Does running change your shape?

[Pickingmyselfup]

I've been running consistently for about a year now and haven't noticed much difference in the way I look even with eating less and lifting weights.

This year I'm really hitting the running, I have 2 half marathons, 2x10Ks, a 20 mile and a full marathon booked between now and November. I'm trying to eat a bit less but it's really difficult to fuel my runs and stick to a calorie deficit. I'm eating about 300 less than I need to for maintenance but on long run days I end up eating the full amount because I need the fuel during my runs. Trying to hit the gym as much as possible to get those weights lifted but between runs, work, inury and life it's pretty hard.

I have an event planned after my marathon in October and I was really hoping to lose weight so that I would look better in the dress I'm planning to wear but it might not be possible. Can I look better with the running even if I don't lose weight??

But you didn't say anything about fuelling and shakes in your post - you were talking about the intensity of OP's exercise regime.
30K of running over a week is not fairly light exercise, not by most people's standards. I think any health professional would consider it an excellent level.

Some people are really harsh.

The I run 20 miles fasted crowd are not helpful - OP is a beginner and needs beginner advice. I would agree on the recovery shake though, you don't need it, just wait until your next meal.

My advice is a 300kcal deficit is too much because you're probably also overestimating your calorie intake (women tend to do that)

I'm currently building up to a mountain race in May and I'm running at a small deficit, maybe 500kcal a week.

I've lost 2kg since Nov.

IF your goal is weight loss then you need a calorie deficit. And by taking on a huge amount of carbs (the maximum amount for a world record is probably not needed for an amateur …) and a recovery shake you won’t do that. If you like those things then fine, but they really aren’t needed.

The human body has a limitless supply of fat which it can burn as fuel at lower intensity aerobic exercise. In order to make it better and more efficient at doing this, you need to train it. By constantly giving it carbs you are doing the opposite. If you want to change this, you need to try “fasted” running. Because you’ve taught your body to have carbs this might feel a bit weird at first but you will adapt quickly.

Your coach should have told you all this even if she has no dietary qualifications, she should know about basic running biology. Anyone can set a runner a plan (including countless AI apps) - you really don’t need to pay someone to follow an extremely basic four run a week plan that you can get for free online.

I talked about OP’s exercise regime in regards to her wanting to lose weight. 30k a week isn’t crazy amounts of running and it’s no surprise she’s not losing weight after running that for a year with her weekly calorie intake being as high as it is.
Its just a fact that after a year she either needs to exercise more or eat less if her goal is to lose weight, which she says it is.

Not an expert, just a keen runner.

These days I run every day without fail. 5 days a week it's only 5k. The other 2 days it's 8k and 10 or 12k respectively. Each run is followed by a 20 minute workout focusing on press ups, planks, sit ups and squats. I don't use weights other than my own body weight. I have a 6 pack.

So I don't think it's really necessary to do vast distances. What worked for me was diet and HRT (not sure how old you are OP but the middle aged spread I gained fell off again once I started HRT).

My figure now is better than it was in my 20s. I am soon to be 50. I'm the same size but definitely more toned. I put this largely down to diet. I cut out all UPF and gain most of my calories through veg and lean protein. It's surprising the sheer volume of food you can eat when you eat really well like this. I am never hungry.

Getting a 6 pack is mainly due to % body fat (has to be pretty low for a woman).

Body shape isn’t made in the gym / running, it’s made in the kitchen (I.e) what you eat and don’t eat. Well known saying and absolutely true.
Im not talking about crazy body builders- just in general for shaving off unwanted fat.

Is it your goal to run a marathon or is it your goal to look different in your clothes?

Running is fab, but if your goal is to transform the aesthetics of your body you need to lift heavy weights and have a solid diet plan. I was faffing about in the gym for the guts of the year running and doing some light/moderate lifting and seeing v little change in the mirror. Lifting properly heavy and fueling my workouts appropriately has been transformative.

I can recommend my PT who focuses on diet and exercise for aesthetics and does online if you PM me.

Ok I'm going to go over this one more time because nobody seems to be paying attention...

I want to lose weight yes. In order to lose weight I need to eat less calories than I burn. Fine. In order to be a better runner I need to take in the correct amount of calories to give me that energy to do better, go faster, go further. Finding that balancing act is tough so perhaps I can eat at maintenance and change my shape (recomp)

30K a week is pretty good going considering I have a job and 2 children. I am not yet training for the marathon, it's not until April so I have loads of time to up my distance. Great.

I hired a running coach, she suggests that I take in carbs in whatever way suits me during my long runs. Fine, I'm paying her to progress my running, she's helped a lot of people really improve, she knows what she's talking about and if I didn't listen then what's the point in paying her. I'm happy with her advice.

Obviously if I'm eating calories during my run then I need to cut them from elsewhere in order to stick to my allocated calories for the day. Some people might not need carbs during a long run, some people might not even need water but I'm not them.

A recovery shake contains calories so yes if I'm having one of them and eating a full meal then I will be eating too many calories so it's either or. If I'm an hour away from home because I like to try out new routes then I will take one with me and have that instead of lunch and then I'll have an early dinner. If I'm basically running straight home I won't bother with the recovery shake because I'll just have lunch instead.

I eat breakfast before a long run because I need to. For evening runs I'll have dinner first and then run instead of dinner after my run, I'll have a snack when I get in, again in my alloted calories for the day.

Sometimes I'll go rogue and won't even log my calories, I'll eat too much, drink too much and yes I'm aware this will make me gain weight/affect my running performance but I'm a human not a robot.

I want the moon on a stick but I am fully aware that I need to make a choice. I wanted to know if anybody had found that they still lost the flab without cutting their calories drastically whilst running. That's literally all I needed to know.

Well, yes I have. I don't weigh myself and never calorie count, but in the last 3 years since I resumed running regularly, I've dropped more than a dress size and am noticeably leaner/more toned. Mumsnet insists that the only way to lose weight is to diet, but that just doesn't work for me - I don't function well on fewer calories, and it just makes me miserable. I don't know if I've actually lost weight, but I look and feel a lot better so job done.

I believe you can do it within your current exercise regime by upping the intensity and making every one of your runs count. Push harder on the hills, put some fartleks into your long runs, extend your speed intervals. You say you do yoga - could you add in some Pilates and bodyweight so that you're maximising the muscle-building opportunity. I try to do 10-20 mins of yoga/pilates/bodyweight exercises every day - sometimes more and more intense, sometimes just stretching if I'm too tired. For me it's more effective to do little and often.
The results haven't been particularly quick for me, but as it's been about changing habits rather than doing something I hate I'm hopeful it's going to be long-lasting. I'm mid-40s and probably perimenopausal, also have 2 kids and a full time job.

Good luck!

As someone who is in pretty much the same situation as you - same BMI, same distance run a week and trying to train for a half and a marathon and lose weight - some of the replies on here are so disheartening and downright mean 😂

Well done firstly, for committing to such great goals. I feel so proud of myself for running regularly even if some members of the running community think 30k a week is shit.

Secondly, it's hard to understand why you or I wouldn't lose weight if we are burning a decent amount of calories from running several times a week as well as other pursuits and also functioning in a calorie deficit. However I did a half marathon last year and lost zero weight during training for it. I've lost a few pounds over the past couple of weeks this time as I've reduced my calories a bit more, but I get that doing so is counter productive to running training. Having said that, I'm not trying to be a fast runner, I just want to complete the run.

I know I'm eating too much when I don't lose weight but then it's a choice of eating to perform or not eating to lose weight.

My goal right now is to complete a marathon by the end of the year, I have a couple of halves and a 20 mile booked to give me something to get me there one step at a time.

I am also trying to lift heavy (for me) in the gym 3 days a week and I'm just starting yoga twice a week if possible too because that will really help stretch my muscles and give me that flexibility for running.

Also I want to lose weight.

I know I want the moon on a stick and that's what I'm faffing with, trying to decide what I actually want and do it. So that's running for this year which means I might not lose weight and I might not be able to do an 80kg deadlift but it's a choice I made. If I can look amazing in my dress by the end of it all then win win.

I was doing pilates but to fit in a 4th run and the gym I had to give it up. I have considered picking it back up but it means doing the school run, pilates, run, gym, yoga all on the same day and I would get nothing done round the house.

My days look like this

Monday Run (30-45 mins) gym for an hour just for weights. Yoga in the evening when my husband is home.

Tuesday-Work and an evening run, usually intervals

Wednesday-Gym at 7am then work then it's my night in with the kids

Thursday-Work then run for about an hour

Friday-Yoga for one hour

Saturday morning-Long run, last summer I was up to 20km then tapered down for the half marathon. Then I'm home with the kids doing whatever needs doing.

Sunday AM-Gym then afternoon is again my turn with the kids.

I do 9/10 school runs on foot and it's a mile each way.

There is a theory that the fitter you get, the more efficient your body becomes at using calories so you end up having to do more to burn it off. Apparently, your body diverts calories to inner health (eg reducing inflammation) rather than burning marginal amounts of excess fat.

I ended up making the decision that my goal was about health (I've lost a lot of people to ill health) rather than looks/competition. That's why I also overhauled my diet to UPF free. Ironically, that's when I began losing weight the easiest I ever have.

Setting running goals is a great move for fitness and if you're having to carb load to get through it and remaining a bit heavier than you'd like, so what. You're still streets ahead of many in terms of being healthy.

But I think you could 'have it all' with a few tweaks. I'm not sure what you're using to fuel runs but my DH (keen cyclist) who uses gels, powders etc was absolutely horrified when we started the UPF-free approach and realised how many additives were in these things. It's possible to make your own, much healthier versions, which don't contribute to insulin resistance (which make it harder to lose) and are cheap/quick/easy to do (vital if you've got a busy lifestyle).

Good luck with the marathon.

For comparison my week looks like this (I also work and have 2 kids)

Monday long run
Tuesday work and run
Wednesday work and run
Thursday work/rest day
Friday spin and weights class
Saturday spin and Pilates
Sunday spin and weights class

I sometimes add in extra Pilates or weights at home on Tuesday or Wednesday.

I'd say we're fairly well matched. I can eat what I like and am very slim and toned. But don't have a big appetite and don't drink. I also rarely eat before (and never during) workouts. I'd say give it time and as you build up your runs and muscle you'll naturally lose weight. Training for marathons I don't know how you couldn't tbf!!

Well I've got to be honest, you're doing way more than me and I don't really see how you can fit much more in. I'm willing to bet you're a lot slimmer and more toned than you think you are. I'd say the only wiggle room you've got is in your intensity, and maybe try cutting sugar/simple carbs out completely for a bit.

I agree with this - sorry if it’s already been mentioned but have you done your body composition?

I've recently upped my running and managed to gain weight 😳 whilst keeping diet the same. Ugh. Bodies are weird

That means it must be muscle though? So eventually you'll start losing?

I got bigger when I did my marathon. Not that anyone would notice I think, but just not the lean thing I normally am.

It's not my favourite distance so I think my body had to grow in ways it's not naturally designed to (or something).
My happy race distance is 1/2 mara and 10 miles and I think that's what my body is designed to do best at.

I did loads more cycling during lockdowns and did get pretty strong but it impacted my running in ways I wasn't happy with.

Yes but also horribly flabby. I think I'm building muscle and getting water retention in the process. Hoping it evens out soon (I'm slim to start with so it's more noticeable to me)

Running won't massively change your body shape or composition... but changing your weight / strength/ body composition will change your running!

If you can lose weight you'll find running a lot easier. I can feel the difference even half a stone makes to my running. Same goes for building leg and core muscle strengthand endurance, that will not only change your shape, it makes running easier and prevents injury.

I'd drop one of the runs each week in favour of cross training includkng strength work. Cycling, step machine or cross trainer will be kinder to your joints and still build cardio and leg muscle endurance.

No. You'll need to strength train. I was a runner for about 20 years, now been strength training for around 10 and it's had far better effects.
Yes running may help you lose weight if you're at a calorie deficit but it's not going to 'tone' you up.
30k is not actually that much in a week unless you're also getting other exercise in as well, it won't even be the average equivalent of 10k steps a day (unless you're walking as well)

As I've said many times... I do weight training 3 days a week getting progressively heavier when I complete a set. I follow a designated programme but I've tweaked it slightly to add in some exercises specially dedicated to runners.

And yes I do at least 20,000 steps a day without running.