Disclaimer: I'm not a real doctor nor do I have a medical background. Nothing in this entry should be construed as medical advice, it's just my own research and experience. All care but no responsibility taken. Objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I was going to post a rant about all the people who believe that muscle weighs more than fat and that muscle can magically transmogrify into fat and that lifting weights makes you look unfeminine. About how I hate the propagation of ignorance and the idea that this discourages women from doing weight work to help them lose weight.

Instead, Dr Tree™ will explain all.

First of all, muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat.

Repeat after me: muscle does not weigh more than fat.

Just to be sure I'm clear, muscle does not weigh more than fat.

Muscle is DENSER than fat. What's the difference? Pay attention, this is important, I may test you on it later. It doesn't weigh more. A kilo of muscle weighs exactly the same as a kilo of fat. But the kilo of muscle will be smaller than the kilo of fat. It will take up less space.

If you think about a kilo of lead and a kilo of feathers, they both weigh the same, but the pile of feathers will be much bigger than the lead. It's the same with muscle and fat.

Poor Kim discovered this the hard way just recently. While her weight had not changed on the scales, all of a sudden her clothes fit better. This puzzled her.

If she had gained a pound of muscle and lost a pound of fat, then this makes perfect sense. Her weight would be unchanged, but she would be physically smaller.

Another example: You get two women, both who weigh 70kg. One trains with weights, the other does little or no exercise. The weight lifter will be smaller than the other girl. She will wear a smaller clothing size. Why? Because she has a lower body fat percentage than the other girl. She has a higher muscle mass percentage. So while she weighs the same as the other girl, her muscle takes up less room than the fat on the other girl.

So, the lesson to learn here? Putting on muscle is good for you. While the needle on the scale might not go down, the size of your jeans certainly will. Besides, muscle burns fat even when you're asleep. It needs to burn fat just to maintain itself. How can something that burns fat while you sleep be bad?

Look forward to future rants in the Ask Dr Tree™ series: 'No, you're not going to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger if you lift weights', 'If you think muscle turns into fat or vice versa, I have a lovely bridge to sell you' and 'What do you mean you don't measure yourself as well as weigh yourself, are you out of your mind?'