by Christian Thibaudeau
What to Do When You Look Suddenly Skinny or Fat
Did you wake up today looking worse than yesterday? Don't buy it! Here's what to do instead.
Many things impact how your body looks. If you wake up suddenly looking worse, the reason probably isn’t as bad as you think.
Body Composition, Water, and Electrolytes
The Bullet Points
- We tend to think only about body fat and muscle mass when it comes to physique appearance. But it’s not that simple.
- Other factors can affect how you look. You can have extreme fluctuations that make you think you’re losing muscle or gaining fat when you’re not.
- That belief (of losing muscle or gaining fat) can lead to poor decisions, like crash diets and overtraining.
- If you think you’ve lost 20 pounds of muscle in a matter of days, don’t fall for it.
- If you wake up looking like you’ve gained 20 pounds of fat, don’t believe it.
- These dramatic changes are most likely related to electrolytes and inflammation.
- Consuming fewer carbs may make you feel smaller and less muscular. Fat-loss diets often contain fewer electrolytes and may cause you to store less water.
- Switching up your training volume can also give the illusion of a different body size due to the inflammation process.
- Be objective when you see big swings in your appearance, and don’t make decisions based on emotions.
