Free Spirits Rowing

And I'm back up again this week! I'm now well into the red zone and at my highest weight since September 2017. I know what I'm doing wrong - I just have to stop doing it.

I've also going to try getting back on the erg. I was told to stay away from it for a while to see if this helped my back pain to clear up. But my back is getting worse and I think a large part of the problem is the extra weight that I'm carrying around my midriff. So I'm going to see whether I can use the erg to help me lose some weight and my hope is that the benefits of losing a few pounds will outweigh any additional strain on my back.

Paul V

Date________Weight (kgs)_____Weekly Change_____Overall Change
02/01/21______99.2
09/01/21______97.9______________-1.3_______________-1.3
16/01/21______98.7______________+0.8______________-0.5
23/01/21______98.2______________-0.5_______________-1.0
30/01/21______98.2_______________0.0_______________-1.0
06/02/21______97.8______________-0.4_______________-1.4
13/02/21______98.9______________+1.1_______________-0.3
20/02/21______97.2_______________-1.7_______________-2.0
06/03/21______97.1_______________-0.1_______________-2.1
13/03/21______96.7_______________-0.4_______________-2.5
20/03/21______97.6______________+0.9_______________-1.6
27/03/21______97.5_______________-0.1_______________-1.7
02/05/21______100.6_____________+3.1_______________+1.4
17/05/21______101.9_____________+1.3_______________+2.7
24/05/21______101.0_____________-0.9_______________+1.8
31/05/21______102.8_____________+1.8_______________+3.6

Paul Victory wrote: ↑Mon May 31, 2021 10:10 am And I'm back up again this week! I'm now well into the red zone and at my highest weight since September 2017. I know what I'm doing wrong - I just have to stop doing it.

I've also going to try getting back on the erg. I was told to stay away from it for a while to see if this helped my back pain to clear up. But my back is getting worse and I think a large part of the problem is the extra weight that I'm carrying around my midriff. So I'm going to see whether I can use the erg to help me lose some weight and my hope is that the benefits of losing a few pounds will outweigh any additional strain on my back.

Paul V

Date________Weight (kgs)_____Weekly Change_____Overall Change
02/01/21______99.2
09/01/21______97.9______________-1.3_______________-1.3
16/01/21______98.7______________+0.8______________-0.5
23/01/21______98.2______________-0.5_______________-1.0
30/01/21______98.2_______________0.0_______________-1.0
06/02/21______97.8______________-0.4_______________-1.4
13/02/21______98.9______________+1.1_______________-0.3
20/02/21______97.2_______________-1.7_______________-2.0
06/03/21______97.1_______________-0.1_______________-2.1
13/03/21______96.7_______________-0.4_______________-2.5
20/03/21______97.6______________+0.9_______________-1.6
27/03/21______97.5_______________-0.1_______________-1.7
02/05/21______100.6_____________+3.1_______________+1.4
17/05/21______101.9_____________+1.3_______________+2.7
24/05/21______101.0_____________-0.9_______________+1.8
31/05/21______102.8_____________+1.8_______________+3.6

From my experiences with a lower back injury(done while not concentrating while doing Dead lifts), after a few days once the inflammation had gone down I found that a gentle session on the erg certainly did not make things any worse, and from the mental aspect it felt good to be active again - do lower the DF though, and reduce the layback - rowing strapless may help to keep things more controlled too.

I re-affirmed this week that the weight loss/gain is 95% about food, if not more.
I erged and walked slightly less than the previous 2 weeks where I had put on 2kg in total, and cut back the eating to the level of when I started my weight loss campaign.
This week I lost 2.2kg, putting me back under 90kg again

Date________Wt (kgs)____Week/Month Change_____2021 Change____Overall
14/09/20______114.3
04/01/21______97.6___________-0.4 ______________-0.0___________ -16.7
01/02/21______92.7___________-4.9 ______________-4.9___________ -21.6
01/03/21______90.3___________-1.6 ______________-7.3___________ -24.0
29/03/21_______91.0_________+0.7 _______________-6.6___________ -23.3
26/04/21_______89.8_________-1.2 _______________-7.8___________ -24.5
03/05/21_______90.3_________+0.5 _______________-7.3___________ -24.0
10/05/21_______89.8_________-0.5 _______________-7.8___________ -24.5
17/05/21_______90.9_________+1.1 _______________-6.7___________ -23.4
24/05/21_______91.8_________+0.9 _______________-5.8___________ -22.5
31/05/21_______89.6_________-2.2 _______________-8.0___________ -24.7

Paul G

Well done Paul, but having truly milked the praise for getting under 90kg, why not try and stay there this time

Well done Paul! 89.6 kg, is that a PB for your adult live?

Don‘t overdo it though, you don‘t want to become lightweight, do you?

Grobi wrote: ↑Mon May 31, 2021 9:13 pm Well done Paul! 89.6 kg, is that a PB for your adult live?

Don‘t overdo it though, you don‘t want to become lightweight, do you?

No danger of that happening

Not an adult PB but the lowest since my mid-30s.
In my twenties in my running and triathlon days I weighed 73kg and ate at least twice the amount I eat now

Iain wrote: ↑Mon May 31, 2021 7:54 pm Well done Paul, but having truly milked the praise for getting under 90kg, why not try and stay there this time

Easy for you to say- my lean weight alone is 72kg, and I like my food and praise milking too much

Paul G

I managed to lose weight this week, but I’m still quite disappointed with the overall result. I lost weight for five days in a row, but my weight went up both days over the weekend. I cut out junk completely and had hardly any bread, but did have a few drinks over the weekend. It looks like it’s going to take quite a while to get back to where I want to be.

Paul V

Date________Weight (kgs)_____Weekly Change_____Overall Change
02/01/21______99.2
09/01/21______97.9______________-1.3_______________-1.3
16/01/21______98.7______________+0.8______________-0.5
23/01/21______98.2______________-0.5_______________-1.0
30/01/21______98.2_______________0.0_______________-1.0
06/02/21______97.8______________-0.4_______________-1.4
13/02/21______98.9______________+1.1_______________-0.3
20/02/21______97.2_______________-1.7_______________-2.0
06/03/21______97.1_______________-0.1_______________-2.1
13/03/21______96.7_______________-0.4_______________-2.5
20/03/21______97.6______________+0.9_______________-1.6
27/03/21______97.5_______________-0.1_______________-1.7
02/05/21______100.6_____________+3.1_______________+1.4
17/05/21______101.9_____________+1.3_______________+2.7
24/05/21______101.0_____________-0.9_______________+1.8
31/05/21______102.8_____________+1.8_______________+3.6
07/06/21______101.9_____________-0.9_______________+2.7

Slow and steady, and consistent, will get you there Paul - I found that an hour or so walking every day works wonders, especially if you can't really do much erging at the moment.

For me, I had another good week - once again, not a massive amount of erging, one long walk on Saturday(44km) and sensible eating and managed to knock off another 1.4kg, making 3.6kg in 2 weeks - I am now comfortably at my lowest weight in 20 years.

Date________Wt (kgs)____Week/Month Change_____2021 Change____Overall
14/09/20______114.3
04/01/21______97.6___________-0.4 ______________-0.0___________ -16.7
01/02/21______92.7___________-4.9 ______________-4.9___________ -21.6
01/03/21______90.3___________-1.6 ______________-7.3___________ -24.0
29/03/21_______91.0_________+0.7 _______________-6.6___________ -23.3
26/04/21_______89.8_________-1.2 _______________-7.8___________ -24.5
31/05/21_______89.6_________-0.2 _______________-8.0___________ -24.7
07/06/21_______88.2_________-1.4 _______________-9.4___________ -26.1

Paul G

Well done Paul. That’s great progress. And that’s one hell of a long walk - 44k It would take me around 8 hours to walk that distance (that’s assuming I didn’t collapse along the way).

Paul Victory wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 9:57 am Well done Paul. That’s great progress. And that’s one hell of a long walk - 44k It would take me around 8 hours to walk that distance (that’s assuming I didn’t collapse along the way).

Thanks Paul - I am happy with the recent progress - I have got re-motivated and am really enjoying the walking - TBH I took way more than 8 hrs on my walk - with a few food/rest stops and the variable terrain I normally average out at about 3mph(4.8 km/h) for that sort of distance, but apart from tender feet and a bit too much sun on hot days I am finding that sort of distance no trouble at all. Just got myself a set of Nordic walking poles so keen to try them out- I have heard a lot of good things about them.

Paul G

Still in the red zone, but getting closer to amber.

Regarding how long it would take me to walk 44km, when I said 8 hours, I was basing it on my average pace for a walk of 10km or thereabouts. And that would be pushing it. If I actually managed to walk 44km in a day, it would be something of a miracle right now and would require at least one stop for a meal and a few comfort breaks along the way, so I think 10 hours would be a much more realistic estimate and that's over fairly even terrain. If climbing and uneven terrain is involved, it would probably take much longer.

Paul V

Date________Weight (kgs)_____Weekly Change_____Overall Change
02/01/21______99.2
09/01/21______97.9______________-1.3_______________-1.3
16/01/21______98.7______________+0.8______________-0.5
23/01/21______98.2______________-0.5_______________-1.0
30/01/21______98.2_______________0.0_______________-1.0
06/02/21______97.8______________-0.4_______________-1.4
13/02/21______98.9______________+1.1_______________-0.3
20/02/21______97.2_______________-1.7_______________-2.0
06/03/21______97.1_______________-0.1_______________-2.1
13/03/21______96.7_______________-0.4_______________-2.5
20/03/21______97.6______________+0.9_______________-1.6
27/03/21______97.5_______________-0.1_______________-1.7
02/05/21______100.6_____________+3.1_______________+1.4
17/05/21______101.9_____________+1.3_______________+2.7
24/05/21______101.0_____________-0.9_______________+1.8
31/05/21______102.8_____________+1.8_______________+3.6
07/06/21______101.9_____________-0.9_______________+2.7
14/06/21______100.8_____________-1.1_______________+1.6

Paul Victory wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:15 pmDate________Weight (kgs)_____Weekly Change_____Overall Change

27/03/21______97.5_______________-0.1_______________-1.7
02/05/21______100.6_____________+3.1_______________+1.4
17/05/21______101.9_____________+1.3_______________+2.7
24/05/21______101.0_____________-0.9_______________+1.8
31/05/21______102.8_____________+1.8_______________+3.6
07/06/21______101.9_____________-0.9_______________+2.7
14/06/21______100.8_____________-1.1_______________+1.6

Don't do yourself down Paul. That is 2kg lost and your lightest for over a month, keep up the good work! As someone who has never walked >30km in a day I have nothing but admiration for Paul's efforts. I believe that I could probably manage a walk of that length (I am particularly stubborn), but I doubt that I would be able to walk for a few days afterwards!

Iain wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:53 pm

Paul Victory wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:15 pmDate________Weight (kgs)_____Weekly Change_____Overall Change

27/03/21______97.5_______________-0.1_______________-1.7
02/05/21______100.6_____________+3.1_______________+1.4
17/05/21______101.9_____________+1.3_______________+2.7
24/05/21______101.0_____________-0.9_______________+1.8
31/05/21______102.8_____________+1.8_______________+3.6
07/06/21______101.9_____________-0.9_______________+2.7
14/06/21______100.8_____________-1.1_______________+1.6

Don't do yourself down Paul. That is 2kg lost and your lightest for over a month, keep up the good work! As someone who has never walked >30km in a day I have nothing but admiration for Paul's efforts. I believe that I could probably manage a walk of that length (I am particularly stubborn), but I doubt that I would be able to walk for a few days afterwards!

Paul, I echo what Iain is saying - you are moving back in the right direction, and that is what counts.
For myself - a poor week training and eating wise - no walking this weekend as we were busy running around after my daughter whose birthday it was!!
Done very little erging too as I really do not like the heat - on the plus side I got back on the bike and have done a 21km and a 39km ride which I handled quite comfortably.
I have also incorporated press-ups into my daily routine and seem to be getting a bit of upper body muscle back - the scales say I put on 1.3kg this week but all things being equal I am not too concerned as my motivation is still high for keeping the fitness drive going.

Date________Wt (kgs)____Week/Month Change_____2021 Change____Overall
14/09/20______114.3
04/01/21______97.6___________-0.4 ______________-0.0___________ -16.7
01/02/21______92.7___________-4.9 ______________-4.9___________ -21.6
01/03/21______90.3___________-1.6 ______________-7.3___________ -24.0
29/03/21_______91.0_________+0.7 _______________-6.6___________ -23.3
26/04/21_______89.8_________-1.2 _______________-7.8___________ -24.5
31/05/21_______89.6_________-0.2 _______________-8.0___________ -24.7
07/06/21_______88.2_________-1.4 _______________-9.4___________ -26.1
14/06/21_______89.5_________+1.3 _______________-8.1___________ -24.8

Paul G

Slight increase this week. Not helped by the fact that we went out to dinner for the first time this year on Saturday night and had a family barbecue for Father’s Day yesterday.

Paul V

Date________Weight (kgs)_____Weekly Change_____Overall Change
02/01/21______99.2
09/01/21______97.9______________-1.3_______________-1.3
16/01/21______98.7______________+0.8______________-0.5
23/01/21______98.2______________-0.5_______________-1.0
30/01/21______98.2_______________0.0_______________-1.0
06/02/21______97.8______________-0.4_______________-1.4
13/02/21______98.9______________+1.1_______________-0.3
20/02/21______97.2_______________-1.7_______________-2.0
06/03/21______97.1_______________-0.1_______________-2.1
13/03/21______96.7_______________-0.4_______________-2.5
20/03/21______97.6______________+0.9_______________-1.6
27/03/21______97.5_______________-0.1_______________-1.7
02/05/21______100.6_____________+3.1_______________+1.4
17/05/21______101.9_____________+1.3_______________+2.7
24/05/21______101.0_____________-0.9_______________+1.8
31/05/21______102.8_____________+1.8_______________+3.6
07/06/21______101.9_____________-0.9_______________+2.7
14/06/21______100.8_____________-1.1_______________+1.6
21/06/21______101.0_____________+0.2_______________+1.8

Hey Paul I feel yr frustration here as since I lost my Mum in April I have gone literally and completely "all to pot" foodwise lol, everyone keeps telling me to " be kind to myself" as its early days yet BUT the struggle goes on and I too have had a lot of family related eating events recently, being accountable here is a great idea, yr not alone xx

And another gain this week! I thought posting weekly might put manners on me, but it doesn't seem to be working. I think I'll change to Saturday mornings and reduce the frequency.

Paul V

Date________Weight (kgs)_____Weekly Change_____Overall Change
02/01/21______99.2
09/01/21______97.9______________-1.3_______________-1.3
16/01/21______98.7______________+0.8______________-0.5
23/01/21______98.2______________-0.5_______________-1.0
30/01/21______98.2_______________0.0_______________-1.0
06/02/21______97.8______________-0.4_______________-1.4
13/02/21______98.9______________+1.1_______________-0.3
20/02/21______97.2_______________-1.7_______________-2.0
06/03/21______97.1_______________-0.1_______________-2.1
13/03/21______96.7_______________-0.4_______________-2.5
20/03/21______97.6______________+0.9_______________-1.6
27/03/21______97.5_______________-0.1_______________-1.7
02/05/21______100.6_____________+3.1_______________+1.4
17/05/21______101.9_____________+1.3_______________+2.7
24/05/21______101.0_____________-0.9_______________+1.8
31/05/21______102.8_____________+1.8_______________+3.6
07/06/21______101.9_____________-0.9_______________+2.7
14/06/21______100.8_____________-1.1_______________+1.6
21/06/21______101.0_____________+0.2_______________+1.8
28/06/21______101.4_____________+0.4_______________+2.2

Carole S wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 1:11 pm Hey Paul I feel yr frustration here as since I lost my Mum in April I have gone literally and completely "all to pot" foodwise lol, everyone keeps telling me to " be kind to myself" as its early days yet BUT the struggle goes on and I too have had a lot of family related eating events recently, being accountable here is a great idea, yr not alone xx

Thanks for the words of encouragement Carole.

My commiserations for your loss. It's very tough losing a parent and the advice about being kind to yourself is good advice. You seem to have taken the bit between your teeth as far as rowing is concerned and I expect this is very beneficial from both a mental and physical perspective.

I'm going to follow your example and start erging again, although I don't expect to do anything like the number of meters you are churning out.

Best wishes
Paul

Hi,

This is my first post to this thread, and I'm delighted it exists. In the past, my calorie needs have decreased as I aged and changed my exercise routines, but they were always accompanied with a decrease in appetite. This time is different--in the past two months, I've gained 10 pounds, putting me into "overweight" according to BMI calculations. Regardless of the validity of those calculations, a gain of 10 lbs is unacceptable to me (plus there is the matter of my pants... ).

I can make diet changes on my own, but I have a few questions for those wiser and more experienced about this. I'm sure they've been answered before, but maybe not this year .
1. Is it true that exercising in the morning before eating is a great way to burn fat calories, as opposed to exercising in the afternoon after breakfast and lunch?

2. It takes three strokes at my cruising speed on the C2 to burn one calorie according to the PM5. Seriously, is that true? That's only 20% of one Cheeto.

3. What's the best kind of rowing workout for weight reduction? Long and slow, medium and moderate, intervals?

4. Does enhanced calorie burn persist after a rowing workout, and if so, for how long? This is in regards to fasting after rowing.

Thanks,
John B.

Hi John, not everyone agrees on this, but here are my thoughts for what it is worth:

InlineJinn wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 5:28 pmI can make diet changes on my own, but I have a few questions for those wiser and more experienced about this. I'm sure they've been answered before, but maybe not this year .
1. Is it true that exercising in the morning before eating is a great way to burn fat calories, as opposed to exercising in the afternoon after breakfast and lunch?

The biggest impact of timing workouts is on the impact on your eating and exercise. Delaying a meal may well reduce the calories you eat. Personally I can only do light exercise straight after significant meals so rowing means a couple of hours without food before the row. I also find that I don't immediately feel hungry afterwards, so can manage on a handful of nuts or a glass of milk for an hour or 2, add 90 min workout and that is 5 hours of consciousness without eating, a rare event for me.

While many swear by fasted rowing and low intensity rowing in that state uses a higher proportion of fat, it doesn't burn more calories. Exercising when glycogen levels are high will burn glycogen, but, coupled with restricted diet, the reduced glycogen will then mean more fat burned on every day activities, while carbs burned aren't metabolised into fat. So I don't think there is a significant benefit. More important is how it fits into your day. Personally I feel terrible rowing fasted and am more likely to binge afterwards to make me feel better! Also the more you enjoy the rowing the easier it will be to continue doing significant volume long term, while the fasting before cuts snack opportunities.

InlineJinn wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 5:28 pm2. It takes three strokes at my cruising speed on the C2 to burn one calorie according to the PM5. Seriously, is that true? That's only 20% of one Cheeto.

This is an estimate and includes the calories you would have burned even without rowing. People who are less efficient than average, rowing with a high rating for there stroke length or who are over 78.5kg will use more, but of the same order of magnitude. Also it does not include energy burned recovering from the exercise (this has been recorded 37 hours later in one study). Furthermore, with limited exercise the body actually starts using less calories when dieting, exercising will reduce this tendency and so allow weight loss to continue. That said, the amount you eat will usually be more important than the exercise you do in weight loss. I did manage to increase the calories I was using in my early 40s to 4000 a day when rowing 100km per week mainly at UT1, but that is a lot of rowing and some people have had less success getting calorie burn up to high levels.

InlineJinn wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 5:28 pm3. What's the best kind of rowing workout for weight reduction? Long and slow, medium and moderate, intervals?

No easy answer for this. The reality is that except for the very fit, the only rowing that can be done daily in high volume is slower rowing so this is the best for most that have the time and are dedicated enough. However, "fat burning zone" for the reason given for fasted rowing is not necessary. Also you can row at a moderate pace and burn fat as quickly while also burning carbs (a good thing), but this means a lower proportion of the energy comes from fat, but not a benefit in weight loss. The trouble with rowing faster will be that you won't be able to sustain it for as long. So if you have the time and can stand the boredom long and slow is likely to be better. Personally I like to mix it up for interest and suspect that lower volume at pace burns a similar amount of calories if the adaptions and repairs required from them are included and decent warm ups and cool downs are done.

InlineJinn wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 5:28 pm4. Does enhanced calorie burn persist after a rowing workout, and if so, for how long? This is in regards to fasting after rowing.

It has been measured 37 hours later after intense exercise. Also muscle burns more calories merely existing so get stronger and you will increase your base metabolism, unfortunately this is not a huge effect.

HTH

Iain

Thank you Ian for the comprehensive answers! It makes sense to me that rowing before breakfast has to pull calories from storage after using up the muscle glycogen; afterwards I hope the next calories consumed go to replenishing the muscles before going to fat. Fortunately rowing before fueling doesn't seem to be a problem for me though I usually exercise in the afternoon. I agree that restricted calorie intake is what really matters.
As an aside:
6000m @ 3:20/500m = 40 minutes @ 20 strokes/min = 800 strokes @ 15 stokes/Cheeto = 53.33 Cheetos or 8.89 Cheetos/1000m

So to help with your half-marathon planning, a half-marathon at 21.2k will require a mere 188.5 Cheetos, though you can probably eat that last half Cheeto without ill effect for your recovery if you drink enough water. That's about 74% of a regular bag of the White Cheddar Cheetos, which used to be in the organic/extra-good-for-you section of my supermarket (bizarre). Historically that's the number of Cheetos I consume for two chapters of a good book, though YMMV. Thus we see that according to the iron law of Cheetos Physics, rowing a half-marathon is roughly equivalent to reading two chapters of a Terry Pratchett book (measured in Cheetos).

Next week, Hershey's Kisses and the Nonathalon.

I'm not familiar with Cheetos. What I would say is that if you are rowing at 3:20/500m, there is probably something wrong with your technique. The appropriate pace will depend upon size and sporting background, but I would suspect that most men under 70 can comfortably row at 2:30 pace, maybe 2:40 over an extended session if using a slow rating and having done little endurance work. 2:30 is nearly 2.5 times the power output to 3:20. At 3:20 pace you are being credited twice as much for the time rowed (covering basic metabolism and going up and down the slide) than the effort of pulling the handle. As the former is very variable the calories logged are not really representative.

Rowing requires considerable force on the drive (far more than continuous activities like rowing or cycling) as you then have significant time when doing little work to recover for the next drive. I suggest you look at some of the many videos on line explaining the stroke (such as dark horse). As for what is in the "healthy" section, don't get me started. Much seems to me more about marketing than good!

What do I do then as a 65yr old diabetic female with health issues and on lots of meds incl beta blockers to control heart rate ??
I have got slower since losing weight but Ive aged like a fine wine
Better to row however we can than not row at all is my current motto
Good luck to us all
My lack of speed is why I dont join you in the CTC things dont want to sink the boat lol

Hi Iain,

The appropriate pace will depend upon size and sporting background, but I would suspect that most men under 70 can comfortably row at 2:30 pace, maybe 2:40 over an extended session if using a slow rating and having done little endurance work.

I think you are mistaking me for someone with considerably more strength and fewer structural defects. Given my knees, shoulders, and overall strength, it's not reasonable for me to row 2:30/500m these days. A decade ago after four months of training, I could break 2:30 when I was doing flat-out 500m intervals, but even then most of my rowing was at 2:50. My virtue has always been endurance, not strength. No doubt my technique is awful, even after working on it for almost 8M meters, but the exercise has been rewarding.

At 3:20 pace you are being credited twice as much for the time rowed (covering basic metabolism and going up and down the slide) than the effort of pulling the handle. As the former is very variable the calories logged are not really representative.

Oh well, it will have to do.

[Edit] A couple of those rowing videos you mentioned and I'm looking at training plans and thinking about recalculating my 15 year old heart rate bands. The FS Form has always been great for motivation

Sorry, didn't mean to cause any offence. In hindsight I should not have put a number on it although I did say "most" as we are all different. If you have find a way that works for you and doesn't cause injuries and speed isn't an issue then please carry on. You may well find that the inefficiencies might even mean you are burning more calories than the monitor says.

Carole, I was explicit that the number I quoted was for men. There are women that are much faster than me, but on average they have a lower proportion of muscle and are smaller and those matter to rowing speed, so the average woman is slower. Also, we would welcome any attempt at the CTC. This month 2 more women would have meant 2 more boats (including me) would have floated, but that is only for those comfortable to enter. I realise that this isn't for everyone.

I hope you both continue to enjoy the rowing.

- Iain

Finally managed to get into the right mindset and have made it back into the amber zone, albeit without much to spare. I hope I can keep it going for the next couple of weeks. Jennifer and I will be heading to Alvor for 23 days from July 22nd (COVID permitting) and I probably won’t stay on plan while there.

Paul V

Date________Weight (kgs)_____Weekly Change_____Overall Change
02/01/21______99.2
09/01/21______97.9______________-1.3_______________-1.3
16/01/21______98.7______________+0.8______________-0.5
23/01/21______98.2______________-0.5_______________-1.0
30/01/21______98.2_______________0.0_______________-1.0
06/02/21______97.8______________-0.4_______________-1.4
13/02/21______98.9______________+1.1_______________-0.3
20/02/21______97.2_______________-1.7_______________-2.0
06/03/21______97.1_______________-0.1_______________-2.1
13/03/21______96.7_______________-0.4_______________-2.5
20/03/21______97.6______________+0.9_______________-1.6
27/03/21______97.5_______________-0.1_______________-1.7
02/05/21______100.6_____________+3.1_______________+1.4
17/05/21______101.9_____________+1.3_______________+2.7
24/05/21______101.0_____________-0.9_______________+1.8
31/05/21______102.8_____________+1.8_______________+3.6
07/06/21______101.9_____________-0.9_______________+2.7
14/06/21______100.8_____________-1.1_______________+1.6
21/06/21______101.0_____________+0.2_______________+1.8
28/06/21______101.4_____________+0.4_______________+2.2
10/07/21______99.7______________-1.7________________+0.5

Well done Paul for getting back into your amber zone.

I have decided to record my progress(or lack thereof) monthly on here - I still track it weekly for myself.
Summer is never good for me for weight loss - I don't enjoy the heat and humidity and can't get in the long slow sessions that seem to work best for me - this last month my weight has fluctuated quite a bit but I am finding around 90 kg is sustainable and I feel strong at that weight.
From September on I will make a concerted effort to get down to 85kg and see how I feel there.

Date________Wt (kgs)____Week/Month Change_____2021 Change____Overall
14/09/20______114.3
04/01/21______97.6___________-0.4 ______________-0.0___________ -16.7
01/02/21______92.7___________-4.9 ______________-4.9___________ -21.6
01/03/21______90.3___________-1.6 ______________-7.3___________ -24.0
29/03/21_______91.0_________+0.7 _______________-6.6___________ -23.3
26/04/21_______89.8_________-1.2 _______________-7.8___________ -24.5
31/05/21_______89.6_________-0.2 _______________-8.0___________ -24.7
07/06/21_______88.2_________-1.4 _______________-9.4___________ -26.1
14/06/21_______89.5_________+1.3 _______________-8.1___________ -24.8
12/07/21_______90.2_________+0.7 _______________-7.4___________ -24.1

Paul G