muscle mass and body weight

Q

quido

Member
Hi all.

I have a question about body weight, or muscle weight vs. fat. I am 5'5, 22, and 155lb! Even in my prime shape, I have never been lower than 150 (this was hiking 8 hrs. a day w/ 70lb on my back). I workout 45-60 minutes, 5-6 days a week, and do some weights, I am beginning to do more (just got Cathe's PS) am medium framed and eat extremely healthy. I suppose I could lose about five or ten lb (mostly around the middle) but am generally happy with how I look. Most people who do not know my weight guess I'm 125, 130 lb. max, because I look it. I think most of my weight comes from muscle (I am a mesomorph naturally, and workout a lot) but have never gotten a conclusive answer on how much more muscle weighs than fat, or if it varies. I noticed some postings about body weight earlier and was wondering if anyone else weighted a ton for their size (but looked average, not big) or had any comments on the matter.

Thanks!
 
Clarification

Hi.

I just re-read my message and realized something in the last line. I don't mean to insult anyone when I say "average, not big". I am average, and big with muscle. Because of my size (about a size 12) people who do not know me are often surprised to hear how much I workout (because I don't look like a slender, skinny, non-hipped college student) but do have a body that is not naturally skinny. I became a workout fanatic because I was verging on pudgey as a teenager and I replaced much of that weight with muscle, so now I weight more and have less flab, more tone, strength and endurance. However, I score as "slightly overweight" on standard weight charts, even though Dr.'s have told me I am one of the healthiesst (in top shape and health) patients they've seen "in a while". So, go figure. I just want to know if others are in the same boat.
 
me too

I am 5'4 and weigh around 130lbs. most of the time. I wear a size 5 right now, was a size 3 prior to the baby. My body fat is consistently below 20%. However, I am conscience about my "weight". I too am quite active, complete Cathe's tapes without a near death experience. Ha.Ha. I eat a very healthy vegetarian diet. Numbers? I'm in your boat.
Rachel
 
Those DREADED numbers.......

Ok, that's the day I thought I'd be posting MY WEIGHT on the internet for the world to see!!! LOL... but actually, I'm pretty darn proud of it......

I am in that dreaded numbers game also and it plays lots of mind tricks with me. I am almost 5'9" tall and weigh between 175 to 183. My body fat is at 18% and I finally made it to GOAL at WW, although will probably never see it again, cuz it's just too low for the amount of muscle I have!

I have Cathe's tapes along with many others and my strong will to exercise and persevere to thank for that! Do I get hung up on numbers? I try like heck not to.....I feel good, no one realizes I weigh 180 or so.. (well NOW they do)... and I wear a size 12..... so GO FIGURE????? And best of all ??? I'm STRONG....... Wahhhhhhhooooooooooo
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I think you'll find you are NOT alone....

I say STAND TALL and BE PROUD.......
Cleda

PS.... It's like that commercial -- You don't think I look fat .... DO YOU?????
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Thanks, Cleda

I'm in the exact height, weight, and size range as you are, and people tell me it can't be possible (I get weird looks at the driver's license branch, and when I go to give blood). Ha! Now, if only I looked as GREAT as you do... but alas, I am not there yet. I've got way more body fat than 18%. Working on converting that right now.

Karen
 
Weight vs. size

I am glad this thread came up. I think it's sensible to ignore your actual weight. You can see and feel if you have extra fat or not. I am 5'8" and weigh 145, but I wouldn't care if I weighed 200 pounds as long as I didn't get any larger
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Basically, it's volume I'm concerned with, not weight! You need to trust your own senses and check for jiggly blobs that you can't flex. Those are fat, no matter whether the scale says it's OK or not.
 
Same here (longish post, sorry)

I'm 5'4", and in my adult life (since college), I've never weighed less than 125. I was way too thin then -- skinny-flabby, no muscle tone.
Since I started working out seriously, I feel like my best "fighting" weight is about 135. This is pushing the top range of the height-weight charts as I recall. My BMI is higher than one would think, given my body fat level. Of course, I'm on the higher end right now, what with my holiday exercise slump. Oh well!

I feel like I *look* sort of thin-side-of-average; I wear a size 6, for what *that's* worth. Most people (especially men, for some reason) are surprised to hear that I weigh as much as I do. I could stand to lose a little more fat, maybe; but then, I'd probably drop about 5 pounds if I went off the Pill, which is not an option right now. OK, more info than you needed...
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Anyway, I wear the same size I did at 125, and I think I look tons better, thanks to the added muscle mass and definition. So go figure. I always thought of myself as an ectomorph (because I've always been on the skinny side), but I'm beginning to figure out that I'm more of a mesomorph who's only beginning to make the most of her genetics.
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I put on muscle mass rather easily, even though I don't gain strength as readily as some other people.

My mom, bless her heart, once cautioned me not to get too hung up on the scale, because women in our family "always weigh more than they look" as she put it. She chalked it up to "big, heavy Scandinavian bones", which just seems funny to me, especially since women of Scandinavian descent are more predisposed to osteoporosis!
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So who knows.

Sorry for the rambling,

Elena
 
bodyweight???

The best, absolute best, thing I ever did was throw away my bathroom scale. I became so obsessive that sometimes I would weigh myself 3 or 4 times a day. I truly have no idea how much I weigh. I am 5'10" and I wear a size 8. I just bought a size 6 skirt in one store and in another I couldn't squeeze into a 10, so I guess what size you wear doesn't really matter either. What I do know is that I can do Interval Max and keep smiling and I can do alternating bicep curls with 25 lb dumbbells (thanks cathe!).

I am going to be 42 in April (I don't know how that happened) and I am in terrific shape. That's my point here (sorry it took so long to get there). None of this is about having or getting the perfect body - whatever that is. It is about sprinting up a couple of flights of steps (when everyone else takes the escaltor) and not being out of breath. It is about lifting those 50 pound bags of dog food and not rupturing anything.

Liberate yourselve! Throw out the scale!

Debbie Russo
 
Wow! Thanks all -- this made a real difference!

Hi All!

Thank you for sharing and being so supportive! I must say, I feel better now. (I never felt "bad", but I did feel like a monster mass for my body and alone). I think the nurse being shocekd by my weight at the Dr.'s last week really did it. I felt like shouting "I'm not overweight, I'm muscled! If I look 130lb, why make assumptions!" :) However, I always knew muscle weighed more than fat, and I'd rather weigh more with muscle and be strong than a little smaller and weak. I'm proud of how I look, and even my muscle mass. I'm just tired of the stereotype of "thin" with excercise and people being surprised when they learn either how much I workout or how much I weigh (they think I weigh less). Now I know I have strong, proud company and fit friends who are not only in my boat but proud of it. Let;s hear it for muscle! Thanks all!

Quido
 
thanks!

Thanks!

We do need to Stand Tall and Be Proud. Any size or weight earned in muscle is a size to be admired, and we'll be 12's together. Thanks for sharing! I'm glad to know there are others out there!
 
Full agreement!

Deb--

I fully agree. Throwing out the scale is great! I did that when I became weight obsessive, and judged my weight by my clothes. I know my weight because of health exams, etc, and can feel when I out on five pounds (or take off). I fully agree with everything you said and truly thank you for the support (which I do feel, and it picked me up). I guess I am surrounded by people who think "fit is thin" and are surprised to learn how much I excercise, how strong I am, etc., which eventually gets to me. I am not preoccupied with my sixe, but I am aware of it, and I am aware that on me, muscle is bulkey. However, I'd rather have bulk I can flex than untoned skin or flab that weighed me down. So hey, thanks for the input and comon sense. I feel better now and will sleep well tonight!

Quido
 
Scales, weight, sizes, heght.........

Whew! Anyway, I just wanted to add in my personal $.02 worth too. I am 5'3" and weigh 125 lbs. That is in the mid to high range of the height/weight charts for me, depending on which chart you look at! But I wear a size 6, sometimes a 4, depending on the brand (I have found this can vary greatly too! Why can't they all just make one standard and stick to it??). My bodyfat is around 20% (OK, so I could afford to lose a few of those pounds). But I am basically very happy with the way I look. I fit the same clothes that I wore 6-7 years ago when I weighed 116 lbs and didn't lift weights (just did minimal cardio). And I think I look much better now than I did then! I also tend towards the meso body type, so I gain muscle easily and it really shows on my body. My Dad always said I was built like a brick s***house (someone else mentioned their Mom said this about them as well the other day--was it here or on VF?) and it's the truth; but I don't mind!

Also, I find that throwing out the scale is not the best option for me personally. I know other people have done it with success and are probably better off for it. But I find that it keeps me "honest". I mainly judge my weight fluctuations by the tape measure and how my clothes fit, but I find that an occasional weigh-in (once a week or so) keeps me aware of any changes that may soon show up on the tape measure if I'm not careful. I don't obssess over the numbers on the scale (I used to, though!); I just use them as a guideline. I really, honestly couldn't care less if the scale said I weighed 50 lbs more as long as I still wore the same size I do now and looked the way I do now! Oh, and no one believes I weigh 125, either. They always guess me at 105 or 110.

Anyway, just wanted to throw in another affirmation of the "numbers aren't everything" theory!!

Renae
 
body image

I love reading all the posts from real women and their struggles with this body weight thing. I've exercised most of my adult life (with a few year lapse here and there) and even though I know all of the wonderful things it does for me besides the weight control thing --that is the one thing that seems to keep me the most motivated. I am 5'5, 135 and wear 8-10, but I would still like to get down to a size six with muscle firmness like Cathe. When I'm doing Cathe's tapes I wonder---all the women she has in them are definitely fit--but I would not think their body fat levels are any less than 23-24% for the smallest of them and of course I bet Cathe's is under 16%----I guess my quandry is that I exercise very hard in a quest to have a body that looks more like Cathe's--but is it realistic. The women in her tapes obviously can keep up with Cathe and probably eat healthy but don't have anywhere near the physic that Cathe has. Is it genetics, or what Cathe does that we don't know (ie. eating habits, actual exercise time etc.) Of course I know it is a combination of both--but I feel like I'm chasing an unattainable goal. I would never stop exercising due to this--but sometimes I'm downright vain and the moment of truth and dismay comes when I try on the little bike shorts that Cathe wears during her videos and expect to look good for all the work I've done and all I see are some dimples of celulite and a little bit more chalky white flesh than I feel like I should have!!! I get discouraged! Anyway sorry to be so long winded but there is my vain two cents!
 
I Win I Win!!!! How bad is that???

My first experience with weighing in heavy was in Grade 6 when we were weighed and measured. I looked super skinny and weighed in at 102. The teachers couldn't believe it and made me stay on the scale for an eternity to check the right weight. I now weigh 150 lbs. and am 5'2". I wear a size 8. My "lean weight body weight" is 116lbs.
Here is the really odd thing. My aunt and mother are both about 5'. They both wear size 6. My mom weighs 105 and my aunt weighs 140. Their bodies look about the same. So the scale really doesn't measure anything except variance.
 
Hi Ranae

Please don't be discouraged. You work to improve your fitness and health as best you can and you are doing it for yourself. I am naturally small. Would anyone expect me to be able to exercise myself from a size 6 into a size 12? Of course not. And there's no reason for you to expect yourself to be a size 6. Everyone assumes people who are thin are fit, but my guess is, you are more fit than alot of them. And that is really something to be proud of. And, believe me, being thin does not mean you look good in those shorts! Cathe is an exceptional specimen even amoung thin women.
Laura
 
Nobody but the doctor has to know what I weigh!

And me, of course. I DO weigh myself, daily, but it's to keep a lid on my eating and to give a signal as to whether I need to adjust my exercise schedule. I allow myself a 4 lb. window, and anything over that means an adjustment is in order.

I go by how I look and how my clothes fit any more. Looking good and feeling good is more important than weighing a certain number. I'm 5'6" and go between 134 and 138 on my bathroom scales. I used to think I had to weigh 120, but those days are long gone. My body fat is 17.5%, and I'm getting more muscular all the time. It took me YEARS to get my head on straight and realize that I will never be model thin. Our genetics dictate a lot, which is a point really driven home to me when I see my three year old grandaughter who has linebacker legs like mine.

The true measure of my worth as a person has nothing to do with what pant size I wear.
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Thanks

I just got back from the mall because today when I woke up I was excited to go shopping. Usually, I am not, because I get so depressed looking at all the little clothes that don't fit me. I am definitely not overweight, even though I don't know what I weigh. I don't let the doctor tell me. I am 24 years old and have 16-17% body fat. I exercise 6 days per week, and my husband warns me that my biceps will get bigger than his. However, I hate to shop because it makes me feel fat. I am 5'8" tall, and my greatest dream in the world is to wear a size 8 or 10. It is not happening, though. It's almost enough to make me quit exercising because I get so frustrated at the effort I give and the fact that I still have to wear a 12 or 14. I used to wear a size 6 a few years ago, and I weighed 112 pounds. Of course, I was almost anorexic and exercising three hours per day. Now I feel better, eat healthy, and exercise like a normal person, but I still wish for those days when I could try anything on and fit into it. But I read all of your messages, and it let me know that I'm not the only one out there. Not everyone can wear those little hip hugging pants with their perfect stomachs showing. Thank you for the encouraging words.
 
I can relate!

It looks as if you have struck a chord with a lot of people (including me!). I'm the same height as you, 5'5", 38 years old, and currently 165 lb. I had knee surgery last summer and put on about 15 lb over the fall, so I am somewhat over my "normal" weight right now, but I think I still look pretty good (not to mention way better, and way younger, than other women my age who don't work out). At 150 lb, I look quite defined and have a flat belly, and people guess my weight at less than 130 lb. I remember one time when I was in university, walking past the scale where the women's basketball team were weighing in. I was shocked: they were all beautiful & toned, and weighed anywhere between 145 and 175 lb! I would have guessed them at 115-130! I was about 130 lb and flabby-looking at the time. So I guess this is the "dirty little secret" of strength training. Those "ideal" weights you hear about apply to people who don't train. People who do train, especially if they are naturally muscular, may weigh much more. At my "fighting weight" of 150 lb, I look much better than I did 18 years ago at 130 lb. So keep doing what you're doing, and enjoy your strong, healthy body. Society pays way too much attention to those numbers. All the best to you.

Betsy
 
Hi Quido!

I am very, very dense as well (not just mentally either)
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I am 5'0" and weigh around 135. I wear a size 6 to 8 -- sometimes a 10 petite. Most people are shocked when they find out how much I weigh, so I avoid telling them because I don't want them to get too shocked and have a coronary!

On a Firm Roadtrip, one of the instructors/video leads told us she weighed a LOT more than people thought and advised us to ignore the scale. I think that's good advice.
 
What is the ratio?

Hi! Regarding your question about fat vs muscle. A pound of fat takes up about 20 percent more room than a pound of muscle. Therefore, if two people of the same height were 130 pounds and one was 130 pounds of solid muscle while the other was 130 pounds of solid fat, the person who was 130 pounds of solid fat would appear about 20% larger than the person who was 130 pounds of solid muscle(whew, was that a run on sentence or what
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)!.
 
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