Fat vs. Muscle: How Do I Know If I'm Gaining Muscle or Fat?
If You're Gaining Weight, Experts Explain How to Tell If It's Muscle or Fat
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Aesthetically, it should be pretty easy to tell if you're generally gaining muscle or fat. When you gain muscle, you'll notice that your muscles naturally look more defined and are more visible, Berkow said. (To see your abs specifically, you'd have to also lose fat.) Your muscles would also be larger in size or feel "harder." If you gain fat, you'll notice more softness, she said, and you'll gain inches.