically, the process of eating nutritiously and working out moderately
removes fat (in the form of wastes) and builds or strengthens muscles. This
may cause a small short-term plateau in your weight loss continuum, but if
you don't stop you will soon feel the difference in how your clothes fit
and how you feel overall. It's a wonderful place to get to, and I wish you
good luck and God Speed! Julie Preston, RN
— MuseAcal
February 10, 2009
I also agree with Launa on this one. My mom works in a Biometrics program
here in MO. She has lost over 115 pounds without surgery. In their program
it is proven that if you do weight traning 3 days a week. You will lose
fat,because the more muscle your body has it will burn the fat. Therefore
we have seen people gain weight when they weight train because muscle does
weight more than fat.
— angiesandlin
February 10, 2009
Anita, you are totally correct. It is challenging for some of us to
logically see the diffence between measuring weight vs volume. Me too,
especially when recipes call for, example),an ounce of xxxx, wich can also
be written 10 tsp of xxxx. With liquid measure, the bottle will say how
many ounces it contains, but them it is measued in recipes using tsp. I
tell patients, look at all the tools you are using. Are you doing
everything as you should, food, fluids, exercise? Are your clothes looser.
Eventually the scale will follow if you are truly loosing weight. Note:
loosing weight alone doesn't mean you are loosing fat. You can loose
muscle too if you don't eat well.
— cvalent1
February 10, 2009
I loved the one where 5 lbs of fat and 5 pounds of muscle were passed
around and that 5 POUNDS of muscle was definitely heavier! How can you
argue that? I surrender! I still hope you all take the time to research
how your body works as it will help you all succeed in the long term
maintenance of your WLS. When you start gaining muscle weight, YOU WILL
KNOW that you've worked hard and earned it! Just as I have! Thank you all
for very much for very lively and interesting answers! I will weight all
that you have told me! Pun intended!
— .Anita R.
February 13, 2009
oh anita...your such a funny lady..and a good sport. keep up the great
attitude. by the way...you look great!!
— jackie L.
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