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Does Muscle REALLY Weigh More Than Fat?
A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Waistline
We’ve all heard the phrase that muscle weighs more than fat, but where does that even come from? And is it even true?!
The other day, I was at a friend’s house for dinner, and someone was talking about weight loss. Obviously, my ears perked up…this is my deal after all! (In case you’re new to my articles, I’m a health coach with a specialty in weight management.) Deep in conversation, they were telling another person about all “the stuff” that they’ve been doing lately, and trying to share everything they knew. Then they said those five words: “muscle weighs more than fat” in trying to explain the scale. Inside my head, I told myself to keep my mouth shut. I hear this and similar things all the time, but when it’s not a question and not addressed to me, I’ve learned to bite my tongue. Nevertheless, it signals to me what we need to talk about here.
The idea that muscle weighs more than fat is plainly wrong. A pound is a pound. In another context think about feathers and bricks. A pound of feathers and a pound of bricks all weigh a pound. Remember, pounds are a unit of measurement for weight. The reason why people sometimes say this though, is because the amount of feathers to get to a pound versus the amount of bricks to get to a pound in weight are…
