Aerobic Adaptation?

[[old] rowboy87]

I need to lose weight so I'm rowing 10k almost every day. It's been one week and I've already lost 8 lbs. I need to lose 40. I've heard that if you do the same exercise for the same duration you body adapts and you don't lose weight as effectively. I like rowing this distance, do I have to alternate my routines? Also, I'm on a low carb diet (not Atkins). I know your supposed to eat carbs if you exercise but If you want to burn fat you have to cut carbs. How many carbs do I really need? <br /><br />thanks<br /><br />rob

[[old] Galt]

Work is work and calories are calories.<br /><br />You must consider, however, that as you lose weight you are moving less weight back and forth as you row, so you are doing less work.<br /><br />Imagine if you had a 100 pound weight on your back as you erged, and then took it off.<br /><br />This is one reason why really overweight people lose weight so fast once they start working out. They are moving so much mass around that that, in itself, is a ton (no pun intended) of work.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

[[old] rowboy87]

Thanks a ton!

[[old] Galt]

Pleasure, and let me recommend one thing about eating.<br /><br />My wife, at one point, lost 100 pounds in a year. She did not go on any special diet, or count or balance any specific type of food. She simply changed what she ate... much more healthy... much less or no junk.... way more exercise.<br /><br />Whatever you do, just be sure it is something that you can continue to do throughout the rest of your life. Otherwise, you will just go back to where you started from. <br /><br />Whereas getting scientific about weight loss and fat burning I'm sure is useful for a serious athelete or soebody with real health problems, it is pretty hard to outsmart the weight loss law of physics, that being....<br /><br />If you expend more calories today than you take in you will lose weight, and if you take in more calories than you burn you will gain weight. Eat smart and move alot, and it is really hard to be overweight.

[[old] JimR]

<!--QuoteBegin-rowboy87+Aug 31 2005, 03:10 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(rowboy87 @ Aug 31 2005, 03:10 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I need to lose weight so I'm rowing 10k almost every day.  It's been one week and I've already lost 8 lbs.  I need to lose 40.  I've heard that if you do the same exercise for the same duration you body adapts and you don't lose weight as effectively.  I like rowing this distance, do I have to alternate my routines? Also, I'm on a low carb diet (not Atkins). I know your supposed to eat carbs if you exercise but If you want to burn fat you have to cut carbs. How many carbs do I really need?  <br /><br />thanks<br /><br />rob <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />You are right about the body adapting. As you get more efficient at doing the work (10K of rowing) you will burn less calories. If you are satisified with everything then one option is to do your 10K workout a little faster every day. I'm not sure what you are currently at but increasing the pace (going faster) by 0.1 sec/500 each time you row will you burn a more or less consistent amount of calories.<br /><br />There is also the decreased training effect that happens because you do only 10K rows. I wouldn't think this would have a big effect on total calories burned however. If you get to a point of wanting to do something different then just switching to intervals would add a little variety.<br /><br />JimR

[[old] cdykstra]

Rob:<br /><br />I have found the heart rate monitor to be an invaluable tool for optimal weight loss. With this device, you can be certain that you are exercising at an intensity level appropriate to your fitness goals. While it's great to see the pounds drop off, it's also rewarding to track improvement in cardiovascular efficiency by journaling your heart rate vs pace over a set distance. I have found this to be particularly helpful when hitting an apparent plateau in my training. By tracking more than one fitness indicator, I am able to see continued progress and maintain my motivation.<br /><br />Just my two cents.<br /><br />CDykstra