Health Tip Of The Week - The Muscle Weighs More Than Fat Myth!!

I had to write this post, because I couldn't spend one more second, of one more hour, of one more day reading and hearing this!  The older I get, the more I can "let things go" (well some things, guess it depends on what it is), but this one seriously irritates me.  It irritates me so, because it keeps people down.  It gives them an excuse and a way out. It takes away personal responsibility and patronizes people, which just keeps them farther and farther from their goals, and the life they want to live.

"A pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat."  What???  How can a POUND of one thing weigh more than a POUND of another thing??!!!  A pound is a pound, period.  Here is the truth about muscle vs. fat.  Muscle is much more dense than fat.  Muscle takes up less space in the body.  Take 2 people who are of the same height and weight, one is 22% body fat, while the other is 30% body fat.  The person with less body fat will be much smaller, because fat takes up more space in the body than muscle.  Also, the person with the most muscle will burn more calories, even at rest, because muscle boosts their metabolic rate.

I hear the "muscle weighs more than fat" typically in the same scenario every time.  Someone starts working out, and instead of losing weight that week, they gained 2 pounds.  There is always a friend or two who will say "it's because muscle weighs more than fat."  I understand, the friend wants to be encouraging and supportive, but the truth is, you didn't gain 2 pounds of muscle in a week.  A more accurate way to gauge your week is by being honest with yourself.....How have I been feeling?  How are my clothes fitting?  Did I get all my workouts in?  Did I eat as well as I could have?  Are there any changes that I should make for next week?  If you are doing what you should be doing, the weight loss will come.  Make a plan, keep a journal, make preparations to keep you from your pitfalls, and don't obsess over the scale!  If you train hard and eat clean, over time you can get smaller, but stay the same weight or gain some weight due to muscle gain, but that is over a prolonged period of time, not a week.  Stay strong, keep chugging along, and you will get there, I promise!!

-XOXO Monique