What Is The Difference Between Mass And Weight?

Students often ask what is the difference between mass and weight. Weight is a measure of the pull of gravity. This is why if you and an elephant went to outer space you would both float around as there is no gravity.
Mass is the amount of matter contained in an object and it doesn’t change depending on location, so an elephant would have the same amount of mass whether he is on earth or in outer space.
As the weight of an object depends on where it is, some people would be forgiven for thinking that they might as well move to outer space where they will weigh less as they just cannot lose weight.
People can find it hard to lose pounds as there are so many myths around the diet industry. There is a huge market in diet products and it is in these companies interests for you to end up being confused as then you will buy their products. For example, one myth that you will often hear is that low fat diets work the best. One reason that low fat diets don’t work is that fat is what gives food its flavour. Without fat, companies have to add sugar and sweeteners to the food or else we wouldn’t eat it. These additional sugars pile on the pounds and can explain why you don’t lose weight.
Not all fats are the same. We actually need to eat more good fats in our diet as very few people have sufficient resources of Omega 3 and Omega 6. Saturated fats and processed Trans fats contained in sweets, biscuits, processed foods and cakes are the ones that we should all be avoiding. It is these types of fats that are linked to heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure problems.
Another myth that people believe is that they can make up for a lack of nutrients in food by taking supplements. Whilst you can certainly increase your mineral and vitamin intake, supplements alone will not combat the ill-health caused by poor diets. We all need to eat as healthy a diet as possible using natural sources of food. We are not lab rats and studies that work in labs do not always have the same effect on humans.
People also believe that muscle turns into fat if you stop exercising and often cite this as an excuse not to get fit in the first place. Muscle and fat are two totally different things and one cannot just change into the other. When you are used to exercising and have to stop due to injury or some other reason, you often continue eating at the same level as before. You are not using this extra fuel so the body converts the glucose to fat. Also well exercised muscles can lose their tone over time if you cease to attend classes or work out.
Don’t worry about asking what is the difference between mass and weight and spend more time deciphering what is the truth and what are myths when reading diet information.