Does Muscle Weigh More Than Fat? - Part 2

The Truth About Muscle

It’s true – fat and lean muscle weigh the same pound for pound, but their composition is completely different. Muscle has a leaner, tighter appearance because it is very dense. Conversely, fatty tissue is less dense and needs more space to jiggle around.

Practical Application:

A 155 pound woman with a 30% body-fat percentage will be more flabby than a 155 pound woman with a 20% body-fat percentage simply because the second woman has a higher percentage of lean muscle in her body (80% vs. 70%). Since muscle is more dense and actually takes up less space, the 20% BF woman will look smaller and tighter than the woman with a 30% BF percentage (70% muscle) even at the same weight.

To Thine Own Self Be True
 
Let’s keep it real shall we? The whole “muscle weighs more than fat” thing typically comes up in a certain uncomfortable situation – when the scale begins to creep up, it’s easy to find comfort in this myth. It softens the blow, makes us (or the individual we are trying to console) feel better, and relieves us from the responsibility of figuring out what we need to change. But since my job is to keep you “on point”, let’s get to the bottom of this issue.
 
 If the scale is tipping up, most likely one or more things are in play:
 
1.     Your ratio of cardio to strength/resistance training is off.
 
2.     You’re eating the wrong foods OR the right foods in the wrong portions.
 
3.     Your hormones are out of whack because you are A) not sleeping well or B) are under a great deal of stress.
  
I’ll address each of these in more detail in future posts, but for now, know this:
 

• If your goal is weight loss, you need more minutes of cardio per week than you need of resistance training.
  
•  No matter how hard you train or how well you eat, if you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. 
•  If your body is not in homeostasis (balance), you are more likely to gain weight.