FitBusters: Does Fat Turn Into Muscle?

Long story short, absolutely not! There is fat, and then there is muscle. 

There is visceral fat (fat around your organs), then muscle, and then subcutaneous fat (fat right under the skin, but above your muscle).

The fat right under the skin (subcutaneous) is the fat we normally think of when trying to “lose weight” or reduce body fat percentage. It is the fat you can pinch with your fingers.

The fat around your organs (visceral) plays an even bigger role because it increases your risk for various diseases. Your organs cannot function efficiently when they are surrounded by high amounts of fat. Visceral fat has been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, and gallbladder surgery. It is also directly linked with higher total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower HDL (good) cholesterol, and insulin resistance. Carrying excess fat around your waist puts you at more risk of disease than carrying it in your lower body.

As you lose fat, it does not become muscle. The muscle is already there, waiting to be revealed! You are able to uncover the muscle underneath the subcutaneous fat as you lose body fat.

Over time, as you lose more fat (body fat percentage decreases), your muscle definition increases because you have less fat covering the muscle.

Here are a few examples of our bodies at different body fat percentages:

So what is the recommended body fat percentage? Generally, women are recommended to be less than 25%, and men are recommended to be less than 18% for reduced disease risk.

As you lose weight, aim to maintain or increase your muscle mass as you are losing fat. Get your body fat percentage measured periodically as you lose weight (every 4-6 weeks). The scale may show you lost weight, but you want to be sure you are losing fat and not muscle. As you lose fat, you will uncover the muscle underneath, which will give you more muscle definition. Know what happens to fat as you lose it? After it is broken down, the majority is breathed out as carbon dioxide! A small amount is also excreted in sweat and urine. So fat DOES NOT turn into muscle. 

Interested in having your body fat percentage taken? If you live in the Houston area, contact Digg Deep Fitness to schedule a FitStop, which includes measuring your weight, inches, and body fat percentage, along with answering brief questions about your eating or workout regimen.



Sources:

1. Mayo Clinic website. Belly Fat in Women- Taking and Keeping It Off. April 21, 2016.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/belly-fat/art-20045809

2. Harvard Medical School website. Abdominal Fat and What To Do About It. October 9, 2015.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/abdominal-fat-and-what-to-do-about-it

3.  BuiltLean website. Body Fat Percentages of Men and Women. March 10, 2016.
http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/