Concept2 Forum

I'm pretty overweight (18stone 6lbs or 258lbs for you Americans or 117Kg for you Europeans.<br /><br />But saying that, I am 6'6" (1.98m), 34 years old and fairly fit and I was wondering what would be a ballpark figure that I should attempt to be losing per week?<br /><br />I've had my own concept2 rowing machine for just over a week now and have used it quite a lot (averaging over 7000m a day in 10 days).<br /><br />I've probably lost about 3lbs in that time although my weight seems to fluctuate quite a lot.<br /><br />Is 3lbs a week a reasonable target to aim for?

1 pound = 3,500 calories.<br />3 pounds = 10,500 calories.<br /><br />If you row for two hours a day every day, at a semi - vigorous pace you can probably burn 1,000 calories each day. So you'd have to eat 3,500 fewer calories than you currently eat and row 14 hours a week in order to create a 10,500 calorie deficit equal to 3 pounds. <br /><br />You tell me. Is that a reasonable target?

<!--QuoteBegin-Cliff.Barnes+Jun 23 2005, 07:28 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Cliff.Barnes @ Jun 23 2005, 07:28 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I'm pretty overweight (18stone 6lbs or 258lbs for you Americans or 117Kg for you Europeans.<br /><br />But saying that, I am 6'6" (1.98m), 34 years old and fairly fit and I was wondering what would be a ballpark figure that I should attempt to be losing per week?<br /><br />I've had my own concept2 rowing machine for just over a week now and have used it quite a lot (averaging over 7000m a day in 10 days).<br /><br />I've probably lost about 3lbs in that time although my weight seems to fluctuate quite a lot.<br /><br />Is 3lbs a week a reasonable target to aim for? <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />what is your body fat % ? get that tested. How do you know you're overweight? What does the mirror say? What is your waist size? - Going by scale weight alone is not the best way. The body fat % tells you exactly where you are. <br /><br />As to the 3lbs./wk - well that all depends on how fat you are. The fatter you are - the more you can stand to lose / wk. The leaner you get the greater your risk of burning off muscle mass if you wanted to continue to lose 3lbs./wk. You'd get "skinny" alright - but you'd look like crap. <br /><br />In fact - to get really lean -(sub 10% b.f.) doing traditional cardio is not the best way. Weight-training circuits at/near AT work infinitely better. - it's better to use that protocol to get ultra lean - then hit the erg to bring back your fitness. However, you'll note that the drop off isn't all that much - as a proper sequence of circuit training done at that HR band is more than comparable to doing a series of vicious 1k interval pieces with very little (30-60 seconds ) rest in between. <br /><br />good luck, <br />D

<!--QuoteBegin-Cliff.Barnes+Jun 23 2005, 08:28 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Cliff.Barnes @ Jun 23 2005, 08:28 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I'm pretty overweight (18stone 6lbs or 258lbs for you Americans or 117Kg for you Europeans.<br /><br />But saying that, I am 6'6" (1.98m), 34 years old and fairly fit and I was wondering what would be a ballpark figure that I should attempt to be losing per week?<br /><br />I've had my own concept2 rowing machine for just over a week now and have used it quite a lot (averaging over 7000m a day in 10 days).<br /><br />I've probably lost about 3lbs in that time although my weight seems to fluctuate quite a lot.<br /><br />Is 3lbs a week a reasonable target to aim for? <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br /><span style='color:green'>Hi, Cliff,<br /><br />Everything that I've ever read says that 1-2 pounds per week is the most safe and reasonable goal for losing weight. That said, the scale might not be the best way to monitor your progress, at least in the early stages. There are a bunch of us here who are rowing to improve our health and fitness and to lose weight. Quite a few of us have noticed that we feel better, are have lost inches, and fit into our clothes better, but our weights haven't changed much yet. We're not letting it discourage us as we know the weight loss will eventually follow.<br /><br />As for a target weight, that's a bit tricky. If you look at ideal weight charts or the BMI (body mass index) chart, recommendations vary widely. The BMI chart, which my internist has hanging in his office, doesn't take gender or body composition (for example, an athlete who has a very low body fat percentage) into account. The BMI chart seems reasonable for me, but not for my husband. I don't have a specific target weight in mind for myself, but I'll know when I get where I want to be.<br /><br />Have you discussed your weight loss plans with your primary healthcare provider yet? It's best to have a physical exam and discuss your weight loss strategy with your PHP before embarking on your program.<br /><br />Have you made lifestyle changes other than adding rowing? Are you doing strength training? Have you taken a look at your diet and made changes to it?<br /><br />This section of the forum is a great place to offer and receive support and encouragement from others who are also trying to improve their health and fitness. A bunch of us are on <i>Row Pain, Row Gain</i>, a virtual C2 rowing team. We have fun and motivate each other to keep going. I hope you'll consider joining us.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Cliff.<br /><br />Private message sent.<br /><br />Ken

<!--QuoteBegin-LindaM+Jun 23 2005, 01:50 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(LindaM @ Jun 23 2005, 01:50 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->1 pound = 3,500 calories.<br />3 pounds = 10,500 calories.<br /><br />If you row for two hours a day every day, at a semi - vigorous pace you can probably burn 1,000 calories each day.  So you'd have to eat 3,500 fewer calories than you currently eat and row 14 hours a week in order to create a 10,500 calorie deficit equal to 3 pounds.  <br /><br />You tell me.  Is that a reasonable target? <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br /><br />2 hours a day to burn 1000 cals??????? <br /><br />That would be a VERY leisurely pace over 2 hours I would have thought. <br /><br />A standard, easy pace, say 2.00/500m pace, over ONE HOUR would normally burn off 1000 cals. At least that is what my PM2 idicates. <br /><br />I know the monitor is a guide only but given that I am above average height and above average weight, the monitor probably errs on the side of caution and I suspect I am burning more.<br /><br />Look at US and UK site for weight loss training. Build into your programme fast intervals as well as lots of 30 mins, 10k and 60 mins stuff. The fat will melt off after a couple of months assuming you fuel properly.<br /><br />Remember also that any weight loss might not reflect change in body composition. Losing 10 pounds in fat and gaining 10 pounds in muscle gives a net Nil effect on weight but MASSIVE change in physique. So, be careful not to concentrate on teh scales alone. Best way to proceed is to get body fat % measured periodically (no more than once per month). Get it measured professionally - do NOT rely on impedance measures as they are notoriously inaccurate, fluctuating too much with hydration levels.<br /><br />Best of luck<br />RichardT<br /><br />

Oh - forgot to mention....<br /><br />2 pounds loss per week is satisfactory. As you reach optimum weight, you would only lose 1 pound or even less per week (the first pounds are the easiest to lose!)<br /><br />With some hard training this can easily be achieved given your size, but do bear in mind the change in body composition, which might hide actual fat loss (e.g. muscle gain offsetting fat loss to make it appear that your fat loss is low or nil).<br /><br />Cheers<br />RichardT<br />

<!--QuoteBegin-R S T+Jun 23 2005, 12:17 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(R S T @ Jun 23 2005, 12:17 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Oh - forgot to mention....<br /><br />2 pounds loss per week is satisfactory. As you reach optimum weight, you would only lose 1 pound or even less per week (the first pounds are the easiest to lose!)<br /><br />With some hard training this can easily be achieved given your size, but do bear in mind the change in body composition, which might hide actual fat loss (e.g. muscle gain offsetting fat loss to make it appear that your fat loss is low or nil).<br /><br />Cheers<br />RichardT <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />YES. precisely. this is why scale weight is, for the most part, bunk. go by what the body fat calipers say - or better yet, what the mirror is telling you. That never lies.

I lost 30 pounds since April 19 on a low carb program (50-100 carbs per day). The first week was about 8 pounds, but that's mostly water weight. After that it was about 3 pounds per week, and it slowed down as I approached my goal. I used a Tanita body fat monitor and saw that I was retaining all of my lean mass throughout the process. Check out www.Lindora.com if you want to see the program I did.<br /><br />Now I'm eating as much as possible while maintaining the same weight. I've doubled my weekly distance to over 100k meters, and have added protein drinks after my workout to sustain the energy. It's amazing to feel and see the results of fueling the body instead of just eating.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Bill Moore<br />39/6'2"/212#

<!--QuoteBegin-bmoore+Jun 25 2005, 11:37 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(bmoore @ Jun 25 2005, 11:37 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I lost 30 pounds since April 19 on a low carb program (50-100 carbs per day).  The first week was about 8 pounds, but that's mostly water weight.  After that it was about 3 pounds per week, and it slowed down as I approached my goal.  I used a Tanita body fat monitor and saw that I was retaining all of my lean mass throughout the process.  Check out www.Lindora.com if you want to see the program I did.<br /><br />Now I'm eating as much as possible while maintaining the same weight.  I've doubled my weekly distance to over 100k meters, and have added protein drinks after my workout to sustain the energy.  It's amazing to feel and see the results of fueling the body instead of just eating.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Bill Moore<br />39/6'2"/212# <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Kick ass job, Bill! What's your eventual goal? <br /><br />Throw in a couple of weight sessions a week using whole body compound movements and you'll see even better results.

You're 258 pounds overweight, or you weigh 258 pounds? What is your goal weight?<br /><br />Knowing your current and goal weights, would help me to say what you can expect to lose each week. You will lose more per week at the start.<br /><br />3 pounds per week is entirely reasonable.<br /><br />A dozen years ago I weighed 170 pounds, the most I have been. Four months later I was 133 pounds. Once I decided on a program, I lost 7 pounds the first 3 days, and it was steady after that. The main things I did were to:<br /><br />1) Determine specific portions to eat for each meal. Stay with this and no more. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner and no more. I ate about 700-1000 calories and drank 1 gallon of water each day. The extra was if I happened to have a snack or two. However, snacks were still the same food as my diet. The main thing is to pick a good diet, then restrict your calories. I kept running 70 miles a week during the program.<br /><br />2) I fixed 1 cup of rice each morning, divided this into 3 portions, and had 1/3 for each meal, plus 1 apple peeled, cored, chopped and mixed with the rice for each meal, always with water. Raw veggies or another fruit can be substituted but I usually stayed with having a golden delicious apple.<br /><br />3) I weighed myself every morning !!! and recorded my weight on a chart. Each morning that I equaled or bettered my average weight (or start weight the first week) got a highlight in green marker. Otherwise an orange marker. My goal was to get more green markers than orange, and to get at last 4 green markers each week. I did the same for the week averages. Thus the chart had 7 columns and an 8th column for the averages. This chart was very important to me!!!<br /><br />After my program was over, then I stayed at 140 pounds or less for four years, and now stay in the low to mid 140's. <br /><br />I think it is very easy to lose weight when you have a good plan, and you stick with your plan.

<!--QuoteBegin-DIESEL+Jun 26 2005, 10:33 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(DIESEL @ Jun 26 2005, 10:33 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin-bmoore+Jun 25 2005, 11:37 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(bmoore @ Jun 25 2005, 11:37 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I lost 30 pounds since April 19 on a low carb program (50-100 carbs per day).  The first week was about 8 pounds, but that's mostly water weight.  After that it was about 3 pounds per week, and it slowed down as I approached my goal.  I used a Tanita body fat monitor and saw that I was retaining all of my lean mass throughout the process.  Check out www.Lindora.com if you want to see the program I did.<br /><br />Now I'm eating as much as possible while maintaining the same weight.  I've doubled my weekly distance to over 100k meters, and have added protein drinks after my workout to sustain the energy.  It's amazing to feel and see the results of fueling the body instead of just eating.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Bill Moore<br />39/6'2"/212# <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Kick ass job, Bill! What's your eventual goal? <br /><br />Throw in a couple of weight sessions a week using whole body compound movements and you'll see even better results. <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Thanks. I'm pretty much at my goal. The Tanita scale says I'm less than 13% fat, but 10% would be nice. But, the real goal it to be as fit as possible for the rest of my life. For now, I want to see what I can do as a 40 year old at the Crash-Bs in February.<br /><br />The last few weeks I've found buried treasure in the form of muscles. I'll start lifting in a few more weeks. My body is going through some big changes adjusting back to food as fuel. I'm seeing lots of improvement with the recent addition of more carbs and the post workout protein drink. (I throw a bit of glutamine as well for recovery and to fend off muscle soreness).<br /><br />The biggest obstacle I had to overcome with all of this was my own complacency. I had to make the decision. Nothing anyone else said made a difference. (Well, maybe my wife asking how much I weighed after we had sex had a bit to do with it. OUCH!) I've known all along how to do this, but I couldn't make the mental switch to get out of my own trap. In the end, it's all worth it. Plus it's only been since April 19th, so the reward was pretty quick.<br /><br />Thanks again and regards,<br /><br />Bill Moore<br /><br />

Thanks for all the advice folks. Since I last posted I noticed my weight has been on the increase - I'm not all that concerned as my beer gut seems to be getting smaller and I'm beating my record rowing times on an almost daily basis.<br /><br />I think I might focus more on beating my record times and continuing to row a lot, and to worry less about how much I weigh. <br /><br />(John Rupp - I weigh 258 pounds.)