Oh to have water...

[Cikan Vuz]

Hello all

I am a 54 yr female, who due to injuries was out of the gym since 1998. But I got tired of that, it is so boring not exercising and I really missed it. Before, I was in the gym and/or outside doing exercising or being physically active for 10 to 12 hours a day. Then I suffered a series of injuries, not exercise related that kept me from working out and being active, ranging from blowing out my knees to shattering a leg and having Causligia set in (which is was what kicked my a$$)

Anyhow, the weight kept piling on, no matter how little I ate cos I just was not active and I got sick of that. I weighed 224 when I first stepped back in the gym. :O

I joined my local LA Fitness because it had some Concept2 rowers and began going every morning, (well, not on weekends yet).

This is my logbook as of end of work-out today:
2014 Season
View Season Results Summary Stats Export CSV File Export CSV File Text Export Text Export Logbook Bar Chart Showing /15
Distance Time Avg/500m Status Date Age Weight Type Comments Edit Delete
21,097m 2:28:33.9 3:31.2 ranked 2014 8/16/2013 54 H indoor rower IND_V
7,608m 55:36.9 3:39.3 8/15/2013 54 H indoor rower
10,000m 1:05:56.9 3:17.8 ranked 2014 8/15/2013 54 H indoor rower
10,015m 1:09:05.9 3:26.9 8/14/2013 54 H indoor rower All but one workouts prior to this one and including this one had dampner set at 10.
4,000m 28:49.9 3:36.2 8/13/2013 54 H indoor rower
2,500m 15:05.9 3:01.1 8/13/2013 54 H indoor rower
1,000m 7:00.9 3:30.4 8/13/2013 54 H indoor rower
12,508m 1:28:35.9 3:32.5 8/13/2013 54 H indoor rower
20,053m 2:26:33.9 3:39.2 8/12/2013 54 H indoor rower
9,035m 1:00:00.9 3:19.2 8/9/2013 54 H indoor rower everything in moderation today
12,588m 1:20:00.9 3:10.6 8/8/2013 54 H indoor rower paddle day
6,000m 24:59.9 2:04.9 ranked 2014 8/7/2013 54 H indoor rower
18,286m 2:00:49.9 3:18.2 8/7/2013 54 H indoor rower Left Glute Cramped up at 1:28:00ish, had to slow from 27s/m to 20s/m to try to work past it but it stayed. I preservered
13,152m 1:30:00.9 3:25.3 8/6/2013 54 H indoor rower 2nd day back into gym after 13+ yr hiatus
6,000m 45:00.9 3:45.0 8/5/2013 54 H indoor rower 1st day back into gym after 13+ yr hiatus


So far, I have rowed 153,842meters in 17:26:13.5 time for the past two monday - fridays.

my result? I stepped on the scale today, and despite eating healthy and restricting my calories, I am up to 230 lbs! UGH!!!!!!

I drink and drink water but it is like my body is saying "oh heck no, I am keeping this for when you start to sweat it up again!"

Anyone else gain so much weight their first two weeks????

[brianh]

Three things that might be a factor when the weight on the scale changes, all other things equal, that a lot of people don't think about:
1) You might be more or less hydrated than the last time you stepped on
2) You might have more or less food matter in your digestive tract
3) Your electrolyte balance might be different, causing your body to hang onto more or less water in your system at a similar level of perceived hydration

Because of 1 and 2 I generally only check the scale after I've cleaned things out a bit, so to speak.

I also usually obnoxiously gain a few pounds when I start back up on an exercise regimen after slacking off. As far as I can tell it's generally a combination of my electrolyte balance along with a sharp uptake in water in general. I don't worry about it any more, because if I'm consistent for a month or two, I start to notice that I'm leaning out. As long as you're not cutting your calories so much that you go into starvation, and you allow enough recovery that your body doesn't go into a massive stress response, the calories in vs calories out aspect will take care of itself eventually.

[Bob S.]

If you can do a 6k in less than 25 minutes, all your other rows have been just light paddling and not likely to bring about weight loss.

Bob S.

[Cikan Vuz]

Ok, TY

&
I always row first thing in the morning, starting at 0530 hours and am "on empty" so to speak.

And I do try to keep it between 23 and 26 s/m; sometimes I stop and stretch so it knocks me down to 0 s/m for a minute or so and lowers that a tad, and I do intervals as well getting to 30 s/m sometimes, but not much BUT I am at my correct heart rate to burn fat given my age and weight.... but that 6k kicked my hiney and made me realize NOT to do that again for a very long time.... LOL ( I thought my heart would explode just to spite me)

I know I will gain some weight the first two weeks or some but never expects over 5 pounds... LOL

[Cikan Vuz]

... okay another newb question

so I know the proper form to row from my body-building days years ago, and I watched the videos here too as well as.

The gym I go to, when and if anyone gets on the rower, they are on it for 3 to 5 minutes tops, with damper set at 10 and have no form at all, and the "personal trainer" is not instructing them in form at all. I am amazed no one gets hurt. A guy today was pulling the bar all over the place, twisting it as he went along and I seriously thought he was going to end up bumping into me during his short row time. Plus, they do not go much faster than I am going ( I believe in long and steady with increased intervals). They do this and then get up and leave. (I used to also be a weight-room manager and personal trainer in my youth: I know techniques and ways of working out always change from fad to fad, but proper rowing form has remained the same as long as I have known of it and that is over 25 years...)

So, what are the benefits of rowing for 3 to 5 minutes at damper 10? and then going off and working on a weight machine or just going home? To me none, but as I said earlier, I been out of the gym since 98, so I am behind the times....

[Bob S.]

but that 6k kicked my hiney and made me realize NOT to do that again for a very long time.... LOL ( I thought my heart would explode just to spite me)

Yes, holding a 2:04.1 pace for 25 minutes can be tough for a lot of people. It is 180 watts. But the other pieces range from a pace of 3:01.1, 56 watts, to 3:45, 31 watts. A whopping difference. Surely there must be some suitable middle ground - like 2:20-2:30 for short pieces and 2:40-2:50 for long ones. Nowadays, I doubt if I could hold 2:04.1 for even a 500m, but have no trouble doing long pieces at 2:30-2:50.

Bob S.

[Bob S.]

So, what are the benefits of rowing for 3 to 5 minutes at damper 10? and then going off and working on a weight machine or just going home? To me none, but as I said earlier, I been out of the gym since 98, so I am behind the times....

Well, at least it has the benefit of leaving the machine open for someone that knows how to use it.

[Cikan Vuz]

Well, at least it has the benefit of leaving the machine open for someone that knows how to use it.

[tadis]

...
The gym I go to, when and if anyone gets on the rower, they are on it for 3 to 5 minutes tops, with damper set at 10 and have no form at all, and the "personal trainer" is not instructing them in form at all. I am amazed no one gets hurt....

We must go to the same gym.

[Cikan Vuz]

I wish! No one here has a clue about crew, sculling, or rowing. If you say crew, they think t-shirt, sculling, cutting some ones head off..., rowing, well only old people do that really slow around a lake while their love dangles her fingers in the water... I am serious... LOL

anyhow, I stepped it up today. I had things to do in the morning so only got a bit in, then went back later and did more in three different rows, I missed rowing another marathon length by 99 meters. I was a bit faster today too.

10,580m 1:05:07.9 3:04.6 8/19/2013 54 H indoor rower 10000m @ 1:01:01
3,006m 18:52.9 3:08.4 8/19/2013 54 H indoor rower
3,000m 15:35.9 2:35.9 8/19/2013 54 H indoor rower
4,412m 29:59.9 3:23.9 8/19/2013 54 H indoor rower

Honestly, I did have things to do this morning so I had to leave, but before I left, I went and weighed myself, hoping I lost a few pounds over the weekend as I did the NO S diet and only consumed 1500 calories each day... But NOOOOoooooo, I gained 3 pounds !!! le sigh....

[Cikan Vuz]

Well, I have been keeping my calories below 1300 daily (log em on myfitnesspal) and I have been rowing 5 times a week; today I hit the 475k mark (began rowing on weekends only after a 13 yr hiatus on 8/5/13)

I haven't weighed myself since 8/22 when I stepped on a scale to find I gained 11 pounds' a trainer said it is due to my body-building past and muscle memory.... I still say UGH to that!) LOL I plan to step on the scales again on 10/1 and see what they say.

I can't look in the mirror after a work-out cos I look even bigger ( muscles pumped with water and nutrients) I did measure my arm one day after a work-out and then again the next morning before I even got out of bed and there was a 3/4" difference with my arm smaller inthe morning than after a workout.

I got a heart monitor and I know I am working out while in the 65% to 75% zone.

My youngest says I am losing weight, but I don't see it though my clothes are being to fit differently and I can feel and see my muscles again.

It is frustrating, but it did not take me a month to get this way, I know the road back will be a long one but I am up to the journey.

I did a marathon this past Tuesday; sure it took me longer than it should but I was doing great time wise until a friend sat down on the rower next to me to encourage me to keep going ( like I was going to quit...) Anyhow, we started talking so of course, I had to slow for her conversations, and that lasted about an hour.

Still, I have improved from my beginning average s/m of 3:30 to 2:45, and even though I have disabilities in my legs, I now can do sprints , reaching 2:06. Plus I feel better and weird, but my skin even feels better.

Today, a young gal, probably about 20 came and sat down as I was winding down after rowing for 2 hours straight and was on my last 3000m to reach the 475k mark and she acted like she was all that and I was nothing. I just rowed my normal rate and within a minute she was groaning and had to stop using her legs and was just paddling for about 3 minutes, then she tried to do keep up with me again but I was just beginning a power 25 ( as I call it) 30 seconds in, she got up and walked away....
People laugh at me for being on the rower so long daily, but they sure as heck can't keep up with me, at least no one has so far. I was rowing with a young man last week and after 20 minutes he was done; I teased him he still had 20k to go and he said "no way, you smoke me every time" LOL

So I am improving; the mirror is just not letting me see the results I want yet, but I shall persevere.

[ArmandoChavezUNC]

A few points

- As has already been mentioned, if you can do a 6k at 2:04 pace, rowing for hours at at a pace over 3:00 minutes probably isn't burning anywhere near as many calories as you think

- When someone, overweight or not, that has not exercised in a while begins to exercise, they put on substantial water weight. It's a normal reaction from your body to the "injury" you are causing to those previously un-used muscles. They swell up with fluid and consequently your weight goes up. This eventually takes care of itself and is perfectly normal.

- If you weigh 230 lbs, eating 1,300 calories is a recipe for disaster, especially if you are exercising daily. Truly a bad idea.

-

[Cikan Vuz]

Well, today was the end of 5 weeks or rowing, weekdays only. Since I am buying a rower, today was my last day at the gym hence last day with a scale around so I stepped onto that scale after my 2 hours of rowing, soaking wet and on full (of water and such) and after gaining a total of 12 pounds at the end of the first two weeks, I now have lost 16 pounds, so I AM doing something right after-all. =])

[gregsmith01748]

Keep doing the right things and eventually good things happen. Congratulations on the "sudden" weight loss.

Seriously, when I was trying to lose weight, I found so much variation in day to day weight that the only way I could see a trend was to weigh myself at exactly the same time of day, every day, in the same hunger state, and just having gone to the bathroom. I would still see a 2 to 3 pound variation from day to day, which seemed mainly correlated to what I had eaten the day before. Salty foods seemed to cause water retention and temporary weight gain.

But by doing it daily and graphing it I was able to see a clear trend through the noise. It also made stepping on the scale a routine instead of intimidating experience. I know some folks think exactly the opposite, that you should weigh yourself infrequently, but I feel like my way worked well me, and would for others, especially if they are an analytical type.

[Cikan Vuz]

THANKS!!!!

That scale was pi... um, making me mad, so I ignored it. But 3 weeks later, it showed me that all my efforts are starting to work so YEA!

I ordered my rower for at home today; hoping this time next week I won't be going to the gym anymore but rowing at home =])

I do not have a scale at home; never have and relied on the mirror but then 2 years in a wheelchair and depression to where I just stopped looking in the mirror, well it (weight) crept up faster than Christmas does every year LOL

Glad I am back on track and I a glad for help and advice.

SO Thanks again!