What Weighs More ? Fat or Muscle ?
Answer ~ They weigh the same.
But, if you take a look at the picture to the left, you will see that 5# of fat takes up more room than 5# of muscle. So, a person that might weigh 150# and is tone and in shape will not look the same as an out of shape, overweight 150# person.
I have heard people complain that they aren’t seeing results from workout out because the number on the scale hasn’t changed, or has gone up. Well think about this, if you are working out, you are shedding the fat and gaining muscle. You are transforming your body to be toned and not jiggly. You might not see a difference on the scale, but you will for sure feel a difference when you wear your clothing. If you shed that belly fat and replace it with nice abs your pants are sure to fit you better (loser) than before. So, you might think you are getting nowhere with that hour of cardio and all those crunches you are doing but in all reality you are.
Keep in mind that if you are trying to lose weight it is a good idea to not only do cardio but also add in some strength training. If you lose all your fat but don’t tone or build up your muscles that isn’t healthy either. You need muscles to help your body do most everything it does. And, did you know that a pound of muscle will burn more calories than a pound of fat, even when you are doing nothing. So, don’t shoot for that twiggy look when you envision what you want to look like. Envision a nice, toned, sculpted body. One that you can be proud of and one that will help keep you healthy for years to come.
As a person ages they lose muscle mass. So, tone up those muscles while you are young to give your body what it needs as you age.
Take a look at this picture. It really helps one to see the difference in a body that is carrying fat vs muscle.
Tell me, What would you rather have?
About Sheila Thomas
Hi Sheila,
Thanks for the visuals! I always did like the comparison of fat vs. muscle. Is there a mistake in your article? I thought muscle burns more calories than fat…….thanks for the great article! Marie
Well.. that was my mistake. That’s what I get for blogging late at night.. LOL! Fixed and thanks for pointing out my oops
I love this visual comparison! I think we get so fixated on the number.
I like that grapefruit/tangerine comparison. It’s a lot easier when you can visualize.
Very interesting, thanks for this!! Motivates me to start walking again!
Great explanation… of course I would rather have the tangerines.
I’ve always heard that muscle weighs more, but it’s certainly interesting to see a physical representation. How neat.
I was totally going to say… they weigh the same! haha Love your explanation!
I always remember that and it does help!
Thank you for this post. I am looking to lose weight and perspective always helps
This is a good reminder! Sometimes I get frustrated when the scale won’t budge, but hopefully it’s muscle!
Great way to show the difference
thats gross….lol
thanks for sharing! I’ve encouraged!!
Wow. I never really thought about it this way before.
I need to work on my legs and stomach areas so I don’t have a bunch of grapefruits in that area!
Great reminder & interesting read! I’m working on it, gave up my sweet candy addition as a resolution.
Wow! What a visual!!!
I always thought muscle weighed more then fat. Thanks for the info!
I enjoyed exploring your website. You are providing excellent advice for your readers. I think that it helps for people interested in losing weight to explore and learn how their body works in dealing with calories, exercise, etc. They also need to develop a plan that works for them which means they need to get as much information as possible to make their choices.
I recently made an ebook available for free on my website, naturalremediesforlosingweight.com, that your readers might like. It is called, Your Metabolism: What You Need to Know
hmmm interesting!
yeah, a pound is a pound is a pound, but the space they occupy can be very different.