# muscle is heavier than fat but by how much?



## winginit (Apr 23, 2012)

I have been riding 3 years now with this year showing the most improvement, i am down about 50 pounds. my legs are defiantly stronger and my lungs are great compared to 3 years ago when i quit smoking.

My question is how much does muscle weigh compared to fat ?
I feel and look like a lost more than what the scale say`s i know i am much much stronger because i can hammer the big ring pretty good now.

Is muscle heavy enough to offset the scale ?
my legs are like oak trees now but i am still chunky and they don't look defined but if i flex then i can really notice.

Part 2 of the question is. Is muscle heavy enough that the scale can notice but not your eyes ?

Thank`s. I don't post that often but i read everyday. ride on !


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

Yes and yes.


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## Guest (Jun 29, 2014)

Weight is the same, density is different.


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## owtdorz (Apr 26, 2012)

I too have noticed the same. My size has gone down as well as some weight. I have had to buy a new belt in the last year as well as most of my clothes. Started at 250 and dropped to 220 and now back up to 230. But I feel and ride better.


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## WA-CO (Nov 23, 2013)

There are some concepts you can investigate and learn about, to get a better handle on this.

1. Body fat scale - A really good way to understand how your body makeup changes is to buy a scale with a % body fat capability. Tanita pretty much owns the market in body fat scales. I've had one for years and it works remarkably well
BF-684W Body Fat / Body Water Scale

2. Professional body fat measurement - Get a professional body fat measurement (tank not calipers) every 1-2 years. I also went and had my body fat measured (tank) and compared those results with the results I got with my scale. They were close, but not exact, so with that, I knew an error rate of my scale, and it was well within what I was comfortable with.

3. Understand your hydration level - Your hydration level will pay a key part in your body fat measurements. What I weigh in the AM vs. PM is quite a bit different in terms of BF, but not in terms of weight. The newest models have a % for body water too.

4. Track the calories in - Another thing to consider is calorie tracking. Bunch of phone apps that will help but if you track *everything* you eat vs. everything you expend, you'll gain a certain appreciation for what goes in, stays and comes out. I did it for 3 months and it was amazingly insightful. Seriously.

5. Incorporate "other" methods - I'm a smaller guy, but I noticed that when I really needed to get lean, quickly, I ran 3x days a week. It only took an hour each workout, but I could work my body harder, more quickly and see my weight drop more rapidly than in any other way. It was amazing, actually. You'll also notice that gains will come in steps, and not really linear. In addition, my body is used to riding a bike, but it wasn't used to running.

6. Keep perspective - Regardless of the tools you use, remember the long term perspective. As long as you ride better, feel better and still enjoy a bike, whatever results will come. Additionally you may get to your equilibrium point (mental or physical) where the fuss of diet and weighing and whatever else isn't worth the hassle, so you just ride.

Not a bad idea to chat with your doc about it, but unless they are a hardcore cyclist/trigeek they will tell you, keep riding, don't smoke, everything in moderation. Don't each a bunch of crap food. Don't slurp water straight outta the Ganges River.


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## jonshonda (Apr 21, 2011)

Great write up WA-CO. Lots of good info. 


Any according to me, muscle weights a lot more than fat.....which explains the high number on the scale.


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## alphazz (Oct 12, 2012)

WA-CO, a lot of good stuff in your post except one thing, your suggestion to chat with a doctor. Many doctors don't know the first thing about health and therefore to chat with one might be a waste of time.


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## WA-CO (Nov 23, 2013)

jonshonda said:


> Any according to me, muscle weights a lot more than fat.....which explains the high number on the scale.


I've resorted to only weighing my head. Either way, fat or muscle, I'm golden.



alphazz said:


> Many doctors don't know the first thing about health and therefore to chat with one might be a waste of time.


Dunno. Sometimes I think MTBR is a waste of time, but I do it anyway.


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## alphazz (Oct 12, 2012)

Winginit, an increase in muscle density will offset some of the fat you lose. It sounds like you are thinking that you should look more muscular than you do after 3 years of riding. You don't say anything about how overweight you were, what your lifestyle has been throughout your life, what your eating habits are like, or what your total activity level is. If you ride five hours a week and eat at restaurants a lot or eat a lot of sweets your body is still likely having to deal with a lot of fat.


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## Tystevens (Nov 2, 2011)

Yeah, muscle weighs more than fat, but too many people let themselves get caught up in this, convincing themselves that they are losing a lot of fat and merely replacing it with muscle and so their weight doesn't decrease. It takes a ton of work to gain, say 15 lbs of muscle. Like a year's solid training, good nutrition, stuff like that. And by doing all of that training, a person is bound to be burning a lot of calories and hence burning lots of fat.

More likely, you're getting in better shape, building and toning the leg muscles so they feel and look better, but eating enough calories so you aren't using as much fat energy as you think!

I know that is often the case with me. For example, this year, my legs feel and look much stronger, and I'm down about 3 belt holes so far. I can fairly easily climb stuff that was giving me problems last summer. But I've only lost about 25 lbs. It is because I'm exercising a lot, but not eating as well as I should.


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