Weird 30 Day Shred results

MeenaKeepRunning
MeenaKeepRunning Posts: 18
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone! I'm a MyFitnessPal newbie and I was hoping someone out there could help me out.
I'm 3 days into Level 3 of the 30 day shred, and really enjoying it. I've basically done it every day since I started, except one day when I was ill. On top of that I tend to do regular 5km runs every few days, and shorter runs in between. I've been running 5-10kms for a few years so my stamina and all is alright, but this is my first time doing strength training and I'm really liking it.

I am however, not really seeing much of a result in terms of my body shape changing. To give a quick background, I had an eating disorder when I was younger, and as a result my goal is really not to lose weight (I'm towards the mid-to-low bmi range for my height as it is). I eat fairly clean anyway, but recently modified my diet a little so I now mostly eat a lot of protien, mostly in the form of eggs and fish, a few carbs like brown rice and quinoa, lots of veg and fruit. Because I have a tendancy to get a little obsessive, I don't totally rule out the occasional (actually fairly rare!) slice of cake or whatever when I feel like it.

However my main concern isn't just that I'm not seeing much in terms of results (though I'd like to!); I don't weigh myself often because as I say, that's not my main concern, but I did on a whim the other day and found that I'd dropped almost an entire stone from my normal weight in less than a month. I really don't understand how this is possible. I'm eating healthy sized portions of food and working out daily- surely I should be building muscle and gaining weight if anything?

Most people say they don't see much of a weight difference during the Shred but there is a huge difference in appearence. I seem to have the opposite problem! Any ideas as to why? Do you think this might rectify itself by the end of the 30 days?

Replies

  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    As a general rule, you will not build muscle if you are not consciously eating at a caloric surplus.
    Also, 30DS is not really strength training, it's more cardio with weights. To build muscle, you'll need a heavier lifting program. Bodybuilding.com has several options, there's New Rules of Lifting for Women, Starting Strength and StrongLifts to start with as well.
  • MeenaKeepRunning
    MeenaKeepRunning Posts: 18
    Ah, right I guess 'stenght training' was the wrong term, sorry I'm new to this all! I just meant that I hadn't really toned and worked on strenghtening muscles. I'm considering starting lifting, but I'd like to stick with this form to build strength for a bit. What you said about the caloric suplus kind of makes sense, though I also want to burn a little excess fat- so do I just continue eating quite a high protien diet and more of it or what? Thanks for the reply!
  • fittiephd
    fittiephd Posts: 608 Member
    If you'er losing weight then you'er probably not eating enough. Adding strength training on top of really long runs like that means you should be eating a LOT every day to maintain your weight, probably at least 2500 calories if not more. You won't be gaining muscle on that type of program, but it is very good for you to be doing any type of strength training! If you're losing weight then just start eating more :)
  • bdw062590
    bdw062590 Posts: 1
    If you want to get serious about toning, gaining muscle and making your muscle pop out of your skin then you could look up "5x5 Stronglifts". This is a great way for beginners to start adding muscle because you start with the lowest weight, work up to a weight where you can lift with good form & avoid injury. It also allows for progression.

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