One week rowing and no weight loss - whats wrong?

[laupi]

Ive been rowing and sweating for a week now - every other day bewteen 20 and 30 minutes. After the workout I do sweat.

I usually do it in the morning before breakfist. After the workout I take a shower and then have my usual breakfist to give me energy for the day.

I thought of skipping breakfist but the fitness gurus keep on saying that breakfist should be plenty - its better to reduce lunch and dinner.

What do you think? What is wrong with what I do? Is it better to do the rowing in the evening? More effective then? Do I need to skip breakfist? Please advise!

[Citroen]

You're not doing enough to lose weight.

You need to eat three meals a day. Don't skip breakfast, just reduce the portion size.

Then take a look at http://www.concept2.co.uk/weightloss/interactive.php
(1stone = 14lb, so, for example, if you weigh 150lb that's 10st 10lb)

[badocter]

Keep the number of meals the same and decrease portion size. Fasting does not improve weight loss and certainly does not improve training performance. Also make sure that you have cut all the crap out of what you are eating -- no cokes, candies, crisps, cakes, etc.... Get plenty of protein and complex carbs, and get at last your 5-a-day fruit and veg. Avoid complex carbs and things that are high in fat. Avoid things that claim to be healthy but aren't, like cereal grain bars (glued together with sugar), juice (which people tend to overdo and spikes blood sugar-eat the whole fruit instead -- a normal person would eat one orange, but given a carton of OJ would drink a glass containing the equivalent of 10+ oranges ....) --- learn to read labels and understand what you are eating.

Row six days a week for 30'. Vigorous sessions on 3 nonconsecutive days a week, and the other 3 days at a lower recovery level intensity. If you can only do 3 days a week, then make all three workouts vigorous and on nonconsecutive days.

[baldass_newbie]

Ive been rowing and sweating for a week now - every other day bewteen 20 and 30 minutes. ...
What do you think? What is wrong with what I do? Is it better to do the rowing in the evening? More effective then? Do I need to skip breakfist? Please advise!

It's going to take a LOT longer than a week to show results. In the last six months, I've only dropped 3 pounds, however, I'm 3 pants sizes smaller and much more fit than I was.

You didn't put the weight on in a week, did you? Be patient and enjoy getting fit.

[Chuck Koehler]

Hi Laupi,

I have diabetes and have been neglecting it for a few years now. I was at 314lbs when I woke up and decided to get in shape for my health's sake. I have done it before and should have known better, but when I started I was doing almost exactly what you wrote. I spent weeks at a time and nothing.

There is no secret, to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you take in. In my circumstance - and for that matter - for generally good health you should also watch the amount and type of carbohydrates. Avoid simple carbohydrates (Potatoes, white rice, white bread - these are worse for me than candy) and load up on complex carbohydrates (Oatmeal, Brown Rice, Broccoli,Greens, etc.)

Now I started to log everything that I eat and I am rowing everyday of the week at least 40 to 50 minutes. I eat about 1700 calories a day and burn about 1400. My Base Metabolic Rate is 2900+ calories per day so that means that I come out with a calorie deficit of 2600+ calories per day.

(2900bmr + 1400exercise - 1700 calorie intake = 2600 calories burned)

If 3500 calories = 1lb then it is easy to do the math - I am losing about 2lbs every 3 days. When I took an average of weight lost over how many days I was surprised to find that the 3500 calories = 1lb to be almost exact. Be careful though, sometimes I go 3 or 4 days at the same weight and then all of a sudden I am -3 more pounds.

You don't have to do anything that drastic, but the combination of regular exercise and eating correctly will make a great difference quickly. Since Thanksgiving I have lost 21lbs and a few inches off my waist. My blood sugar has come into line and my blood pressure/heart rate are almost athletic at 124/74 and 65bpm respectively.

So, what I would suggest is to:

1. Eat correctly
2. Keep a log of all food intake (there are great software packages for this)
3. Exercise regularly
4. Use a heart rate monitor and log your workouts

Good luck.

[tom pinckney]

What's the big hurry to lose a lot of weight fast? It took a while to put it on and it should take a while to get it off. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Don't get on the scale everyday - get on every few days or once a week. Your body weight will flucuate due to water retention, etc. Weigh yourself early in the morning at the same time when you do it. You will see a differnce if you do it that way. You amy go several days without a loss at all and one day - bingo - you dropped several pounds.

Amen to what others have writtten. A year ago all the usual tests indicated type 2 diabetes, high bp, high cholesterol and I felt tired all of the time. I am 64 years old on January 8.

I got VERY serious about working out - my life depends on it and my FAMILY depends on me to be around for them.

I lost 30 pounds last year and kept if off. I have a totla weight loss of 60 pounds and look ok, but still need to take about 25-30 more pounds off. I feel much better and all my tests are normal. My cholesterol last time checked was 125!! Amazing. Here's what I did:

1. joined a new gym - more expensive than my last one, but the new, friendlier atmosphere stimulates me to go. If one SHOWS UP at the gym, you WILL work out. By guilding up muscle mass you burn more caloires all of the time. I lift weights, but never do an exercise I don't like. There's always an alternitive movement that you like. It makes traing more enjoyable. I also don't dress like a slob at the gym. When you look good - you feel better about yourself and will work out better.
2. continue to row, but I TRAIN. I just don't get on and row. I have a purpose in what I do and mix things up. During the colder months I do long rows of at least 45 minutes to burn more calories and get in the fat-burning zone. Stay with it and the extra calories really add up for more weight loss. By not rowing too hard I lose fat weight (mostly) rather than burn myself out and lose muscle mass. The challenges are a good way to push yourself. I also take rest periods occasionally to avoid overtraining. When the weather gets warmer - I do outside stuff that lets me see sunlight (makes me feel better) and gives me exercise.
3. Eat properly. Notice I didn't say diet? Diets don't work permanently. They make you feel like crap due to low energy. I eat three regular small meals a day and snack in the mid-morning and afternoon. I also have a snack prior to bedtime. Iit keeps my sugar levels normal and I don't crash. This prevents me from binging. So rather than eat all of my calories at three large meals, I eat similar amounts of food voer five-six meals. Theoretically, if one eats the same amount of calories over six meals rather than three, your body will burn more calories metabolising the food. Maybe not a whole lot of calories, but they do add up.
4. reward myself when I stick with it - yep - I purcahse something I don't need. Not expensive - just a reward for doing well.

Stay with it for at least three months. That's when other people start noticing a difference in how you LOOK and say: "are you losing weight or working out? - great incentive to losing wieight.

You will also noitice the difference in how your clothes feel. Funny, how you can find nicer clothes in the store when you lose weight!! Take things one day at a time and don't beat up on yourself if you don't lose as fast as you like. Lose a little at a time and you will see success. Sucess breeds ever more success.

Good luck and visit here on occasion to let us know how you are doing. It is a good incentive for all of us..

[mccartjt]

Hi everyone

Thanks for the general words of encouragement. I'm 45-50lbs over weight gained over 10 years. My left knee has issues and I 'm trying to get those issues resolved with stem cell therapy. So far its going good. I can't work out as hard as I'd like as the arthritis can get sore. I figure having read the above I'll just consistantly do a moderate pace of rowing and see where I am 3 months from now. I should be into smaller pants sizes. I have a wardrobe full of beautiful suits with which to go out in with my wife. Hey Summer is coming up and we all like to look good for Summer right!

Good luck and thanks again for the encouragement.

John M

[Ducatista]

Hey Summer is coming up and we all like to look good for Summer right!

And now is the exact right time to be thinking about summer. There's nothing worse than the sudden realization on May 15 that swimsuit season is right around the corner. This time of year, you can still do something about it!

[nchasan]

[quote="laupi"]

What do you think? What is wrong with what I do?

My advise is to stop standing on a scale!

Eat regularly, exercise regularly, and increase the intensity as much as you can.

N

[raymond.botha]

Arnold Schwantzenegger always said the body cycles weight loss. You may see no progress for 2 weeks and then BAM, a new you ! I've found you need to concentrate on the basics and let the body sort itself out.

I don't follow people who recommend deleting healthy food like rice, potatoes from ones diet. I'll bet thats not what put the weight on in the first place. I don't believe anyone can get drastically out of shape by eating at meal times. Its the in between meal snacks and sugar that hurt.

Good wholesome food and regular exercise work well for me. The only thing I don't eat is sugar and I really enjoy food and cooking more than ever.

Another break through for me was personally deciding what weigh was right for me. You don't need to have a six pack to feel healthy and fit.

[grams]

It takes me 40 minutes of medium intensity rowing to get to the point where my body has used up the stored glycogen in my muscles and begins to break down some fat for more energy. I can tell when this happens because I feel a dip in energy about then.

For me to lose weight I have to have rowing sessions of 45 minutes or longer every other day. I keep a bottle of 'Dex4' glucose tablets by the rower and have 1 or 2 at about 30 minutes. That gets me through the dip at 40 minutes and I can keep at it for another 30 minutes. (with music of course)

Keep your diet healthy, more protein and fruits-veggies and less carbs. Row before you eat. You need protein to build the muscles you are getting. The calorie count thing is really important. I went down to 1600 calories a day in order to lose weight. As long as I don't eat fatty foods I do fine, but eating fat makes me really hungry. I think its a holdover from caveman days. My body says 'We made a kill! Time to stock up on body fat!'

Remember, muscles weigh more than fat but they look a million times better.

Oh yeah, what is your drag factor & stroke rate? Ergs in gyms typically have their drag factor adjustor set to 10 and folks get on and row at about 30 strokes per second. C2 reccommends the lever set at 3-3 1/2. Try doing a stroke rate of 20 -22 and rowing strapless. Increase from 30 minutes to 45-60 minutes incrementally. Let us know how it goes

grams