Monday, August 25, 2008

Size of Fat vs. Muscle

I've been trying to figure out how it is I am losing size but gaining weight. My first question was how big is a pound of muscle vs. a pound of fat. Above is a photo of 5lbs of fat vs. muscle and it appears that fat takes up twice as much room. To really get a sense of how big that 5lb of fat is - here is a picture I found of somebody holding it:

Every website I went to find out exactly how much bulkier fat is - they did not give out numbers. But the pictures say a lot.

I also wanted to find out the difference between muscle and lean muscle. It was described that regular muscle comes from weight lifting and a specific diet to build up mass. Lean muscle is developed by diet and multiple reps with light weights. It really is 'mission impossible' to try and find a valid answer to the size difference between the 2 (if there is at all). I just wonder does regular muscle have fat in it and that's why there's a need to label some muscle 'lean muscle'?

My real goal is to find out why I see the shape of my body go down yet my weight go up. I realize muscle takes up less room, etc. But I weigh so gosh darn much that it doesn't seem to the complete answer to my query. I don't feel I have the fat or muscle to justify my weight. But if one of the 2 could be labeled the culprit then it'd have to be muscle since I'd be wearing 3-4 clothing sizes larger then what I do now if what I weigh was based on fat.
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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

eeo! That looks yucky and heavy. Doesn't the fact that one gains weight is because you build muscle? Maybe you are building faster than normal? IDK Maybe talk to your doc about it. I am guessing... Have you lost weight though? Are you keeping record of how much you lose and when? Sorry for the 20 questions. :(

Genjer Leigh said...

I don't have a scale but have weighed myself at doctor visits. I haven't lost or gained really. There are parts of me where I think I have lost fat. But my clothes fit about the same...

Unknown said...

although it looks a lot smaller,muscle actually outweighs fat(density).so don't be surprised if you go up in weight but look thinner. Having more muscle also takes more calories to maintain so you will actually burn more calories while at rest..so enjoy the muscle!

Stardust said...

I totally found this through google - and you're the only one who posted this! Thank youuuu!!

Genjer Leigh said...

Glad you were able to make use of what I found out! This info isn't as readily available on the internet as you think it would be!

Somesie said...

I have this same issue...I'm down to size 10 but still weigh 173lbs. I just have fun with it - I like to shock people by having no problem a)telling them how much I weigh and b) seeing their disbelief at the number I give them! Also...I just tell them I like to think I have a very heavy brain!!!