Does Muscle Weighs More Than Fat?

So you know the saying that muscle weighs more than fat? It is something that I hear people say often, but I wonder how many people truly understand the difference between muscle and fat. The truth is a pound of muscle equals a pound of fat. A pound of muscle does not weigh more than a of pound of fat. The truth is they are completely two different type of tissue and act very differently. Your body does not convert fat into muscle. Your body will build muscle and in turn the muscle burns the fat. Fat is stored up when we consume too much and do not burn enough energy up so the extra energy is then converted into fat.

The first difference we see between muscle and fat is that muscle is more dense. It can weigh the same as fat but take up less room. It is more compact and tight. Now again you do not convert fat into muscle when you are losing weight. Losing weight and building muscle are two different processes. In order to burn fat you have to be in a caloric deficit. Burn more than you consume and you will lose weight. To build muscle your body needs a balance of nutrients and a program that forces an increase of strength so that the muscle fibers can be broken down and be built back up. Building muscle takes longer than burning fat. 

The second difference is the way they function. Muscle tissue has a totally different role than fat. Your muscles were created to help your body move and function which makes them highly metabolically active. Even when you are sleeping or resting muscle burns a higher number of calories compared to fat. 

Fat on the other is stored up energy. Fat is there to protect your organs while insulating your body. Fat hardly takes any calories at all to sustain itself. Also you can not activate your fat and get it do move for you.

Someone who has a lot of lean muscle may weigh more than someone who has more fat. And this is NOT because muscle weighs more than fat, it is because muscle is very dense and we can fit a lot more of it in a smaller package. Look at the top picture. The girl pictured looks her best at the higher weight, yet she is smaller... So she is smaller yet weighs more? This happened because her percentage of muscle increased while her fat loss went down. She built muscle that burned the fat and in the end she weighed more because she gained a lot of muscle. 

Don't let the scale be your only determining factor in the success of your health and fitness journey. Take progress pictures and measurements and pay attention to how you feel and what you can accomplish! At the end of the day your weight is just a number! It is what you do and how you treat your body that matters!!