Fat Vs Muscle: How Do I Get To Know What I’m Gaining?
Fat and muscle are often misunderstood. At HealthStrives, we feel discussing both terms is important to clear the misunderstanding.
In this post, we are explaining fat vs muscles in detail. So the next time when you come across these two terms, you will have the proper knowledge.
Let’s understand both terms separately before comparing fat vs muscle.
What is fat?
Fats are called fatty acids, made up of three molecules joined together. They are soft tissues present in the body. Due to the low density of fat tissues, they are bulky. Fat tissues are of two types, including-
- Subcutaneous fat
- Visceral fat
Both fat types are present in different body parts and develop depending on different factors, including lifestyle and genetics. Subcutaneous fat is present under the skin, whereas visceral fat surrounds internal organs. Talking about subcutaneous fat; plays a vital role in the body, helps maintain body temperature, and acts as an energy source. Apart from this, both fat types protect the body’s internal structure, including muscles, organs, blood vessels, and nerves.
In fat vs muscle, this is what fat means. The next section will explain the meaning of muscles. Read the blog to the end to learn other facts such as ‘does muscle weigh more than fat’.
What is Muscle?
Muscle is different from fat and comprises protein filaments of actin and myosin. This keeps muscles apart from fat when discussing fat vs muscle. Unlike fat, muscles tissues are of three types, including-
- Smooth Muscle
- Heart muscle
- Skeletal Muscle
All three muscles are located in different body parts. The smooth muscle occurs inside the internal organ’s wall, such as blood vessels, stomach, intestine, etc. The heart muscle is present in the heart’s wall, while the skeletal muscle is attached to the bone. Out of three, the third type, skeletal muscle, is significant, providing structural support to the body.
According to studies, an adult male should, on average, contain 36% more skeletal muscle than a woman. Furthermore, muscle tissues are denser than fat tissues. But the muscle weight is lesser than the fat. If you wonder, ‘does muscle weigh more than fat’, here, you get your answer.
The comparison of fat vs muscle will include similarities and differences.
Similarities between fat and Muscle: Fat vs Muscle
Explaining fat vs muscle, there are a few similarities, including-
- Fat and muscles are both types of tissues in the body
- Both are required to maintain the shape of the body
- Fat and muscle tissues help in maintaining and burning calories
- The measurement of the fat and muscle tissues measure health
Fat vs Muscle: The actual difference
Fat vs muscle will be more clarified after knowing the difference between both terms. Read this difference for more clarifications.
Fat refers to the natural oily substance present in the body. In contrast, muscle is a bundle of fibrous tissues in the human or animal body, responsible for contacting, moving, or maintaining the position of the body parts. This is the main difference between fat vs muscle. Let’s differentiate fat and muscle based on the following factors.
Types
There are two types of fat tissues, while muscle tissues are of three types.
Density
Fat tissue is less dense than muscle tissue. This is another difference in fat vs muscle weight.
Colour
The colour of fat can be brown or yellow, while muscles are usually red.
Volume
In fat vs muscle, fat tissue has more volume than muscle tissue.
Calories usage
If we consider calorie usage, fat tissue uses fewer calories during metabolism, while muscle consumes more calories.
Significance
Fat maintains the body temperature and is responsible for healthy skin & hair. On the other hand, muscles provide structural support and are responsible for the body’s movement and storing of glucose.
Percentage
In fat vs muscle, the level of tissue is another difference. A human body contains 10-30 percent of fat while 30-35 percent of muscle.
Exercise
Cardio exercise reduces fat. Meanwhile, vigorous training exercises will increase muscle mass. This is another difference between fat vs muscle.
Diet plan
Diet plans for both types of tissues are different. Diets like low-fat and ketogenic will reduce body fat, and high-protein & low-carb diets will increase muscle mass.
How do you get to know what you are gaining; fat or muscle?
When you start gaining muscle, you will notice they are harder to feel and large in size. Whereas the fat is soft, and you gain inches.
Conclusion
Fat and muscle are two different types of tissues present in the human body. Fat tissues are bulky and take up more space, thus resulting in a chubby body. A large number of fat results in obesity. At the same time, muscles are high in density. A person with high muscle may look slimmer. Well, both tissues are essential for the body. Fat regulates body temperature and muscle, on the other hand, structural support and mobility. Also, the metabolic rate is higher in muscle than in fat. Therefore, the primary difference when we discuss fat vs muscle is density and metabolic rate.
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