Does muscle weigh THAT much more than fat?!

[LarsMal]

I have been so good about working out and eating right for the past month. Initially I dropped a pound, so I was four pounds away from my ideal weight. Got on the scale today and I've gained 2.5 pounds. WTF?! Yes, my body is changing and I am stronger, but still 2.5 pounds?! And I can't even blame it on AF (although she should be here soon).

Meanwhile DH, who doesn't work out nearly as hard or as often as I do, and hasn't changed his diet that much, has lost 5 pounds. So not fair!!!

(Insert me, on the floor in full tantrum mode!) :mad:

[ccather]

Actually, muscle weighs the same as fat, it's just denser. This is where you need to pull out those pants that used to *almost* fit and give them a try on along with your tape measure and get some measurements!

It's very likely that you've grown more dense, not more fat. Yay for density! :)

[ThreeofUs]

I think what Chris is trying to say is that a pound is a pound. Comparing a cubic inch of muscle and a cubic inch of fat is probably not what you want. Sure, that cubic inch of fat will weigh less - I think muscle weighs about 18% more than fat given a volume - but you want that darn scale to go down!

You probably have lost inches. Use that as a check right now and give the scale a miss for a week or so.

[AshleyAnn]

This is a good article that explains it: http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

I felt like crap the first time I got on the scale after I lost a ton on weight and weighted the exact same as I did before even though I had gone from a size 9 to a loose 7. I was expecting a 20ish pound change and it was within a half pound of where I was. I've drop another size since then and still weigh the same. Its annoying and I don't know why it even bothers me considering no one else sees the number on the scale.

[LarsMal]

This is a good article that explains it: http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

I felt like crap the first time I got on the scale after I lost a ton on weight and weighted the exact same as I did before even though I had gone from a size 9 to a loose 7. I was expecting a 20ish pound change and it was within a half pound of where I was. I've drop another size since then and still weigh the same. Its annoying and I don't know why it even bothers me considering no one else sees the number on the scale.

Thanks for the link. I think I'll print this out and stick it on my bathroom mirror and on the fridge:

"Stop being so obsessed with body weight and start paying attention to body composition. How much body fat do you have compared to muscle? Simply seeing how much you weigh isn't very helpful."