Muscle weighs more than fat, etc

All the time, I hear people say that muscle weighs more than fat. People especially say that when others first start working out and they aren't losing weight yet, that's the common reason - "muscle weighs more than fat." I don't think people are totally wrong when they say this, they just need to rephrase.

Muscle does not weigh more than fat. One pound of fat weighs the same as one pound of muscle. However, they look drastically different. A pound of fat takes up more room and looks worse than one pound of muscle. One pound of muscle take up a lot less room in your body than one pound of fat. Sizewise, I would say that 2.5 lbs to 3 lbs of muscle take up the same amount of room as one pound of muscle. So, in that aspect, I guess you could look at it like muscle weighs more than fat (but it really doesn't).

I would definitely rather have 10 pounds of muscle than 10 pounds of fat. Muscle looks nice and burns more calories at rest than fat does. They are two totally different things, so you lose fat and gain muscle. Or lose muscle and gain fat. They don't just magically switch over.

When you exercise, you burn a combination of different fuels. You burn off the fuels that you've eaten, ones that have been recently stored (in liver or muscles) and also stored fat. You can't really control what fuel is being burned when, it's a complex set of chemical reactions. The point is to work out hard and consistently and you will burn fat and gain muscle.

If you have been working out, sometimes it takes awhile for the scale to move. You may feel better, look better, maybe even feel a little tighter in your tummy. You are probably definitely losing fat. But, you are also gaining muscle. If you stick with it and keep working out habitually, the scale will move. Sometimes it takes awhile (I know it does with me!) Most people get too frustrated and give up before the scale moves too much.

Weight loss is a balance between eating better and exercise. You can lose weight by doing only one of those things, but it won't be as effective, especially over the long-term.