Middle-aged Fat Man Just Got Rower

[WillyB]

Just received my new Concept Model D rower. I'm 44 years old, 304 lbs, and ready to drop about 100 pounds. Did my first 5 minute row this morning and wow am I out of shape. Any suggestions for a man my size to ramp up on the rowing?

[Citroen]

Try the Concept2 interactive weightloss programme http://www.concept2.co.uk/weightloss/interactive.php

You're 21st 10lb in our funny Imperial weights and measures (it's the break away from that system that you're celebrating today).

You're 138.2Kg in that funny French system.
A 100lb weight loss is 45.35Kg.

[Storm Petrel]

If you smoke, quit.
Eat clean.
Stick to it for the long haul.

"Fitness is a journey, not a destination." Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH, Cooper Aerobic Center

[tbartman]

WillyB,

Congratulations on your starting a new life! I'm in Montgomery (just north of Cincinnati), so we're practically neighbors. Keep in mind that when things are tough, you have lots of support out here - post to the board and we'll all lift you up.

This will cheer you too - I lost 76 pounds in 9 months (261# last October, 185# now). I'm 6'3" and 39 years old, and the appoaching 40th birthday motivated me to change my life.

All I did was rowing (about 40-45 minutes about 4 times a week - you'll work up to it, don't worry), and intentionally rowing in the evening when I used to sit on the couch and pig out. The double whammy of exercise and no longer eating family-sized bags of Doritos in one sitting did the trick.

All my previous attempts at dieting never worked because I never added exercise, so you've done the most important thing by getting that rower. Is there a dietary hurdle as well that you can cross?

Back to the rowing - for weight loss we are looking at long rows at moderate intensity. Can you do 5-10 minutes at a pace of 2:20-2:30? If not, aim for that first. Once you can, gradually add the minutes and pick up the pace - a little each week. Before you know it you'll be doing 40-45 minutes at 2:05-2:10 (which is 10 kilometers), and the weight will fly off. You're biggest gains will come in the beginning if you stick with it.

Again, keep posting to let us know how it is going. I'll be out of town for the next week, but I'll check back with you when I get back.

Tom

p.s. you'll need to find a way to not get bored on the rower (I watch ESPN with the sound muted while listening to my iPod through the stereo); and you'll need to give yourself rewards along the way (I allowed myself to buy a new album on iTunes each month to add to my workout playlist).

[timmyj]

congrats on your rower and getting on track with weightloss. I went from 248 to 205 with my C2 (about 1 pound per week was my average weightlos) so if you stick with it, you will see results. Just remember that weightloss success is largly what you DO NOT put in your mouth. Rowing is great for us Rhinos who are not designed for running and such, just be consistent and the success will come.

One last piece of advice for all it is worth (I stole this quote, I did not make it up myself and when I can remember who I stole it from I will post their name and give them credit):

"We are practicing commitment. Commitment spawns success. Only by redoubling our efforts do we best succeed. Expecting success to motivate our efforts is the loser's gambit."

[janni2525]

I'm glad to be here reading stories of how people are keeping in shape. What I noticed as I got older is that my body is made for these types of exercises. I use to be a body builder, but when I began to get sicker of asthma I decided to tone down my way of exercising. I stuck with aerobics like walking. A few months ago I got a rowing machine and have been using it. It has worked so far. Last month I lost 5 pounds. I'm also experiencing menopause which is filling me up with water gain. It's so difficult to not be able to close my pants the way I want to, but I will keep at rowing as much as I can. I hope to learn more about all of your experiences here as you all lose all the weight. Take care. Norma

[duckrunner]

...LOL just barked a Big Chris on his thread for calling himself middle aged!!!...I suppose 44 might be coming into zone.......I have led a full an active life to date, although the last 18 months saw my weight increase to 260 lbs. I was travelling through India, Far East, Australia and finally here in NZ for a while..to many delicious meals with rice and local beers!!!!

Having been a Royal Marine for 30 years, I have always been fit and played Rugby, Soccer, and took part in long distance canoe marathons(125 Miles).....knees are knackered one has been replaced.

I will be 60 next July and recognised that I am NOW middle aged. I bought a C2E, (no gyms available locally to me).....I downloaded a C2 weight loss program... and started on 28th August this year. I have erged before but never for more than 5k and only used that as a warm up for crosstrainer and weights program.

The results for me have been superb so far. To date i have lost 30 pounds and my times and distances are good and improving. I joined the Free Spirits Online Rowing Club and get great motivation and support from some rowers posting very quick times. Great bunch of people.

My training goes hand in hand with diet, here in NZ there is a wide variety of fresh fish and lean meat with great salad veg and other veggies. Out has gone all booze for the duration of the program. No bread and no rice. Guts and determination is all a part of C2 erging, just transfer some of that to diet. The results are worth it.

I do no weights at present, may use some later...but for now the erge only is working for me. Dont worry about pace too much, comes with with increased use of the erge, increased fitness and weight loss.

Before you know it you will be out of breath slumped on the floor from doing a fast 5k rather than getting up from in front of the telly to get another beer and a face full of fattening snacks.

If you are going to have a heart attack..have it getting a PB ...LMAO...only joking.... take care and good luck...

Chris NZ

[hawnet]

Hi WillyB.

I too am new to the rower and have been rowing approx 9 weeks. I have shed 21lbs so far and still have another 21 to go---i love rowing, it is getting a bit easier but gains are hard. I cannot believe the times that some 60 year olds are putting in compared to my slow times, BUT I'm loving it, 6 times a week in the gym, my big old belly getting smaller, my lungs getting used to searching for air, AND i'm gonna go on for ages.

Keep at it, you've probably got a useless rowing style like mine but hey it will get better, keep at it WillyB keep going.



I started at 18 stone....I'm 16st 7lbs now...... 5'9" tall.....49 years old.

[rcotton]

Congratulations on your new life style! The best word of advice I can give you is to stick with it. I for one am all too familiar with starting out strong and then petering out. Don't be surprised if the weight comes off at different rates at different times. I have found over time that I might not be losing weight but that I am losing inches. That is because with exercise you are building muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. So, in addition to watching the scale try using a tape measure to see how big around you are at the waist, on your upper arm and around your upper thigh. Then look at those measures again in a few weeks and see the difference! Build up gradually and listen to your body if you are feeling sluggish or tired. Just keep doing it!

[Claymore]

Hey there - another oversized 40+ here.

I just got my Model E two weeks ago, and I'm slowly but surely gaining confidence with my stroke. I just want to make sure I do it right so I don't hurt myself and get frustrated.

I played college soccer in the 80's, injured my knee (ACL tear) shortly after, and started packing in the pounds. Twenty years of an office job and little physical conditioning have taken their toll.

I need to lose about 40 pounds to get to my ideal body weight of 180, but I want to do this slow and easy so I can get it off and keep it off - no binge exercising and dieting like those unfortunate souls on The Biggest Loser.

I faithfully keep an on-line log, so if anyone would like to partner with me, let me know.

[logdoc]

Willy old fat guys can do this too. I know cause I am one.
At 59 and 305 I got my rower out of the basement, oiled the chain and said I needed to dump some weight. I used to be a tournement racket ball player but the knees went and the wrist went and I got lazy. The rower supplimented the racket ball. Now down to 297 pretty quick with a modest diet switch: started watching portions especially of red meat and upped the veggies and fruit. I used to able to row 10k meters at a time (60lbs ago) best so far on the return leg of the journey is 5500m. You'll get to that. Be patient. I bought an old TV, and plugged in my head phones on the front to watch DVDs. I subscribed to netflix and am working my way through all the academy award movies. I can go a lot further is I don't pay attention to the meter counter.

[grams]

First timers usually start out with the damper adjustment all the way up tp 10. The ideal setting is around 3 or 4. Check the forum for other tips too. Rowing at 10 can be really hard on your back and not good for morale either.

Also, try to keep the stroke rate about 20.

A wiley old plump lady

grams

[RKB]

I decided to start a more intense exercise program at the first of the year and went to the local univ gym. Bad knees from a life of mt. climbing, skiing and long distance hiking had slowed me down and caused me to "grow" to 255lb. I'm 6'1" and 53 and the goal is to get below 200lb.. I had used the C2 model B a few years ago and decided to jump on one of the C2E units. For a number of reasons (the bad knees) it really hit my sweet spot and I decided to buy a C2D. It has already made a huge difference in how I feel. I'm getting much stronger going from 2:35/500m to 2:15 the last couple of days and doing over 10K/day by rowing both morning and evening. My total is over 70K meters in just two weeks. I now come home from work and the only thing on my mind is to grab the handle and start pulling. It is addicting and something that I know I can do for the rest of my life. This forum is also a motivating factor. Thanks everyone!

[thomaspinckney]

Great posts. I too am rowing to lose weight and for good overall health. I have lost a total of 55 pounds with 27 of those pounds coming off since the day before Thanksgiving. I have 35 pounds to go. Here are a couple of things I have done:

1. went to my doctor. He did blood tests (they can really tell what sort of shape your heart is in) & sent me to a nutritionist (educated me). I have changed my eating habits. Not a diet, but a (hopefully) permanent lifestyle change. Diets are only temporary and you cannot stay on a fad diet permanently. If you MUST DIET (rather than a permanent lifestyle change) Be VERY CAREFUL as to what sort of diet you are on. Some can be quite harmful to your internal organs.
2. lift weights (join a gym as an incentive) - you may not lose weight as fast (due to additional muscle tissue that weighs more than fat) - but you will be leaner. KEY: Muscle (at rest) burns more calories than fat. It also is important to work your entire body and have a plan that preventls muscle imbalances (can cause injuries).
3. For a while I had a personal trainer (your gym may provide one for free). Most people that make appointments show up. If you show up you WILL work out. the hard part about working out at a gym is showing up. I would rather spend the money for a personal trainer than on medical bills.
4. Cross train to avoid overtraining. The erg is a wonderful tool. It works your entire body. You can also do other things that work your entire body (cross country skiers, etc). Alternate those each day and you will hit your entire body "differently" to avoid overtraining. Use your aerobic activity to warm up for your weight sessions - it saves time.
5. I've also discovered that weight loss REALLY picks up if you row about 45 minutes or more.
6. Stretch after you work out - flexiblity will prevent you from getting hurt.

I also looked around on the Concept II website for coaches. They are listed by state. Find one to teach you to row properly. Your efficiency WILL pick up if you follow their lead. If you have to pay for it, it is well worth it.

Prior to my exercise program I felt lousy all of the time. Slept badly with sleep apnea and snoring. Now that I have lost weight & work out, I sleep better (no snoring, seldom wake up in the middle of night) & it appears that the sleep apnea has gone.

Hope this helps - good luck. Tom

[Birkyboy]

This Thread started with a Post by Willie on July 4th last year.

Wonder if he STUCK with it?

Guess not with that being the only post..

Would be nice to know how he got on.