Ever notice that on some days, you look in the mirror and your physique is flat and not as muscular as the day before? You wonder what you did wrong or if you lost all your muscle overnight.
The answer may be in your diet and a lack of carbs to pump you up. The good news is that this visual difference in your physique is not a permanent change and is just a normal fluctuation due to a lack of carbs!
I tried this out for myself and documented the difference with pictures. In the picture on the left, I didn’t eat anything substantial besides one protein shake that day and didn’t drink much water. This picture was taken at 1pm, so I was well past morning and my body had already begun it’s daily processes and calorie expenditure. On the picture on the right, I had gone through a normal day of eating. I had already consumed 60 grams of protein and 120 grams of carbs. While these photos were taken only a day a part and at the same time of day, my physique on the left looks flat compared to the pumped up appearance on the right.
Our body is constantly battling whether to break protein down or to create new mass via protein synthesis. We grow muscles when protein synthesis is greater protein break down. Carbohydrates consumed pre and post workout works to provide a quick fuel source that limits catabolic signaling and in turn preserves your muscle. One of the best ways to prevent this break down is to make sure you are eating frequently as well as eating enough carbs, as carbs are our body’s preferred source of energy. While we need protein for protein synthesis to happen, we also need energy from carbs/fat so that this building process can last longer.
Additionally, consuming carbs helps our muscles look fuller and pumped up. With out carbs, our physique can look flat and lifeless. This can even be noticed even within a day of depletion. Carbs contain glycogen which pulls water in to the muscles which creates an inflated, 3D look. Ensuring that you are consuming enough carbs and water can make your physique look fuller.
Therefore, after we fast, we look less pumped up and a little flat. We need the energy to sustain the growth and to limit catabolic signaling. The absence of carbs and water can haveour physique looking completely different!