Muscle vs Fat

Let me begin by saying that if you are overweight and are starting a workout program, good for you. And thank you for saving some of my tax dollars. How much muscle you put on, or how much fat you can lose is based on "in order of importance" your genetics, diet, and fitness regimen. Each person will have a different response to weight training.

One should not get discouraged if it has been a few weeks of exercise and have yet to see any weight loss. The popular myth is that muscle weighs more than fat. A pound is a pound is a pound. No matter how you measure it. Muscle does not weigh more than fat, any more than gold weighs more than cotton. Where the misunderstanding often comes in is that muscle is much more dense than fat, so that by volume it seems to weigh more. So, if you have a 10 by 10 block of muscle and an equal size block of fat, the muscle block will weigh more. Two people both weighing 170 pounds can look very different. That is a pound of muscle occupies less space than a pound of fat. On average, a pound of muscle compared to a pound of fat body take up 22% less space. So an obese individuals starting an exercise program should not get discouraged if their efforts are not showing up on the scale. In addition, because a pound of muscle burns more fat than a pound of fat, even at rest, by increasing your lean muscle tissue mass, you're helping your body burns more calories.