If muscle weighs more than fat...

[goldfinch]

A friend of mine was training for an Ironman Triathlon and was in awesome shape. She went into the doctor and was weighed. Her weight was well above what it should be, because she was all muscle. The doctor told her to lose weight! She had very little fat on her, but the doctor couldn't see beyond the BMI. She changed doctor.

I just had the opposite experience. I went into the doctor for a drug check as I had lost 22% of my body weight. I am 4'11" and 123 pounds. I told the doc that I had probably about 15 more pounds to go but I needed to work on building muscle. The doctor looked at the BMI tables and said I am close to not being overweight at all and don't worry about it. Well, excuse me but losing weight will result in muscle loss and I know that my fat percentage remains way too high. It isn't just about the pounds. Plus, I am very small boned.

She should be able to look at me and see that I still am "fluffy."

[ny biker]

Yes, of course one pound of muscle weighs the same as one pound of fat, or one pound of gold for that matter. The OP was merely commenting how frustrating it can be to gain weight while getting smaller.

[OakLeaf]

Neither the OP nor anyone else said that a "pound" of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat.

A liter of muscle DOES weigh more than a liter of fat. And that's exactly what she was remarking on.

[marni]

the one thing that no one has mentioned is that while muscle may weigh as much as fat, muscle does burn more calories than fat, so that is certainly an incentive for changing the ratios.

If I go by scale weight, bmi my body fat is 26% which puts me just barely in the normal range. If I go by circumference measurements, my body fat % is 19 %, if I go by caliper meaurements, my body fat % is 22% so I have a choice. I mostly go by how my favorite skirt, pair of pants and dress feel and look like on me.

marni

[grey]

My BMI is right in the middle range, though I look lighter than I am. What I want to know is, with all this muscle building and fat burning, why is it the Twins disappear first, and the gut fat hangs on for dear life? I don't even care too much about the girls disappearing - they make padded bras for that - I just want the belly to GO AWAY. My legs look great. My butt looks good. Even my arms look better from the holding-in-the drops position on the road bike. But my Little Buddha giggle-jiggle is still here.

[rubysoho]

My BMI is right in the middle range, though I look lighter than I am. What I want to know is, with all this muscle building and fat burning, why is it the Twins disappear first, and the gut fat hangs on for dear life? I don't even care too much about the girls disappearing - they make padded bras for that - I just want the belly to GO AWAY. My legs look great. My butt looks good. Even my arms look better from the holding-in-the drops position on the road bike. But my Little Buddha giggle-jiggle is still here.

Because your body is protecting your reproductive organs. The middle is the first place we gain and the last place we lose fat. The "science people" explained (and I am sorry, I do not have a source to quote online) that it was to protect those reproductive organs - and possibly the unborn child - during winter when we would naturally burn more calories trying to stay warm and have less food to eat.

[OakLeaf]

I don't know, I'm not a science person but that doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

If that were the evolutionary reason, then (1) why would men carry more belly fat than women, and (2) why wouldn't women's bodies also retain fat around their breasts, to protect their born children?

Personally I don't have trouble losing waist fat, it's my thighs. Maybe I'm thigh-pregnant.

[malkin]

Neither the OP nor anyone else said that a "pound" of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat.

A liter of muscle DOES weigh more than a liter of fat. And that's exactly what she was remarking on.

Right.

Go to the grocery store and compare the sizes of a pound of butter, a pound of cheese and a pound of the leanest meat they have. Check the size of something that is mostly water too--like produce or juice.

[skywalkerbeth]

Oakleaf and NYbiker - that's what I meant, you're right.

Though I do wish I could get rid of belly fat more quickly. My legs look pretty good, not happy with the gut.

[Owlie]

I've lost some fat this summer, though probably not much weight. I lose fat around my waist pretty quickly, but there are stubborn spots of belly and inner thigh fat. Less of either now than a year or so ago. Let's try to keep it that way.

[buffybike]

I used to console myself with the larger scale number by reminding myself that i ride over 100 miles a week and that it's "just muscle". Even so, i didnt like the way i looked in photos and felt that i should look...smaller. After paying closer attention to my eating habits, i realized that i was consuming a lot more calories than i needed but justified them by telling myself that they were "burned off" on the bike. For example, i would eat 2 packets of oatmeal before a 30 mile ride, a Cliff bar during, and a big lunch following (to "refuel"). I was so afraid of bonking or not fueling properly afterward that i actually went too far in the other direction, and gained around 6 pounds over a year. Now i'm more careful not to overestimate my caloric needs and I'm seeing the number on the scale go DOWN even as my legs are getting stronger.

[ctdancer]

I thought the "belly fat" issue was due to the OMENTUM, which is deep visceral fat meant to protect internal organs, and regulate hormones/enzymes in the liver(For the exact explanation see Dr. Oz's website) ....and whether or not your an "apple" vs "pear"...and I'm sure all of you already know that being an apple shape can possibly lead to heart disease and diabetes....so from what I remember Dr. Oz saying, the Omentum starts off like a small laced doily, but as you gain it grows, and releases more insulin, and estrogen directly into the liver, which is very bad....and it becomes stubborn to decrease the omentum once it has enlarged, BUT can be done.....Be patient and keep MOVING and eating "CLEAN" !

[alexis_the_tiny]

Someone once said the BMI was a little thing some mathematician came up with but with no intention of applying it to health care. It does sound plausible. I used to train women in a gym and they'd all come complaining about gaining weight but being able to wear smaller sizes after a few months at our gym. I'd tell them to stop looking at the scales and just rely on body measurements and their clothes. Muscle is really important for women because its responsible for our metabolism and bone health. We start losing muscle after the age of 30 so it makes sense to build as much of it as possible.