In the dark...

[laloh]

Hi! Let me start by saying I do not own a concept 2 rower, I have a different brand. I just got it last week. But I do have alot of questions and I hope you will all be kind enough to still help me?

This si my 4th day and it seems to be getting harder to do instead of easier! Of course I'm still trying to find my rythym and I knwo I'm not doing it quite right yet, but it seems to be getting harder and harder to get thru 30 minutes. Tomight I only made 20 minutes and that was a real hard 20 minutes!

I need to lose 50 -60 pounds and I've tried every diet known to humanity and nothing works, all that happens is that i don't gain any weight!

I find the rowing to be soothing and interesting and I do really like it! So why is it getting harder? And why oh why do my knees hurt? I have no knee problems, so that's not it....

Can anyone help me out?

[PaulH]

It's difficult to say exactly what's going on, particularly as mostly we're familiar with the C2 rowing machine here But here are a few suggestions.

*If your machine has adjustable tension, turn it down so that it's at or near the 'easiest' setting. Going fast has more to do with the power that you put in than the resistance of the machine.
*Try starting off smaller - 30 minutes is quite a large workout when you're just starting. Perhaps start with 10 minutes and build up by a minute or two each session.
*Don't forget to take breaks - have at least a day off each week, and it's OK to have more if you're feeling tired.
*Concentrate on form - drive with the legs, then swing your back, and finally pull in your arms, then reverse it (arms, back, legs) at least twice as slowly as you did the drive. You're aiming for a whoosh!-2-3-4, whoosh!-2-3-4, not whoosh!-2, whoosh!-2

Cheers, Paul

[johnlvs2run]

This si my 4th day and it seems to be getting harder to do instead of easier! Of course I'm still trying to find my rythym and I knwo I'm not doing it quite right yet, but it seems to be getting harder and harder to get thru 30 minutes. Tomight I only made 20 minutes and that was a real hard 20 minutes!

At the beginning, as your muscles are not used to the rowing motion, they get sore, and/or it takes them a few days to recover.

You can still go for the 30 minutes each day, but make sure that most of it is rather easy for recovery. For example, row the first 20 minutes easy, do 5 minutes at a good pace, then the last 5 minutes very easy again. Or go easy for 5 days each week and faster for no more then 2 days each week.

As you are aiming to lose weight, it is better to do at least the 30 minutes as you're doing. If you are feeling more tired, then still do the 30 minutes but just do it easier. This way you are still getting in the exercise and you are progressing with your program.

I need to lose 50 -60 pounds and I've tried every diet known to humanity and nothing works, all that happens is that i don't gain any weight!

If you have tried everything then why haven't you lost the weight yet?

Are you saying it is impossible or that you are unique?

What do you eat and what kind of diet are you following now.

The key to weight loss is your diet.

Exercise helps you to tone and firm your body, to be healthy and in good shape and condition.

I find the rowing to be soothing and interesting and I do really like it! So why is it getting harder? And why oh why do my knees hurt? I have no knee problems, so that's not it....

Make sure you are rowing in either flat soled shoes or else barefoot. If there are arch protrusions in the shoes, take them out. I row everything barefoot and find this the best and the easiest. Just make sure to protect your heels and the tops of your feet.

[laloh]

Good evening! I want to stat out by saying a big thank you for the replies!

PaulH...am I supposed to be controling the return...meaning I push with my legs to get moving backward, and them I'm supposed to control my return instead of just sliding in? I've just been pretty much letting go after I push back...

John Rupp...the funny things is, I am not sore in the slightest. I haven't excersized in about 3 years now so I figured I'd be sore too, but nothing! Hmmm??
Yes, I'm set on the lowest setting, it really is a hard workout, I do get a good sweat going! Ive been aiming for a steady pace, yes slow but steady. I read for weight loss that 30 minutes is best so I went for that goal.

No, I'm sure not unique in the attempts to lose weight, but I can't seem to get any diet to work. I've tried calories, the Sonoma diet, Atkins diet, salad diet, etc etc etc...all that happens is I lose maybe 2 pounds and then stop losing but not gain. I stick with these diets for 3-4 weeks and finally give up when I see that I'm getting nowhere with it.

So I found the rowers and I love it! I don't think I'm doing it right yet, and I sincerely hope it helps me to lose weight! I like rowing in any case, but my motivation is to lose weight and be in better shape!

I was rowing barefoot, but I seemed to be struggling with keeping my feet in position, and worried that I was paying too much attention to my sliding around feet, and also that I might get blisters! Did I not have the straps tight enough do you think?

Being such a novice at this, I can't tell you how much I appreciate all input and thoughts!

One more question...are there videos that I might buy that have instructions and /or guidance? I think a good video playing with some rythym and instuctions to it would be awesome! Any such luck?

[laloh]

Oops! I have no idea how I double posted, but I really only meant to say it once!

[PaulH]

The key on the recovery is that it not be rushed. It's fine just to slide in, the key is that you not haul yourself back up to the catch (the point where you start to psu with the legs again), but just move back naturally.

Good luck, and keep going!

[johnlvs2run]

Laloh,

You are welcome!

You can be tired without being sore. Being sore was just an example. It takes your body time to adjust, so take a look at the long term. You are doing great to be doing 30 minutes each time.

A steady pace is excellent.

You will keep building up a lot a lot of endurance and strength.

A good diet will work as long as you're doing it right. There must be some things you've been missing or not tried the right diet for you yet. The most important thing with any diet is that it is healthy for you. The #1 criteria is to eat healthy, i.e. lots of freshly made green veggie juices and fresh raw green salads.

The main things are to be healthy, enjoy yourself and be fit.

Yes your feet might move around rowing barefoot. The world record holder's feet move around too, even strapped in and with shoes. My feet move but it's a regular rhythm and I don't pay much attention to this except for being consistent.

You might get some blisters or rubbing from the straps. I have wrapped those places with duct tape on the straps and sometimes put a drop or two of oil on my feet but it's not much of a problem. I filed the sharp edges on the plastic heel straps with emery paper, and they don't bother me at all. I am very comfortable rowing barefoot. I have the straps with a little room to move my feet, but not too much room so I can be able to use my feet for recovery.

Have fun.

[Teign Rower]

I need to lose 50 -60 pounds and I've tried every diet known to humanity and nothing works, all that happens is that i don't gain any weight!

Hi Laloh

I have been overweight for years and have been on a low fat diet for years and I haven't lost weight. My problem's are portion control - too much, eating out too much and no exercise.

Since getting into the frame of mind to get fit I have lost about 30 pounds in the last year and that includes 2 trips to hospital for gall bladder removal and the convalecence afterwards when I could not exercise. The weight loss is all down to exercise - I still eat the same by and large.

I now spend about 5 days a week doing about 45 minutes hard exercise each time and the weight comes off.

I started with a treadmill, added a cross trainer, then a multi gym and the latest edition is a rowing machine.

The rowing machine is hard work but its just a question of getting used to the compression of the legs. You are stretching hamstrings that have not been used to such stretching etc. It will get easier. Don't give up, keep it going and you will lose weight and you'll feel much better for it.

[Ducatista]

No, I'm sure not unique in the attempts to lose weight, but I can't seem to get any diet to work. I've tried calories, the Sonoma diet, Atkins diet, salad diet, etc etc etc...all that happens is I lose maybe 2 pounds and then stop losing but not gain. I stick with these diets for 3-4 weeks and finally give up when I see that I'm getting nowhere with it.

Restricting calories works (ultimately, it's the only thing that works), but it's tricky:

1) You have to commit to lowering your caloric intake forever. Not for 3-4 weeks, 3-4 months, 3-4 years. Forever.

2) You almost certainly underestimate how many calories you take in. It's human nature to see things as we want them to be rather than as they are. Example: During the last year of her life, my mom lost weight and became more and more frail. Her doctor convinced her to keep a daily log of what she ate so she could monitor and maintain a minimum intake. On a weeklong vacation with Mom, my sister and I each decided to keep a daily log as well—partly to support Mom in her efforts, and partly because we needed to lose a few pounds. It was pretty funny watching the three of us tally up our breakfast calories.

Mom, who was supposed to be eating more, consistently overreported.
Her: "1 egg fried in butter, 1 piece toast with 1 T butter."
Me: "No way! You only ate half the toast, and you put about a molecule of butter on it, nowhere near a tablespoon."

My sister and I, who were supposed to be eating less, consistently underreported.
Me: "1 piece toast, 1 egg, 4oz OJ."
My conscience: "What about the butter on the toast and the butter you fried the egg in? And you finished Mom's leftover toast, after you put more butter and jam on it. And that was more like 12oz of OJ, not 4."
Me: "Shut up, you."

Anyway, good luck with the rowing. You've picked an awesome exercise.

[Bag O Bees]

In order to lose weight, you've got to expend more calories than you take in - not as easy as it sounds, especially if you don't know how much you are taking in to begin with! I'd start by keeping a food diary, and by writing down everything that crosses your lips for a week. I strongly suggest you keep hydrated (with water) and write that down as well.

Not everyone loses weight at the same rate. I've discovered that no matter how much I restrict my eating, if I'm not exercising, I'm NOT going to lose weight. I fell off the exercise wagon and now I need to lose approx 50-60 lbs!

Now, get this. . .my cat broke my PM2 on my erg! I'm planning on replacing it, and thank goodness my gym has a model C erg available! I'm also planning on joining Weight Watchers. I think they have the highest success rate for people who have lost weight and kept it off. And with WW, it is not just what you eat, but also why and when you eat certain foods that is considered.

Also, in reference to the above comments, I usually row barefoot. Sometimes I wear Aquasocks and I really like the way they feel when I'm rowing. A lot of the Scuba shops stock these - they are basically a rubber sole with a kind of knit fabric that covers the top of your foot, so the foot straps don't tend to blister your feet so badly. Hope this helps!

[Steelhead]

In order to lose weight, you've got to expend more calories than you take in - not as easy as it sounds, especially if you don't know how much you are taking in to begin with! I'd start by keeping a food diary, and by writing down everything that crosses your lips for a week. I strongly suggest you keep hydrated (with water) and write that down as well.

Not everyone loses weight at the same rate. I've discovered that no matter how much I restrict my eating, if I'm not exercising, I'm NOT going to lose weight. I fell off the exercise wagon and now I need to lose approx 50-60 lbs!

[snip]

To lose weight (i.e., to get lean), I suggest that you read The China Study and get an idea about how eating affects us; then base your diet on the recommendations found there: namely, eat all you want (while getting lots of variety) of any whole, unrefined plant-based food: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and minimize (eat sparingly) refined carbohydrates, added vegetable oils, fish, meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs.

I changed my diet in February and dropped 30 pounds in a few months -- even though I wasn't erging that much -- previously, I had erged over 3,000,000 meters the year before (12 months before) and lost about 5 pounds even though I was erging so many meters; so diet is important.

Once you understand the science behind eating, and why you can eat 30% more food if it is plant-based than animal based and still lose weight, then you will have fun eating and have more energy to exercise.

BTW, the WW Core Program is basically what you will find in The China Study; it is now out in paperback and you should be able to find a book at any book store.

After you lose the initial pounds, and you are exercising, you will slow down the loss of pounds, but you will get leaner (more muscle, less fat) and you will start dropping in size. And the pounds will keep coming off.

You might also consider getting a Tamita scale that gives you your weight, bmr, fat percentage, visceral fat, muscle weight, water weight, metabolic age, etc., so you can see how your body is changing over time.

Erg on! Eat well, live long, and prosper.

[igoeja]

I weighed about 175 until my mid-twenties, but weight training pushed my weight up, and then the effects of being in the work world, as well as the fat-producing effects of using insulin, had my weight over 230.

Unlike many repeat dieters, I am a method person, disinclined to quick fixes, and I reduced my weight from 235 to 195 over the course of 1.5 years. After three years with my fiancee, who often pushed me to eat, I gained some of the weight back, up over 220, so I restarted my dieting, and after two months I'm down to 212 and heading downward.


Pointers:

- Get a body fat weight scale (Consumer Reports rates the Taylor Body Fat Analyzer and Scale 5553 or the Tanita Scale Plus Body Fat Monitor BF-680 as the best)

- Measure your weight and body fat daily (this has been shown to be very important for weight loss)

- Record your measurements - I currently use a home-grown Access database for recording my measurements, and a linked Excel spreadsheet for charting the changes

- Fix your calorie consumption - In my Excel workbook I have a set of equations for deciding my target daily calories, and the number of meals per day, and keep my consumption within those guidelines

- Expend calories - In fact, for effective weight loss, you might need to work far beyond what a reasonable approach might dictate. Studies of successful dieters, keeping off about 70 pounds, show that they workout about an hour a day and maintain a very lowcalorie diet

[Bag O Bees]

quote="Steelhead"]

In order to lose weight, you've got to expend more calories than you take in - not as easy as it sounds, especially if you don't know how much you are taking in to begin with! I'd start by keeping a food diary, and by writing down everything that crosses your lips for a week. I strongly suggest you keep hydrated (with water) and write that down as well.

Not everyone loses weight at the same rate. I've discovered that no matter how much I restrict my eating, if I'm not exercising, I'm NOT going to lose weight. I fell off the exercise wagon and now I need to lose approx 50-60 lbs!

[snip]

To lose weight (i.e., to get lean), I suggest that you read The China Study and get an idea about how eating affects us; then base your diet on the recommendations found there: namely, eat all you want (while getting lots of variety) of any whole, unrefined plant-based food: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and minimize (eat sparingly) refined carbohydrates, added vegetable oils, fish, meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs.

I changed my diet in February and dropped 30 pounds in a few months -- even though I wasn't erging that much -- previously, I had erged over 3,000,000 meters the year before (12 months before) and lost about 5 pounds even though I was erging so many meters; so diet is important.

Once you understand the science behind eating, and why you can eat 30% more food if it is plant-based than animal based and still lose weight, then you will have fun eating and have more energy to exercise.

BTW, the WW Core Program is basically what you will find in The China Study; it is now out in paperback and you should be able to find a book at any book store.

After you lose the initial pounds, and you are exercising, you will slow down the loss of pounds, but you will get leaner (more muscle, less fat) and you will start dropping in size. And the pounds will keep coming off.

You might also consider getting a Tamita scale that gives you your weight, bmr, fat percentage, visceral fat, muscle weight, water weight, metabolic age, etc., so you can see how your body is changing over time.

Erg on! Eat well, live long, and prosper.[/quote]



Steelhead,

Thanks for the info on "The China Study". I picked up a copy this past weekend. . .it's a real interesting read. I tried to make the jump to a more plant-based diet a few years ago, and failed miserably - I just love a good steak every now and then! But, I don't dispute anything I've read so far in the book. Thanks!!

[Steelhead]

Steelhead,

Thanks for the info on "The China Study". I picked up a copy this past weekend. . .it's a real interesting read. I tried to make the jump to a more plant-based diet a few years ago, and failed miserably - I just love a good steak every now and then! But, I don't dispute anything I've read so far in the book. Thanks!!

You have to read The China Study carefully. While the author advocates eating all you want (while getting lots of variety) of any whole, unrefined plant-based food, and then recommends eating all the fruit, vegetables, and whole grains you want, but minimizing refined carbohydrates, added vegetable oils, and fish, and avoiding meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs, the studies in the book do demonstrate that eating five percent but no more than ten percent animal protein is fine. I quote from page 242 of the hard bound book: "What Does Minimize Mean? Should You Eliminate Meat Completely?"

"The findings from the China Study indicate that the lower the percentage of animal based foods that are consumed, the greater the health benefits -- even when that percentage declines from 10% to 0% of calories. So it's not unreasonable to assume that the optimum percentage of animal-based products is zero, at least for anyone with a predisposition for a degenerative disease."

The important point in the foregoing sentence is that the author writes "it's not unreasonable to assume". This means that this is just his guess -- the statistically significant studies show that under 10% is the goal, and 5% is optimum or less. He goes on:

"But this has not been absolutely proven. Certainly it is true that most of the health benefits are realized at very low but non-zero levels of animal-based foods." This is precisely what The China Study demonstrates: that to be healthy we need to keep animal based proteins below 10%, which means that you can have your steak from time to time, etc.

You do not need to eliminate meat completely, but if you don't then you also cannot eat all you want either -- once you introduce animal based protein and fats into your diet, then you do need to limit your calories and increase your exercise. I, therefore, recommend that if you choose to eat fish, meat, poultry, dairy, eggs, refined carbohydrates, and added vegetable oils, then you eat them sparingly, and maybe for 30 days if you are intent on losing weight and gaining muscle you eliminate everything from your diet except for fruits, vegetables, roots, legumes, mushrooms, nuts, and whole grains. After 30 days, you will want your steak, etc., but you will also notice that it really isn't as tasty as it used to be and that the taste is really in the salt, spices, and sauce -- so just eat the salt, spices, and sauce on a Portobella mushroom. In other words, what The China Study advocates is a healthy diet and a side benefit of eating correctly is that you will also lose weight easily and enjoyably. Also, eating as recommended in The China Study results in a tremendous increase in energy without having to use stimulants such as coffee, which I found surprising.

What I noticed when I applied the dietary approach in The China Study is that I was able to stuff myself and still lose 30 pounds in a few months without exercise; then I started exercising, erging, again while staying on the eat all you want diet, and I noticed that I stopped losing pounds as rapidly but started gaining muscle and while my weight has stablized (i.e., it is coming down slowly now) I am becoming leaner, i.e., losing inches, etc. -- I am able to wear suits that I could not wear for over 10 years, for example.

I use a Tamita Ironman scale that gives me my weight, percent body fat, percent water, muscle weight, physical rating, BMR, metabolic age, bone weight, and visceral fat in pounds. Over time I have been able to watch my weight slowly drop, but also watch my muscle pounds increase and my fat pounds decrease. This helps keep everything in perspective and I don't get discouraged if I gained a pound of muscle and lost a pound of fat, or my weight has stabilized but I am still losing fat, which is the goal for an athlete or at least it is my goal.

And if I want to eat a steak or a hamburger I do it, but not nearly as often as I did in the past, and the results have been a dramatic decrease in cholesterol, glucose intolerance, blood pressure, i.e., an overall dramatic increase in health. I am never hungry anymore and I am now able to exercise more. Of course, The China Study explains how all this works.

Erg on, eat well, live long, and prosper.