Just To Clarify

It has been my goal for quite some time to not be a daily weigher.  In my history I have been obsessed with such things and in order to healthy mentally as well as physically, this is a goal I set for myself.

Over the last few months I have kicked my workouts into high gear. My job lends itself to multiple days a week of being very active. I have been super excited and decided to give the ol' scale a dust off. It's been months, literally. I feel toned and like I'm getting more so with each passing week. I noticed that I've been eating to compensate for my new rigorous routine so I felt a check in was in order.

I was in sticker shock when I saw the scale.  I am 12lbs above my Weight Watcher's goal and 7lbs above the weight range for my height!  That's a little humble pill for ya (me)!  WOWZERS, I didn't see that coming.

Now to be fair, I weigh more than the average bear.  I have friends who are the same height and clothing size but I typically weigh a full 10lbs heavier.  It's just the way I'm built I guess.  And...I don't mind being at the top of the weight range for my height since that's where the hubs thinks I'm "smokin."  :)

All of this to get to the point of my blog.  Apparently I'm long winded even in type.

A common statement in a time like this is, "well, don't forget muscle weighs more than fat.  You've been working out a lot and are likely just building muscle."

So here's my question for you:

Which weighs more, a pound of these:

Or this:

The answer...they weigh the same.  Each weighs a pound.  A pound is a pound is a pound.  Now a pound of feathers is going to take up a whole lot more space than a 1lb brick, but they still both weigh a pound.

This is a super common misnomer.

A more accurate way to phrase it is, "You're likely losing inches even if you're not losing pounds since a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat."

Three times less space, to be specific.  This is why you can weigh the same as you did in HS but be a completely different body type.  If you were super fit then and aren't now, the difference could be significant.

This is a 5lb chunk of fat sitting next to a 5lb chunk of muscle:

First of all, ewwww.  Second of all, I would much rather have the muscle than the fat!  Look at how smooth and dense the muscle mass is compared to the giggly fat blob.

I know that I've been overeating, that's part of the reason for my weigh in yesterday.  I knew I was overdoing it.  I'll work on getting my portions back under control, but as far as the scale goes....

I would much rather have pound after pound of brick than pound after pound of feathers.