Does muscle weigh more than fat?  The answer is no, one pound of muscle weighs the same as one pound of fat, of course.  But one pound of fat takes up more space on your body and is far less healthy than one pound of muscle.  One pound of fat is approximately the size of a grapefruit, whereas one pound of muscle is only the size of a tangerine. Two people can weigh the same amount, and yet one body may be leaner than the other.

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How can you tell the difference?

When you step on the scale, you see only one number that tells you how much you weigh.  The scale itself doesn’t distinguish between body fat and muscle, and can’t distinguish between bones and organs.  The number on the scale can only tell you how much your entire body weighs, not whether that weight is healthy or unhealthy.  Creating a weight loss goal entirely upon the number you see on the bathroom scale can be a self-defeating proposition.  Your body may not need to lose actual weight, but rather lose fat and build muscle while your weight stays the same.

Knowing your body fat percentage is important to help you assess your progress, create healthy weight loss related goals, and understand your health risks like diabetes and high blood pressure.  To tell the difference between muscle and fat, you have several options.

• Try FitClub’s InBody System. FitClub’s InBody System is easy and painless and can determine the true makeup of your body quickly.  The InBody System can not only tell you what percentages of your weight are muscle, and which are fat, it can also tell you where you have higher percentages of fat. Knowing your numbers is essential to creating healthy, personal, and accomplishable goals. Ask a trainer or Success Coach about the InBody System.


• The fit of your clothes. If the scale shows that you’re weight is staying the same or increasing slightly, but your clothes feel baggier or you’ve gone down a clothing size, you’re likely to be building muscle and losing fat.


• Your exercise consistency. If you’ve been recently adding a strength training routine to your cardiovascular exercises, eating the same healthy diet as before, yet seeing slight increases on the scale, you’re likely building muscle rather than gaining fat.  Fat’s primary purpose is to insulate our organs, but muscle increases your metabolism and burns calories even while you’re at rest.  More muscle leads to a healthier metabolism, as well as to a reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Healthy weight loss goals should always include the goal to build muscle and lose fat.  Cardiovascular exercise helps you burn calories and shed pounds of fat, but adding a strength training routine is the best way to ensure that you’re simultaneously building muscle and creating a healthier, leaner, fitter body.