My New Erg Adventure for Weight Loss and Health!

[jimmy1]

Welcome! Sounds like a few of my twins on here lol although 1100 cal/day is grossly under what a semi-active 200 lb guy needs imo. Went from 230 to 190 on about 2500 cal/day over 40 weeks using myfitnesspal. Started the erg in nov 5x week but rather random in my approach -- some short intervals, some long. At the beginning 5k (even 2K) seemed like running a marathon but things are improving... getting about 20k a week in.

Moving forward, I'm also looking for something a bit more formal if you stumble into something. The PP sounds much too ambitious.... https://darkhorserowing.com/ has been a great resource.

Agree, if you are pretty actice, 1100 cal is nothing, eating so little will cause muscle loss.

And its not so important how much you eat, but what you eat. Drastic lowering carb intake but on the other hand upping fat and protein intake will keep bloodsugarlevels stable, which is very important for both weightloss and developing a "normal" eating patern. Carbs do cause bloodglucose peaks followed by lows, giving false eating signals.

Drastic lower carbs and that will go away.

Agree. I recognize everyone has an opinion on weight loss methods.... my two cents is the belief you must eat calories to burn calories. 1100 for an active 200 lb guy runs the real risk of actually slowing down the body's metabolism. That is near starvation levels. Lower than virtually any professional would recommend. Google "adaptive thermogenesis."

[dpetzko]

Agree, if you are pretty actice, 1100 cal is nothing, eating so little will cause muscle loss.

110+ grams of protein/day (about 40% of daily calories) plus exercise is designed to counteract the potential muscle loss. It seems to be working OK. Balance of calories is equally split between carbs and fat. I'm doing a physician-monitored program because I needed to loose the weight quickly for other reasons. When I reach my goal weight, I'll be back to a more balanced macronutrient mix and maintenance calorie intake. I'm not advocating 1100 cal/day for the OP. He'll need to figure out what sort of calorie deficit he needs to achieve his weight loss goals.

Dave

[IMHester]

Welcome! Sounds like a few of my twins on here lol although 1100 cal/day is grossly under what a semi-active 200 lb guy needs imo. Went from 230 to 190 on about 2500 cal/day over 40 weeks using myfitnesspal. Started the erg in nov 5x week but rather random in my approach -- some short intervals, some long. At the beginning 5k (even 2K) seemed like running a marathon but things are improving... getting about 20k a week in.

Moving forward, I'm also looking for something a bit more formal if you stumble into something. The PP sounds much too ambitious.... https://darkhorserowing.com/ has been a great resource.

Agree, if you are pretty actice, 1100 cal is nothing, eating so little will cause muscle loss.

And its not so important how much you eat, but what you eat. Drastic lowering carb intake but on the other hand upping fat and protein intake will keep bloodsugarlevels stable, which is very important for both weightloss and developing a "normal" eating patern. Carbs do cause bloodglucose peaks followed by lows, giving false eating signals.

Drastic lower carbs and that will go away.

Thank you Jimmy! Sounds like I'm where you are at with the workouts - I'm doing some random workouts, I get the daily workout email from C2 but at this point I'm barely able to complete the 'short' workout. I just completed the CTC for this month and entered my data in - boy oh boy do I have some room for improvement! I love that there are different challenges and C2's logbook work very well for me, especially the instant updates after posting a workout.

I definitely agree with you two: I really need to start up again on myfitnesspal. I had a plate of Chinese food last night (my main weakness) and I couldn't image what that would register! Ignorance is bliss right? Henry has a great point about the 1100 cal intake. I know that I wouldn't be able to do that.

We had a competition at my old job a few years ago where I lost 60 lbs in a 3 month period. That was 5 years ago and now I'm back up to 310 lbs. I was extremely disciplined back then so I know I've got it in me. This was part of the reason I got my own erg last month; during that time when I lost all the weight my favorite piece of the gym equipment was the Model D. I was impressed with the 'beating' that machine took on a daily basis from me and lots of others. I have a permanent knee disability which limits what I can do, but the erg of course has hardly any impact or threat of my knee failing and me falling. I'm focusing my exercise routine around the erg for the long term. I don't have much time to go to the gym since I typically work 10-12 hours per day. I love having my own erg and have been using it before and after work and definitely have more energy.

I have bouts of sleep apnea as well but recently went to a sleep center in town where they fitted me with a retainer/appliance for my mouth that slightly moves my jaw forward to allow more air in and I have to say I don't wake up gasping anymore and feel like I had a full-night's sleep.

I have a short term goal of limiting my caloric intake at the least during the work week as well as getting up to a point where I can get a 30-60 minute workout (erg, biking, and weight lifting) at least 5 times per day. I love my adult beverages during the weekend and watching sports and hanging out with friends and there is always of course good food around if there is a party. I was able to shed those 60 lbs and came up with a meal plan that worked for me. Once the competition was over, I kept it going but gradually fell off the wagon so to speak.

Long term goal is of course to lose weight through permanent and healthy food choices and also work towards becoming an elite rower!

To summarize my 'short story' here, before I got my erg last month I had no idea of the forums, teams, challenges and the indoor rowing community existed and I'm thankful for all of the kind words and advice from you all. It will definitely keep me on track because I love to see results and improvement! Another testament to myfitnesspal. My friends are supportive, but aren't at the in my situation so it's great to talk to people that have gone through it and love the erg as much as I do.

I'm looking forward to contributing to the team and eventually becoming an elite rower!

[jimmy1]

Moving forward, I'm also looking for something a bit more formal if you stumble into something. The PP sounds much too ambitious....

Try the beginner Pete Plan:
https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/

Thanks. I am going to give it a go. Bit concerned over the climb to 12,000m! but a couple months ago 5k seemed nearly impossible. My inclination is to go hard for shorter durations but I'll change the mindset and slow things down for some long duration pieces. 50 minutes is a long time to sit on that thing....

[IMHester]

Very Good Sir!

This morning I just did a 25 minute workout and got above 4300m, which is the longest time yet on the erg for me! I didn't kill myself during the exercise - I'm focusing on just getting to a comfortable pace for a 30 minute workout for before and after work workouts. I did however go for a personal best on the 500m piece and just went from 3 mins to 2 mins. Just was curious to see if I have made any progress. The CTC challenge was well, a challenge! I completed it last night and was very tough. I'm one of the last on the list but glad I completed it nonetheless.

Keep up the good work man!

[smwoodburn]

Moving forward, I'm also looking for something a bit more formal if you stumble into something. The PP sounds much too ambitious....

Try the beginner Pete Plan:
https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/

The Beginner Pete Plan is an excellent program for those wanting to lose the weight. I started rowing for the first time the last week of September of 2016. I just completed week 21 of the 24 week Beginner Pete Plan this morning. I have done all of the workouts each week and have been religious about not missing a day. If I have to miss due to something unforeseen, I make it up. I have also started watching my portion sizes. So far, I am down 35 pounds. Started at 240 and am sitting at about 205. My goal for the program was to get below 200, so I have a few more weeks to go. I ended last year with a half-marathon, and am planning on rowing a full marathon when I complete the plan. My million meter pin is only 90K away.

Steve

[IMHester]

That is awesome Steve!

I'll have to look into the Pete plan, I've seen a lot of references to it. Congrats on the HM and good luck with the FM!

[smwoodburn]

That is awesome Steve!

I'll have to look into the Pete plan, I've seen a lot of references to it. Congrats on the HM and good luck with the FM!

Chris,

One other thing that I started doing was working out to a heart rate on some of my longer workouts. I bought a heart rate strap and chose workouts, mainly the longer rows, and maintained a heart rate at the top of my aerobic training zone and maintained it. Sometimes this meant working out at a level well beneath what I felt I could pull, but I just slowed down and maintained that steady heart rate. This allowed me to enter into a zone where I could just keep going and going. The benefits of this are well documented and allows you to get a great workout without feeling the need to replenish like you feel when you go all out. Good luck with your training and be sure to post your progress.

Steve

[jimmy1]

That is awesome Steve!

I'll have to look into the Pete plan, I've seen a lot of references to it. Congrats on the HM and good luck with the FM!

Chris,

One other thing that I started doing was working out to a heart rate on some of my longer workouts. I bought a heart rate strap and chose workouts, mainly the longer rows, and maintained a heart rate at the top of my aerobic training zone and maintained it. Sometimes this meant working out at a level well beneath what I felt I could pull, but I just slowed down and maintained that steady heart rate. This allowed me to enter into a zone where I could just keep going and going. The benefits of this are well documented and allows you to get a great workout without feeling the need to replenish like you feel when you go all out. Good luck with your training and be sure to post your progress.

Steve

This has been the most difficult thing for me to grasp. Every inclination is to go hard and finish gasping for breath, dizzy and feeling nauseous -- the no pain/no gain thinking. After a few months it was burning me out. I've decided to do the beginner plan with (for me) incredibly long rows in store and have decided to drastically reduce exertion level. Just maintain a heart rate and settle in for the duration. Perhaps one or two short, hard interval days a week for grins. Will see. Disappointing to see my times increasing but I don't dread the long workouts as much as I was beginning to.

[IMHester]

That is awesome Steve!

I'll have to look into the Pete plan, I've seen a lot of references to it. Congrats on the HM and good luck with the FM!

Chris,

One other thing that I started doing was working out to a heart rate on some of my longer workouts. I bought a heart rate strap and chose workouts, mainly the longer rows, and maintained a heart rate at the top of my aerobic training zone and maintained it. Sometimes this meant working out at a level well beneath what I felt I could pull, but I just slowed down and maintained that steady heart rate. This allowed me to enter into a zone where I could just keep going and going. The benefits of this are well documented and allows you to get a great workout without feeling the need to replenish like you feel when you go all out. Good luck with your training and be sure to post your progress.

Steve

This has been the most difficult thing for me to grasp. Every inclination is to go hard and finish gasping for breath, dizzy and feeling nauseous -- the no pain/no gain thinking. After a few months it was burning me out. I've decided to do the beginner plan with (for me) incredibly long rows in store and have decided to drastically reduce exertion level. Just maintain a heart rate and settle in for the duration. Perhaps one or two short, hard interval days a week for grins. Will see. Disappointing to see my times increasing but I don't dread the long workouts as much as I was beginning to.

Good advice - I've been slowing my pace down so I can do just that. Did a little research and looks like I need to be around 85-105 bpm at my stage. It was a little fun to see my times increase on the rankings but yes absolutely in this for longevity. Thanks again!

[IMHester]

Moving forward, I'm also looking for something a bit more formal if you stumble into something. The PP sounds much too ambitious....

Try the beginner Pete Plan:
https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/

Thanks for the link Slacker - I've seen some references on here for the PP but never visited the blog. I'm going to do the beginner's PP and just started doing it this week, so I guess I'm going to call the Week 1

Jimmy1 - have you seen the beginner PP page? As stated, I just started it so if you decide to try it let me know and we can go through the same pain together! I'm going to follow it but also going to do the C2 individual and team challenges next month. OR, I'm going to give it my best shot.

First 5k today - yeah it felt like a marathon to me too!

Keep on keepin on!

[jimmy1]

Jimmy1 - have you seen the beginner PP page? As stated, I just started it so if you decide to try it let me know and we can go through the same pain together! I'm going to follow it but also going to do the C2 individual and team challenges next month. OR, I'm going to give it my best shot.

I have and have gotten through the first week. I plan to do all five pieces per week (including the optional rows) but will miss an occasional day or two for rest or travel/vacation etc. Figure the 24 week plan (24 x 5 = 120 rows) will take me about 30 weeks to complete. Will see what happens when I get up into the longer rows. 9k to 12k rowing weeks do not look like fun. I think I can get through them if keeping the watts down to relaxing levels....

[IMHester]

I have and have gotten through the first week. I plan to do all five pieces per week (including the optional rows) but will miss an occasional day or two for rest or travel/vacation etc. Figure the 24 week plan (24 x 5 = 120 rows) will take me about 30 weeks to complete. Will see what happens when I get up into the longer rows. 9k to 12k rowing weeks do not look like fun. I think I can get through them if keeping the watts down to relaxing levels....

I'm pretty much in the same boat - I'm gonna crunch all 5 into this week and then I'm out of town next week for training all week. Luckily I have a truck and it's not supposed to rain so I'm probably gonna take the erg with me but we'll see how it goes. Here's to us getting through it!

[hepting]

Congrats on your new journey! You are month in and great to hear about your progress. I just started the Beginner Peter Plan this week - with a dual goal of weight loss and 11 month long goal for a 2k in Boston. If you do the program let us all know - there are many folks doing it and sharing helps keep us all on track. If you have RowPro also can be fun to do rows with others....

I've been erging on and off for over 30 years and it seems whenever I get serious about a fitness related goal my erg comes back into play. I've owned a Model C since about 2003. I've upgraded the handle, monitor and added slides but the thing is a tank! One note - I really like my slides, it has eliminated some of the lower back aches I used to get after long pieces.

Congrats again - look forward to hearing updates.

[IMHester]

Congrats on your new journey! You are month in and great to hear about your progress. I just started the Beginner Peter Plan this week - with a dual goal of weight loss and 11 month long goal for a 2k in Boston. If you do the program let us all know - there are many folks doing it and sharing helps keep us all on track. If you have RowPro also can be fun to do rows with others....

I've been erging on and off for over 30 years and it seems whenever I get serious about a fitness related goal my erg comes back into play. I've owned a Model C since about 2003. I've upgraded the handle, monitor and added slides but the thing is a tank! One note - I really like my slides, it has eliminated some of the lower back aches I used to get after long pieces.

Congrats again - look forward to hearing updates.

Thank you! I was looking into the RowPro but I'd need to get a new laptop so I'll be doing some saving up to get one. The first week of the Pete Plan was a challenge but was very rewarding! I have to work out of town all week with no erg access - I'm already sad! I'll continue on when I get back to my erg next weekend.

My first month and I've gone 80k which I'm amazed at. I feel much more acclimated to the erg and I'll focus on keeping myself paced with the PP. Going to do the C2 Mud Challenge at the same time - may be too much to start with but we'll see