So…Does Muscle Weigh More Than Fat?
If you have 1 pound of muscle and 1 pound of fat, they both weigh 1 pound. Right? What that statement refers to is the amount of space each takes up. Muscle is much leaner and dense than fluffy, chunky fat is.
So if you lose 10 pounds of fat, there is going to be a much more dramatic mass reduction in your body than if you lose 10 pounds of muscle.
There is a huge difference between 1 pound of fat and 1 pound of muscle. Fat is approximately 3 times the size of muscle.
The easiest example I can think of is this:
- Take out 1 slice of bread and put in on the counter.
- Now take out 3 slices of bread and stack them into a pile next to the lone slice.
The 1 slice of bread represents 1 pound of muscle and the 3 slice pile represents 1 pound of fat. It’s pretty crazy when you have the visuals out like that. Am I right?
Did you actually do this exercise or are you trying to just picture it in your head because you don’t want to get off your ass and do it? If you didn’t do it, then get up right now…the internet will still be here when you get back. It’s really important to do this exercise.
Great, now think about how many extra pounds of fat you have on your body. Multiply the bread in your head or in real life if you actually have that much bread on hand.
It’s pretty freaky if you’re 20 or more pounds overweight, right?
Takeaway: Muscle and fat weigh the same, but muscle is much more dense than fat. Fat takes about 3 times as much space as a pound of muscle does.
Keep in mind that I’m not a professional, the ratio of muscle to fat could be a little off. Still, this should give you a better idea of the difference between a pound of fat and a pound of muscle.