Muscle vs. Fat

Date: 2/15/2012

Workout: 5:54am Kickboxing/Strength Circuit at Fitness One

                I loved this morning’s workout! I’m going to briefly describe it so that I can remember it and do it on my own in the future. First, we warmed up with some different combinations and jumping jacks on the bags. Then, on the open floor this is what we saw laid out in rows: kettle bells, bars with different weights on them, resistance bands, bosu balls, agility ladders, jump ropes, and these huge tires. You were at each station for a minute and then had 15 seconds to get to the next one. The beeper at Fitness One is able to be set so it beeps after a minute and then again after 15 seconds so it helps keep you on track. We do 3-4 rounds of the different exercises with this equipment. It was awesome!

Food:

Breakfast: Plain Oatmeal, 1c. Blueberries, and 1c. low fat soy milk: 274 Calories, 47g Carbs (39 net), 12g Protein, 8g Fiber, 6g Fat, 226mg Sodium, 21g Sugar
Morning Snack: Detour Protein Bar: 170 Calories, 17g Carbs (16 net), 15g Protein, 1g Fiber, 4g Fat, 160mg Sodium, 3g Sugar
Lunch: Egg Scramble (2eggs, 1 egg white, 1c. spinach, 1/4c. shredded cheese, 2 Tbsp Salsa) with Whole Wheat Tortilla and 2 tbsp hummus with veggies and a clementine: 508 Calories, 48g Carbs (36 net), 32g Protein, 12g Fiber, 23g Fat, 954mg Sodium, 14g Sugar
Afternoon Snack: 2 Tbsp. Skippy’s All Natural Peanut Butter and Celery Sticks: 200 Calories, 8g Carbs (5 net), 8g Protein, 3g Fiber, 16g Fat, 201mg Sodium, 4g Sugar-à One of my favorite snacks!!
Dinner: Turkey Burger Patty with 1 slice Sargento Low Fat Colby Cheese and 1/4c. Manwich Sauce (no bun) and steamed veggies: 250 Calories, 17g Carbs (14), 36g Protein, 3g Fiber, 12g Fat, 565mg Sodium, 8g Sugar

Total Nutrition Intake:

1,402 Calories
137g Carbs (110 Net)
103g Protein
27g Fiber
61g Fat
2,106mg Sodium
50g Sugar

Does Muscle take up more room in your body?

One of my good friends informed me of this interesting fact: 1 pound of fat takes up 18% more space than 1 pound of muscle.

So let’s reflect what that means. As you gain more muscle, you get slimmer. This is because muscle burns fat so it is burning away what is taking up more room. This shows that while there is some truth to the scale you also want to focus on how you are feeling and looking. If clothes are feeling loser and you feel tighter and notice more muscle that is a great sign!