Fat vs. Muscle

The corporate overlords are cracking the whip, so I’ll be posting my workout update later today.

For now, check this out, courtesy of Megan Parsons, CrossFit Central Relentless Bootcamp Coach and all-around awesome human being:

1. Ew.
2. I’m going to look at this image every time I think I care about the number on the scale.
3. Is human fat really yellow like that? (If you know the answer, please post to comments.)
4. Before I could stop myself, I thought, “That looks like the ingredients for the base of a stew.” I know! Disgusting! How could I?!
5. Ew.

Megan lays a little more science down:

A pound is a pound; however, they clearLLLLLLy look completely different underneath the skin. A pound of muscle can burn anywhere from 30-50 calories a day at rest; however, a pound of fat will burn around 3 calories. Do the math.

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Comments

  • Meghan says:

    Melissa, in answer to your question, YES, human fat does look like that. I did an anatomy class in college with a human cadaver that had a little bit of a gut and gut fat, especially is just exactly like what's pictured. Also, don't feel bad about #4. I thought the same thing during my lab. In fact I couldn't eat turkey or any meat at all really during that semester because I kept thinking wow, this drumstick meat looks just like that dead guy's calf muscle. Blech. It's an important thing to consider though – what exactly it IS that you are eating and where it comes from.

    Excellent post!

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    Meghan! Awesome! Thank you for laying down the science. I will now try to un-visualize the yellow fat inside my abdomen 😉

  • barbara says:

    Oy, I feel like this post was written for me:)

  • Alaina says:

    ewww…since Meghan posted this, I must've looked at the picture about a dozen times….motivational image that makes me a little quezzyy. I am not missing my workout tonight – burpees and rowing. Maybe that will cut down on the amount of Crisco under my skin. Thanks for the science lesson!

  • Megan Parsons says:

    You are the best! Every time I come to your blog I smile. Thanks for sharing my post with your huge community. And yes, just like the Meghan above said, human fat looks exactly like that. In my Anatomy class we too cut into cadavers. The rather large ones were the most disgusting because it took forever to get past the fat to actually look at what we were trying to study.

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    NEW GOAL: Be a sexy cadaver.

    Oh, wait. That's just weird.

  • Shelley says:

    Wow, and ew. Fascinating and gross all at the same time!

  • Meghan says:

    @ Melissa. HAHAHAHHAAH – sexy cadaver? Yeah, that's kind of morbid but to be honest, the cadavers with well developed muscles are the BEST ones to study. Not the old people with totally atrophied muscles. It's a shame that more people don't consider donating their bodies to science like that because the knowledge that is imparted to the next generation of doctors/trainers/interested people is invaluable.

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