My New Erg Adventure for Weight Loss and Health!

[IMHester]

Hello All:

Well, I've definitely had some setbacks. I got the erg and hit the ground running, but got sick a few weeks ago now I'm having motivational issues getting as far as getting back into a groove and regular routine. Didn't start the BPP yet as I definitely do not feel ready for it.

I'm glad to see you guys are keeping at it - that is the motivation that I need!

Better late than never right?

[smwoodburn]

Hello All:

Well, I've definitely had some setbacks. I got the erg and hit the ground running, but got sick a few weeks ago now I'm having motivational issues getting as far as getting back into a groove and regular routine. Didn't start the BPP yet as I definitely do not feel ready for it.

I'm glad to see you guys are keeping at it - that is the motivation that I need!

Better late than never right?

Chris,

I know all too well about not feeling motivated to row and keeping myself in the groove of things. I would suggest that you find a way to make yourself start each session. I would play mind games with myself, telling myself that I was just going to get started and if I felt like stopping, I would. Then after completing a portion of the workout, I would convince myself that I had already done x amount and that finishing was within my ability. Getting dressed and getting to your rower is sometimes the hardest mental obstacle. Everyone has to find their own game to play. The first hurdle is to experience some weight loss, after that, the weight loss itself becomes the best motivator. I have continued to execute the Pete Plan after finishing the Beginner Pete Plan. There are many days that i don't want to get at it, but I continue to get up there and sit down on the rower. I am always happy that I did once I get into it. Keep it up and good luck with getting started again.

Steve

[hepting]

Hello All:

Well, I've definitely had some setbacks. I got the erg and hit the ground running, but got sick a few weeks ago now I'm having motivational issues getting as far as getting back into a groove and regular routine. Didn't start the BPP yet as I definitely do not feel ready for it.

I'm glad to see you guys are keeping at it - that is the motivation that I need!

Better late than never right?

Chris,

I agree with Steve's suggestion. Just getting on an starting is more than half the battle. Don't worry about speed or distance - just get on, relax and row a bit. Then tomorrow maybe a bit more or maybe throw in 20 harder strokes. You will not regret the efforts, and I bet you will find you will go longer and faster day by day....

Hang in there! You have lots of support here. looking forward to hearing about your progress!

[jprisbrey]

RE back pain -- make sure you check your damper setting. I find that rowing on 10 can be really hard on your back. Rowing on a lower setting feels easy at first, but trust me, you can still get your heart rate up and burn calories. Plus, I think you lower your chance of injury.

For more information see http://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/t ... etting-101

-- Jeff

[IMHester]

Thanks all for the kind words! I've rowed a few times the past month and I'm now ready to get back on. Completed the CTC and it felt good - very tough to maintain the stroke rate which I have never focused on. I very much appreciate the support and advice and I'm going to take it. Just going to focus to get back on and row a little each day. Not sure why I completely stopped for a bit since I bought the erg because I know this is the one machine that I can workout as much as I want without fear of injury.

I know I have it in me to get some great workouts in so that's what I want to build upon once again.

I'm determined to make this thread a great success story!

[IMHester]

BPP Week 1 Reflection:

Completed BPP Week 1 last week and I've started week 2. Taking advice from you folks that suggested focusing on just getting through the longer workouts. I'm definitely doing that and I'm confident that I can get through this! Week 24 happens to be the last week of December so that I'm making it my goal for the rest of the year!

My paces are less than desirable but I'm not going to focus on that aspect, at least for the first few weeks.

[edinborogh]

BPP Week 1 Reflection:

Completed BPP Week 1 last week and I've started week 2. Taking advice from you folks that suggested focusing on just getting through the longer workouts. I'm definitely doing that and I'm confident that I can get through this! Week 24 happens to be the last week of December so that I'm making it my goal for the rest of the year!

My paces are less than desirable but I'm not going to focus on that aspect, at least for the first few weeks.

for long sessions, dont worry about your pace. make sure you are working on a steady heart rate of around 60%-65% of your max power to encourage fat burn, and leaving you with enough energy for the upcoming sessions.

i would also take the shorter sessions not at max power. i would just set an achievable pace and focus on maintaining it with a moderate negative split with in the sessions themselves.
those are only my two cents and things that are working for me. i have been at the same weight range for two months but noticed my body fat percentage reducing.
i have introduced PP bits as HIIT components and added some weight lifting - all with the scope of coontinuing losing weight..

[calalli]

Chris, I agree with edinborough, don't worry about pace or times as much as staying in it. Find your heart rate thresholds and stay at the lower thresholds for a bit. You have been through several start/stops. I think you would be better off just racking up the meters at a slow and steady rate and not leaving yourself dreading the workout tomorrow. Good Luck with your mission, weight loss is possible with the erg but the most important part is just slow steady meters.

[edinborogh]

Chris, I agree with edinborough, don't worry about pace or times as much as staying in it. Find your heart rate thresholds and stay at the lower thresholds for a bit. You have been through several start/stops. I think you would be better off just racking up the meters at a slow and steady rate and not leaving yourself dreading the workout tomorrow. Good Luck with your mission, weight loss is possible with the erg but the most important part is just slow steady meters.

hey Calalli,
i think that with the scope Steve has in mind, meaning losing weight, long sessions alone are not enough.
i have "erged" without knowing what im doing and without being able to do a continues 2K for the first few months and lost a lot of weight.
then i had a wall and my weight wouldnt move down, so i started long sessions. that worked amazingly, and 10 months after starting with 84Kg, i am now oscillating between 68-69Kg. my weight thou has not moved ( again ) during the last two months and i got really disappointed and demotivated.

i added weights and SkiErging, and although my weight is STILL the same, my body fat percentage is ( slowly ) coming down. 2 months ago it was 23% and now at 17%.

my conclusion from my experience so far, is that you need to incorporate -
long sessions at 60%-65% effort on the erg,
weights to increase muscle muss and there for metabolic rate ( while eating the same so helping with caloric deficit ),
SkyErg that for me serves as HIIT - high intensity intervals

i hope to reach my target weight which is 65Kg. im not that far off of it, but i am so very far at the same time...

[hjs]

Chris, I agree with edinborough, don't worry about pace or times as much as staying in it. Find your heart rate thresholds and stay at the lower thresholds for a bit. You have been through several start/stops. I think you would be better off just racking up the meters at a slow and steady rate and not leaving yourself dreading the workout tomorrow. Good Luck with your mission, weight loss is possible with the erg but the most important part is just slow steady meters.

No, its food and food only. For very heavy people going low carb is often the only solution. Training helps, but even without training loosing weight is perfectly possible.
I am in the us atm and it never stops amazing me how bad the food is over here.

Same in the aeroplane, low fat, low protein, religieus bullshit etc etc, everything is possible, but low carb whole foods.... Forget about it.

[calalli]

Diet is the most important factor of course. I guess I was going with the assumption that Chris and others looking to lose weight are looking after that. Henry I think the low carb approach is best as well. I have lost 60 lbs since March and my diet has been mostly protein all along.

For training, I think that Chris has had several start / stop cycles. My point was that he needs to not push too hard at first and just build up to it. The first step is to create a fitness habit, and get the body used to doing some kind of work on a regular basis. Personally building up from 15 min, to 20 and 30 minute sessions without a PM , on a cheap rower was probably key to getting started. I didn't know how little work I was really doing but I got in the habit of rowing every day. It does no good to push too hard for a week, start making excuses to not train and then a month goes by before you get back to it. I even used the term exercising as opposed to working out or training; a less strenuous connotation to keep my expectations lower at first.

Once I had the habit, I bought a C2, started on the BPP and have been progressing with the structured program. I also do a circuit training program each morning so I am training twice a day. I have lost a lot of weight but still have 30 lbs to go for my target. Like you edinborough, the weight loss has slowed but I still see body fat % declining so I am not too stressed about it, it will come as long as I continue to work.

I guess if I were speaking to Chris face to face, I would say get your food intake right, eliminate the bad carbs and find a level of training that you will stay with for 4-6 weeks. After that you will have the habit and can build from there.

[hjs]

Diet is the most important factor of course. I guess I was going with the assumption that Chris and others looking to lose weight are looking after that. Henry I think the low carb approach is best as well. I have lost 60 lbs since March and my diet has been mostly protein all along.

For training, I think that Chris has had several start / stop cycles. My point was that he needs to not push too hard at first and just build up to it. The first step is to create a fitness habit, and get the body used to doing some kind of work on a regular basis. Personally building up from 15 min, to 20 and 30 minute sessions without a PM , on a cheap rower was probably key to getting started. I didn't know how little work I was really doing but I got in the habit of rowing every day. It does no good to push too hard for a week, start making excuses to not train and then a month goes by before you get back to it. I even used the term exercising as opposed to working out or training; a less strenuous connotation to keep my expectations lower at first.

Really think he does not, nothing personal Chris, but to get really overweight eating habits must be very wrong. Training won,t fix that. Not training should be a habit, but getting the food right. If you just eat like everybody eats, you don,t get there. Very overweight people need a radicale change in eating.

[IMHester]

BPP Week 2 reflection: Completed 4 of the sessions and will complete the final session today after work. Feeling better each time about the workouts and since I've 'let go' of the notion of increasing my pace each time it has been kind of a liberating feeling. I know if I stay consistent the increased time will just happen. I'm confident that I have passed the psychological block of increasing the distances each week.

Thanks again all for re-emphasizing the importance of just getting through the workouts to be consistent. That is my main hurdle.

As far as the dieting goes, you are all very correct; not going to lose anything if I don't change what I put in my pie hole. What I put in my body (I was eating a donut as I read Henry's post this morning-yikes) needs to change. I have been doing this to myself for a very long time, so reversing it can't come overnight, but slowly. I injured my left knee about 15 years ago and couldn't do the sports I loved anymore (skiing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, and surfing) and didn't find other options and pretty much still ate and drank the high-carb foods. Without getting extremely personal, I will say I need to work on external influences such as food at work for potlucks and watching sports with friends where we drink copious amounts of beer and eat high-carb foods.

I know that the priorities for weight loss are as follows: #1-food intake #2-exercise. When I first purchased the erg in January I went from the 330s to 310s over a couple of months. I'm still at the 310s which I still see as a small improvement but know that I can go much farther if I just start out with at least making some minor changes.

No offense taken by the way - this is why I started the post - to get some honest input! Not much support here at home (except for my dear mother) since my buddies are all 'manly men' and we don't talk about things such as weight loss, etc.

[hjs]

The point with changing diet is, there is no slowly way. Read up on high fat, low carb, and when you are ready give that a serious go. Half/half does not work, its not about the calories, but the kind of calories.
Once on low carbs you will soon feel it for yourself, but that will take a few weeks to get going. If you make it thst far you already lost 25 pounds, mostly fluids which are now held by carbs.

And maybe just tell your mates at some point, and you can still snack, but make it meat snacks.

[edinborogh]

BPP Week 2 reflection: Completed 4 of the sessions and will complete the final session today after work. Feeling better each time about the workouts and since I've 'let go' of the notion of increasing my pace each time it has been kind of a liberating feeling. I know if I stay consistent the increased time will just happen. I'm confident that I have passed the psychological block of increasing the distances each week.

Thanks again all for re-emphasizing the importance of just getting through the workouts to be consistent. That is my main hurdle.

As far as the dieting goes, you are all very correct; not going to lose anything if I don't change what I put in my pie hole. What I put in my body (I was eating a donut as I read Henry's post this morning-yikes) needs to change. I have been doing this to myself for a very long time, so reversing it can't come overnight, but slowly. I injured my left knee about 15 years ago and couldn't do the sports I loved anymore (skiing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, and surfing) and didn't find other options and pretty much still ate and drank the high-carb foods. Without getting extremely personal, I will say I need to work on external influences such as food at work for potlucks and watching sports with friends where we drink copious amounts of beer and eat high-carb foods.

I know that the priorities for weight loss are as follows: #1-food intake #2-exercise. When I first purchased the erg in January I went from the 330s to 310s over a couple of months. I'm still at the 310s which I still see as a small improvement but know that I can go much farther if I just start out with at least making some minor changes.

No offense taken by the way - this is why I started the post - to get some honest input! Not much support here at home (except for my dear mother) since my buddies are all 'manly men' and we don't talk about things such as weight loss, etc.

hey Chris.
i feel so deep for you because what you are describing is strikingly similar to my case. diet change is harder the one might think.
i knew in order to become successful, i must lay out simple principles that will be easy for me to keep at them and not to starve, or get demotivated.

1. no more sugars - non in my coffee, non as soft drinks, non as in juice. basically - no sugar coffee and water are all im drinking now. giving up on fruit shakes and coke zero especially as i live in a tropical country with very hot and humid weather ( while im not from here originally ) was very hard.
2. lower intake of carbs - so no bread ( from everyday now its once a week ), no nuddels, no macaroni, no pizza ( the hardest for me ).
3. once a month, for a whole week ill eat only soup. i cant "fast" and i will not be able to even if i wanted to, so one week of soup.

you stated that priorities are first diest and then exercise. i want to suggest a different set of priorities if i may:
FIRST is making a decision. decide what your goal is and how to get to it. you can row once a week or twice a day - thats up to you, but decide and live the plan accordingly.
SECOND - a diet that you can commit to.
THIRD - your work out, like your diet, something you can sustain. this will help to monitor your positive progress.

i know its hard, i have my days of total depression and demotivation, but i tell my self that my long term gaols are more important then this minute of "down". you are strong and proven that before. i am sure you will get there.