Body weight is often used as an indicator of health progress. When people try to change their body shape and do not see a decrease in weight, even if they feel slimmer in the mirror before and after exercising, they can feel discouraged.
They often do not realize that muscles, fat, bones, water, organs, or blood, etc., all contribute to the number on the scale.
Your total weight includes: muscles account for 30-55% of body weight, fat accounts for 10-30%, water accounts for 10-25% of body weight (excluding water in muscles or fat), bones account for 15%, and organs and other tissues account for 10-15% of body weight.
Because muscles weigh more than fat and have greater density, one pound of muscle is four times smaller than one pound of fat.
Here is an example:
Individuals A and B have the same waist circumference. Individual A’s body composition is 20% fat, while individual B’s body composition is 30% fat. Even though these two individuals may look similar in body shape, their weights will differ because A has more muscle and less body fat. Therefore, a lean person with more muscle may weigh more than a lean person with less muscle.
Another example is individuals with the same weight but with different body shapes due to varying muscle content; one may appear as heavy as the other despite looking lean.
Therefore, weight is not the standard for good or bad body shape. Measurements like dimensions, body proportions, and body fat percentage truly reflect whether someone is overweight or has a perfect body shape.
Body fat has lower density compared to muscle, making fat much lighter per square inch than muscle.
This indicates that if your fat percentage and subcutaneous fat rate decrease while your weight does not, it could be due to increased muscle mass, making your body more firm and toned.
For instance, if you consume too much salt in a day, your weight may decrease the next day.
Similarly, if you increase muscle and decrease fat over a period, you might notice an increase in weight even if you appear slimmer in the mirror.
Tracking weight becomes a useful measure only when you precisely understand how muscle gain or water retention affects your weight.
If the numbers on your scale frequently decrease, it may indicate a decrease in your body mass, but not necessarily weight loss; it could be muscle loss.
However, muscle is the “weight” you should aim to maintain! Muscle will make you look great – it’s the way to achieve a slim, fit body and it greatly benefits your health.
So, what you need to ensure is a reduction in fat tissue, not a loss of your valuable muscle, as losing muscle is losing health.
