Muscle vs. Fat

There seems to be alot of misinformed people on this site who get very discouraged because they exercise their butts off, eat low calories and gain weight...This is why...

First of all MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT. There are tons of articles on this. This one sums up a lot http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle- to-fat.html. ;

I think that realizing this will encourage people to keep on with what they are doing. YOU CANNOT DEFY PHYSICS. You work out, you eat right and have a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. (note this is contrary to people with certain medical problems.)

 I don't say this to sound like a know it all, I just hope to encourage the dozens of people who have written posts about not losing when they are exercising and eating properly.

Air weighs more than water - that is a fact.  But a bucket of air weighs less than bucket of water. 

Why is that?  

Weight and density are always synonymous – because mass is density per unit of volume and weight is the effect of gravity on mass.

Original Post by strikez:

Air weighs more than water - that is a fact. But a bucket of air weighs less than bucket of water.

Why is that?

Weight and density are always synonymous – because mass is density per unit of volume and weight is the effect of gravity on mass.

 how is the world do you have the qualifications to argue with board certified doctors, nutritionist and person trainers? Just curious...

Of course a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat, but when people say that muscle weighs more than fat, it means that a piece of muscle weighs more than the same size piece of fat. So, if you exercise and eat right, it is possible to gain weight if you are losing fat and gaining muscle. By your logic then, feathers weight the same as bricks. This is true if you're talking about a pound of each, but who would ever say that feathers in general weigh the same as bricks?

Muscle weighing more than fat is the universal way to explain here so that EVERYONE can understand, not those taking classes to become personal trainers or physics majors.

1lb = 1lb

It isn't hard to understand that.  However, I'm pretty sure everyone also understands that muscle is more dense, taking up less space per pound.

You're making mountains out of mole hills with this one.

No one is claiming that somehow 1lb of muscle magically weighs more than 1lb of fat.

Your quoted source is a dead end and if you are a board certified doctor, nutritionist and person trainer - than I can argue the data presented, not the certifications, either way the science is the same science.   Please look up the whole weight, volume, density and mass topic and then explain the myth to me.

Muscle density is 1.06 g/ml and fat density is (about) 0.9
g/ml. Thus, one liter of muscle would weight 1.06 kg and one liter of
fat would weight 0.9 kg. In other words, muscle is about 18% denser
than fat.

I can't believe kellykirksey actually started a new thread to keep the erroneous information flowing.

Again, strikez is correct, and you are misinformed (and spreading misinformation, which WAY worse).

I'd just like to add that you clearly are trying to sound like a know it all, but it doesn't work because you certainly don't know it all! Stop telling people lies.

wow you are all right...I posed as a know it all. I was trying to feed my ego today...I step back and apologize. I hope you all succeed in telling the people on this board your misinformation .

oh and since you all need more education.

http://www.pbpfit.com/facts.html

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/64/72532 .htm

 http://athleticadvisor.com/Weight_Room/fitnes s_myths.htm

want more? 

"MYTH: Muscle weighs more than fat.

Muscle weighs the same as fat, a pound of rocks weighs the same as a pound of feathers.  Muscle is about 25% 33% more dense (size/circumference area) than fat.  This is why it is not uncommon sometimes to shape your body and lose pant,shirt and dress sizes and sometimes not lose overall body weight!  But fat and muscle weigh the same."

 

No one is arguing with you when you say that a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. Obviously this is true, and it's true with anything. However, that is not the point of the "myth". A certain volume of muscle weighs more than that same volume of fat. Do you agree with this? That is all that the myth means. It's not trying to defy physics by saying that a pound of one thing weighs more than a pound of the other.

Let's not be obtuse. It's pretentious.

 

1LB of fat = 1LB of muscle. This is obvious.

1cubic inch of muscle weighs more than 1 cubic inch of fat.

 

STOP ARGUING SEMANTICS. 

how about we delete this post as it all makes everyone who has read it less intelligent.

If a lb of feathers weighs the same as a lb of rocks do featehrs and rocks weigh the same? Im thinking not. I would far rather carry a sack of feather than a sack of rock.

Kelly - yes you are right 1lb=1lb. However 1lb of fat is larger than 1lb of muscle. If a person had 50lbs of extra fat the would be much bigger than someone with 50lbs extra muscle.

Think its time to stop the personal attacks on the poster im sure shes got the point

Original Post by chelseagirl:

If a lb of feathers weighs the same as a lb of rocks do featehrs and rocks weigh the same? Im thinking not. I would far rather carry a sack of feather than a sack of rock.

Holy cow... weight doesn't change depending on what your weighing it against. It wouldn't matter if you were carrying a 50lb sack of rocks or a 50lb sack of feathers. They both weight 50 pounds, just the sack of feathers would be larger. But still weigh the same...

Archer you missed the point hunny, re read my post. I was saying to her they dont weigh the same, a pound may be a pound, but an equal sized/volume sack of feathers weighs less than a sack of rocks.

Maybe you should have put "but an equal sized/volume sack " in your orginal post....

My first visit here and BOY am I shocked. What a barrage of uncharitable words to this KellyKirksey person. I am one of the people he or/she  was speaking to, and I welcomed it. It sure encouraged me to continue my exercise and good eating habits.

Chill.....it's the season to be loving and giving.

Okay I have been working out for 10 weeks, have a calorie deficit of over 500 daily, and for 9 weeks, the scale  did not move, and now it went up 5 pounds.  I do not have a certain medical condition.  So I am DEFYING PHYSICS< so why don't YOU tell me the explanation.