Does Muscle Weigh More Than Fats?

Does muscle weigh more than fats? This is a common question often asked by fitness enthusiasts to doctors or their fitness trainers. When we weigh ourselves post working out excessively for two weeks or a month, and then find out that there's hardly been any change on the weighing scale, it is very disappointing. But what most people forget is that while you are burning fats during your workout, you are also building muscles along the course of time. Hence the number you see on the weighing scale doesn't only show you the fats that you have managed to lose all this time. So the first thing to do is to relax and stop being obsessive about the weighing scale. Now, coming back to the question, let's first try and understand the functions of muscles and fats.Benefits of Having More Muscles than FatHaving more muscle than fat in your body increases the metabolism in the body, which means that even when you are not exercising and watching TV the whole day, you will be burning more calories as you have more muscles in your body. “Metabolism will increase in the body if you have more muscles. However, in the case of body builders this might not always be so because they have stiff bodies due to excessive weight lifting," says Gaurav Sharma, a fitness trainer in Boxx Fitness Xxtreme Gym.
 
Should We Run Away from Fats?Having less fat in the body is good but there is an essential amount of fat that a body should constitute of. There should be at least 10-22% fat in the body in case of males and 12-22% in case of females says The American College of Sports Medicine, a recognised medicine and exercise organization. “Less amount of fats in the body can lead to a lot of problems. A person can face low blood pressure, it can effect your reproduction system, various fat soluble nutrients won't be absorbed by the body, etc. Less amount of fat is good but we should not go beyond the permissible limit and be careful about our body composition," says Gaurav Sharma. He also adds that having some amount of fat in the body is good as it protects the bones and the muscles.The Answer to the QuestionPeople have these frustrating arguments that muscle weighs more than fat and vice versa. You might argue that people having more muscle in the body are heavier than people having more fat in their body. But what really is the truth? Staying fit in life is a good thing but apart from that we should also live a smart and a sensible life and should not believe in any rumours. Its important to be aware about all the facts and take decisions accordingly regarding your health and diet which can affect your body and its composition.  The truth behind the fact is that muscles does not weigh more than fat but it takes more space in the body because of water content. Fat, on the other hand, takes less space in our body but weighs just as much.Disclaimer:The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.