This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Fitness Forum: Can Muscle Turn to Fat?

Can muscle turn to fat?

Did you ever wonder what happens to your muscles when you take some time off from your fitness routine?  Like: “Did all my muscle just turn to fat?”

This is a great question, and all too often it may seem like this is actually happening when people stop working out.

However, muscle and fat are two completely different types of body tissue. Neither can simply turn into the other.

Find out what's happening in Parsippanywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

When people stop working out for long periods, food intake should decrease. If you’re not expending as many calories, you certainly don’t need to consume as many calories.

It’s important to remember that the muscles in your body are active tissues that are constantly using energy—even when you’re sedentary. This means the more muscle you have, the more calories you need. The opposite is true as well. Unfortunately, when workouts decline, people often consume the same amounts of food that they had been when they were working out. These extra calories are stored in your body as adipose tissue (body fat).

Find out what's happening in Parsippanywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If you make a conscious effort to consume fewer calories when you stop working out, then you should be able to avoid the added pounds.

Of course, if you start to exercise or renew a previous routine, your muscles will strengthen and require more calories.  So, you’ll be able to eat more (make healthy choices, of course).

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?