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DavidNH
10-27-2015, 22:04
I don't hike much at all in the winter (very cold snowy icy). Last winter I stopped exercising altogether and payed for it this past summer. I'm 52 yrs old 6ft 3 and near 300 pounds. Hikes up Mt Moosilauke and Mount Chocorua (NH White Mountains) left me exhausted this past summer. It took me five hours to get up Moosilauke (Glen Cliff Trail) So yeah, I've gotten out of shape.


I'm looking for suggestions to get back into shape without "killing" myself in the process. I've joined a week or two ago Planet Fitness and am going a couple times a week at the moment.

DavidNH

Wooobie
10-27-2015, 22:13
I cycle when im not hiking, its easy on my joints.

MuddyWaters
10-27-2015, 22:15
Muscles are made in the gym.
Abs are made in the kitchen.

There is no substitute, sans hiking 8 hrs per day, for controlling what you put in your mouth. Cardio, weights, and dietary control. No secrets, but most people lack willpower and cant resist easy carbs lure.

Avoid pizza, bagels, tootsie rolls at planet fitness.

Mags
10-27-2015, 22:40
Cross country ski. The best all around outdoor exercise you can do.

Plus it is fun.

burger
10-27-2015, 23:25
Run. We run 20 miles a week year round, usually more in the winter. This makes it pretty easy to jump back into hiking when things thaw out.

burger
10-27-2015, 23:29
Oops, just noticed the details in the original post. Well, jumping into running right away might not be a great idea, but I would say: join a gym and start walking on the treadmill. Keep the distances short and the speeds slowish to start, and gradually build up. Add in some angled walking (a few percent to start). If you gradually build up the speeds, distances, and inclines, you should find that by spring, you're ready to tackle real hills outside.

saltysack
10-27-2015, 23:44
More muscle=more calories burned at all times...combination of cardio and resistance training is tough to beat. I train 4-5 days per week....I find it's easier to maintain a healthy body year round than try to kill your self getting into hiking shape...I'm not a distance runner by any stretch....I hate running more than a few miles but I have no problems hitting 18-20 mpd hiking first day out...diet is a major factor in weight loss/control....cutting out all carbs after lunch seems to help me drop weight fast...as mw said limit
All.....
Pasta,starches, refined sugar, bread fatty red meats...
I'm no nutritional expert but this works for me at 41 years old 5'11" @ 210 lbs...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

yaduck9
10-28-2015, 00:12
I don't hike much at all in the winter (very cold snowy icy). Last winter I stopped exercising altogether and payed for it this past summer. I'm 52 yrs old 6ft 3 and near 300 pounds. Hikes up Mt Moosilauke and Mount Chocorua (NH White Mountains) left me exhausted this past summer. It took me five hours to get up Moosilauke (Glen Cliff Trail) So yeah, I've gotten out of shape.


I'm looking for suggestions to get back into shape without "killing" myself in the process. I've joined a week or two ago Planet Fitness and am going a couple times a week at the moment.

DavidNH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2hGNM4l5so

Jake2c
10-28-2015, 02:05
Pick something you like to do and start slow. If you have an activity like that, you are more apt to stick to it.

Acacia
10-28-2015, 02:43
I take dance classes. Makes me sweat, tones the body, improves balance, and makes me laugh when I think how ridiculous I must look :)

fehchet
10-28-2015, 05:27
Start walking and keep walking more each day. Walk around town or out on rural roads. Wake up in the morning and go for a walk before breakfast. You can do this.

Offshore
10-28-2015, 06:35
The first step is to get medical clearance. Next, don't be too concerned about what exercise to do as you are starting out. You first need to train yourself to show up and get comfortable. Make it a habit of going to the gym during the work week and getting outside walking or cross country skiing when the snow hits on the weekends. Set a formal appointment with yourself and block out the time. There will be days when you don't want to go to the gym, but go and just walk into the building.

Next, start out safely and slowly to avoid injury. When doing cardio, use the heart rate monitoring capability of most machines (or better yet, buy a heart rate monitor) to ensure that you working at a heart rate sufficient to increase fitness but not high enough to create problems. Consider low-impact cardio such as elliptical or rowing. If your gym has them, look for Precor adaptive motion trainers - you can actually run with almost no impact. Also consider swimming if your gym has an aquatic center. Group classes are also an option, so observe them (without being a lurker) to see if any look interesting.

For weight/resistance training, its important to understand proper form to avoid injury. Its also important not to overload the weights - that will destroy proper form. Most gyms start out new members with a fitness evaluation and first workout design/runthrough. If yours does, take advantage of it. if you are new to the gym, consider buying a few personal training sessions to get you started. (But don't pay a personal trainer to watch you do cardio.) Most gyms also have floor trainers available. Don't be afraid to ask them for advice or spotting. As far as specific exercises, everyone will have an opinion, but for backpacking core strengthening is key. Finally, keep a record of your training so you make progress and don't find yourself cruising along on a plateau.

garlic08
10-28-2015, 07:01
Ditto just staying active however you can and however it's fun.

Leave the car at home and walk a long errand. (You'll never have the time, you'll have to make the time.) Get some microspikes for the winter--it's actually fun.

If you have room in the house for a bike trainer, that can be fun with a good book or movie. Bike rollers (http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/ProductDisplay?storeId=10053&langId=-1&catalogId=10052&productId=173072&utm_source=Google_Product_Search&utm_medium=pla&utm_campaign=datafeed&cm_mmc=Google_Product_Search-_-PLA-_-Datafeed-_-Nashbar%20Reduced%20Radius%20Rollers&CAWELAID=858052193&source=googleUS&CAGPSPN=pla&catargetid=400006960000088813&cadevice=c&gclid=Cj0KEQjw5MGxBRDiuZm2icXX2-sBEiQA619bq7XY8qzK9WEkbJHpUo6t6e79bkJZeBvO1gqneP-K7y0aAsLm8P8HAQ) take little room, can store under a bed, take some skill, improve biking skills and balance, are low impact, and are a pretty wild ride when you're learning them (start in a narrow doorway).

XC skiing, like Mags says, is a blast and also very low impact. Skiing is how I keep in hiking shape over the winter. Or maybe hiking is how I keep in skiing shape over the summer.

None of this takes much money, nor even a commitment if it's something you enjoy.

Traveler
10-28-2015, 08:04
Good advice above, I wanted to add I too used to while away most of the winter until I moved into snowshoeing and traction gear like micro spikes came onto the market. I how find winter to be preferable to July/August for hiking. Trails are fairly empty, no bugs, including popular site accesses, trail treadway is usually pretty firm for snowshoes, no bugs, trails tend to be leveled with the snowpack and more easily trod, no bugs of course, and with the right equipment you can get into places that are inaccessible in summer.

Cross country skiing is a good conditioning activity, as is snowshoeing. I usually find I can keep a fairly consistent mileage number per winter month that I do in spring and fall and now don't feel the need to push myself out in hot, humid weather since I was active all winter.

Just a thought.

JohnHuth
10-28-2015, 08:37
I agree with most of the above - I wouldn't completely cut out carbs though, just make sure they're high quality. If you do weight workouts, your muscles need glycogen to operate. Turn to brown rice or other carbs. Don't eat a lot late.

Maybe get a friend to correspond with - tell each other what you're doing, what your weight is - it gives some incentive. If you backslide, just get back on the horse - most folks backslide with exercise routines (unless you have other issues...).

4eyedbuzzard
10-28-2015, 09:20
I don't hike much at all in the winter (very cold snowy icy). Last winter I stopped exercising altogether and payed for it this past summer. I'm 52 yrs old 6ft 3 and near 300 pounds. Hikes up Mt Moosilauke and Mount Chocorua (NH White Mountains) left me exhausted this past summer. It took me five hours to get up Moosilauke (Glen Cliff Trail) So yeah, I've gotten out of shape.


I'm looking for suggestions to get back into shape without "killing" myself in the process. I've joined a week or two ago Planet Fitness and am going a couple times a week at the moment.

DavidNH5 hours up Moosilauke is a bit long, but not crazy long considering it's roughly 4 miles with 3500+/- feet of elevation gain. As you noted, the elevation gain will kick your butt if you're out of hiking shape AND carrying some extra pounds. But honestly, so does age to some degree. I know from your posts that you have hiked a lot in New England in the past, but realistically, our hiking pace doesn't improve with age, and trails I found easy up into my early 40's weren't so easy once I was in my mid to late 50's.

To all the other ideas above, consider the concept (although not necessarily the marketing of related products like Fitbit) of 10,000 (PLUS some) steps per day. To be honest, I am blessed with a fairly high metabolism and have pretty much maintained 6'0" 180 lbs since I was a young adult. But I also think a large part of that is I have always worked active jobs in large facilities where I walked well in excess of those 10,000 steps every day just at work. Except when I was injured and laid up once for two months, when I promptly gained almost 40 pounds. It took several months after I was able to walk again to lose the weight, and when I went back I routinely used stairs whenever possible, parked at distant spots, etc. I don't know what your normal day is like, but if you can manage walking 5+ miles per day somehow, it would probably help. Personally, I hate gyms, so other than walking, I have taken up playing tennis several times per week for 2 to 3 hours at a time, which is as much as my joints will allow. And I learned quickly that there's a reason you never see overweight tennis players. ;)

Pedaling Fool
10-28-2015, 09:38
There are a lot of myths with exercise, fitness and weight loss. I think one of the biggest myths is that people believe to lose weight one needs to start an exercise regimen; there are some that this may be applicable to, but for most of us exercise only works in the beginning and then as your appetite increases and you body starts burning less calories (because it got more efficient) the weight comes back, and then some...


Thru-hiking as an exercise to lose weight may be an exception, but only a partial exception, because during a thru-hike one is also greatly reducing their calorie intake. However, one also is hiking (exercising) practically all day, but I do wonder what the weight loss numbers would look like if those hikers could have unlimited access to food...but that's not the case.


Also what is not the case is that we cannot spend nearly the time exercising at home like we did during a thru-hike. Meaning that calorie reduction is key to losing weight; actually you don't even have to exercise to lose any weight, just reduce calorie intake.


My mindset is that controlling diet is key to control weight, whereas exercise is for making the body strong and healthy. I know there is overlap, but I must have that mindset or else I cannot keep off the weight, even with using a bike as my primary form of transportation – and I'm a very fast rider. If I'm gaining weight, which I do occasionally, I don't even consider exercise as a way to lose it; I just reduce calories.


P.S. I have no special diet, I basically eat anything and everything, sometimes it's a lot of protein (I've been having a lot of steaks lately) and sometimes it's a lot of carbs, including starchy things like potatoes. I usually skip breakfast (most important meal of the day – my ass:)), but I've also eaten a handful of potato chips before leaving the house. The key is to go hungry and get comfortable with being hungry and soon you lose that weak run down feeling caused by hunger and you body gets more efficient and effective at using your fat as a fuel.




Interesting reading on that: http://greatist.com/fitness/why-you-should-exercise-on-an-empty-stomach

DavidNH
10-28-2015, 09:52
I should have mentioned in my original post that I don't and never have really enjoyed running. I guess age is working against me. You folks ever see those college guys and girls in the gym running full tilt on a treadmill for like 15 or 20 minutes plus? Puts me in awe but I know that level is beyond me.

about that five hour hike up Moosilauke.. I was on an AMC trip (advertised as slow to moderate pace) and I heard from the leader about every 5-10 minutes about my slow pace. Didn't matter that I got there and I only got 20 minutes on top. The guy was such a jackass I am seriously considering dropping my AMC membership next year. I enjoy hiking a whole lot more when I can go at my own pace and not be pushed.

Deadeye
10-28-2015, 10:12
Body for Life by Bill Phillips

TexasBob
10-28-2015, 10:33
I should have mentioned in my original post that I don't and never have really enjoyed running. I guess age is working against me. You folks ever see those college guys and girls in the gym running full tilt on a treadmill for like 15 or 20 minutes plus? Puts me in awe but I know that level is beyond me.

I have been skinny and I have been overweight (30 lbs +). My experience with weight loss is aim for 1 pound per week. You can do that with portion control eating your regular diet and not be miserable. The weight will come off easily at first and then slow as you get thinner.

I also got badly out of shape (and pretty heavy) last year. Here is what I have learned at the gym. Get a heart rate monitor and train (cardio) by heart rate. Start slow and at first stay between 50 and 70% of your max heart rate (220-your age x 70% which for me is 220-61=159 x 70% = 110). Forget what the gym rats are doing around you! Walk on a tread mill, you can vary the speed and incline to keep your heart rate where you want it. It won't be long and you can do more but don't kill your self in the beginning or you will just end up hating to go to the gym (been there done that) or worse hurt yourself.

dudeijuststarted
10-28-2015, 10:46
15 minutes on the treadmill and a light-to-moderate weightlifting regimen 3x weekly. Stretch on the floor while you watch TV. Eat at home, lay off the donuts and pizza. Go for a walk after dinner to get the metabolism going. Cut out all drinks except water.

DavidNH
10-28-2015, 10:55
At Planet Fitness I am thus far going about twice a week... so far I run (ok jog)on the treadmill for about 15 minutes (speed 3-4 and incline of 3-4) .. take a break for a few then do another 15 minutes. It's enough to get me drenched in sweat. I hope that's enough for now. There is absolutely no hope of keeping up with the 25 -35 year olds running 20 minutes plus full tilt on the treadmill.

donthaveoneyet
10-28-2015, 11:22
Be careful, especially with the incline settings. I've had some weight issues myself, due to years of desk job and long hours at work. Learned the hard way what others are saying - it's more about what you put in your mouth than it is about exercise. South Beach actually works, if you have the discipline, but is extremely difficult to stay with. But a big concern is, while carrying around that extra weight, trying to push your body too hard on machines (or trails). Tendon injuries are slow to heal, and can be a major setback in a fitness/weight loss program. Take it easy on the treadmill, and work harder on the diet. Just my 2 cents.

Pedaling Fool
10-28-2015, 13:10
At Planet Fitness I am thus far going about twice a week... so far I run (ok jog)on the treadmill for about 15 minutes (speed 3-4 and incline of 3-4) .. take a break for a few then do another 15 minutes. It's enough to get me drenched in sweat. I hope that's enough for now. There is absolutely no hope of keeping up with the 25 -35 year olds running 20 minutes plus full tilt on the treadmill.
It gets easier with time, just like it got easier when you first started hiking and were quickly out of breath and the legs were sore...I also didn't consider myself a runner and hated it, but did eventually get into it -- started in 2007 and it's now a habit I can't and don't want to stop.

The body is designed to run and it's a myth that the impact is bad for the body; however, the impact can cause serious injuries in the beginning for some people that just get started without preparation. Personally, I think people should start by first doing some basic strengthening exercises and slowly work up to running and build on that...

Nova did a special on marathons and it shows quite a few people that suffered injuries from starting out cold with running. I very much disagree with their little experiment and would have had people start off with strength training first. Here is their documentary on that little experiment http://video.pbs.org/video/1050815967/

Here's an interesting article that shows just how our bodies evolved to run http://www.pilatestonic.com/2013/how-are-you-like-a-kangaroo/

There is also talk of our springy connective tissue here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3020146/


Excerpt:

What Do Humans and Kangaroos Have In Common?

A kangaroo’s muscles aren’t large enough to give it the power to jump the height and distance that it does. This baffled scientists and led them to explore what gave kangaroos their jumping power. If it wasn’t powerful musculature propelling these animals forward, what was it?

They discovered a spring-like action responsible for the kangaroo’s unique jumping ability. The tendons and fascia in its legs is tensioned like an elastic band and stores energy. When that energy is released it springs it forward into those amazing jumps. This is called elastic recoil.

Soon after the discovery in kangaroos, the same discovery was found in gazelles and similarly in… drumroll please… humans.

In my mind, I see the elastic recoil like these toy cars my son plays with. You place the car on the floor and pull it backwards so the wheels wind up. When you let the car go, it flies across the floor.

The elastic recoil plays a part in how we walk, run and jump. It also keeps us light on our feet. Moving with light, quiet footsteps is a good sign of walking, or running elastically. Heavy or loud footsteps is a sign of walking or moving more muscularly.

More muscular movement requires a lot more energy and isn’t nearly as efficient or sustainable as moving elastically.

Spirit Walker
10-28-2015, 13:28
Given your weight, you might want to limit the high impact activities for now. Walk, don't run. You can walk every day for 30 minutes without risking injury. At the gym, use the elliptical or the Arc Trainer, the stationary bike or rower. Stair climber for just a few minutes. Weights will help you burn more calories. When you can walk briskly for 45 minutes or more, then you could start jogging, slowly. But if you don't enjoy it, then don't. An activity you enjoy is one you'll want to do often. If you hate running, you won't be willing to do it often enough to get better. Two days a week really isn't enough.

The prime focus should be on your diet, because that is truly where weight loss happens. Avoid eating out very often. Restaurant portions are huge and there are a lot of added fats to give flavor. Watch portion size. It's easy to eat two or three times as much as you think you are eating. Beware of drinks that add a lot of calories without making you feel full. Make treats be the exception, not the rule. (i.e. eat ice cream once a week, not every day.)

Old Grouse
10-28-2015, 13:34
After you've been walking a while, take a long walk once a week. For example walk to Penacook, buy an apple at Sam's Market, and walk back.:)

DavidNH
10-28-2015, 13:38
walk to Pennacook? Have you been to this area? That's like walking 10 miles each way along busy streets such as Fisherville Road.. I think I I'll stick to walking in my own neighborhood!

Old Grouse
10-28-2015, 13:46
Nah, more like 12.5 round trip. Yep, I lived in Penny-Cook years ago.

burger
10-28-2015, 13:48
At Planet Fitness I am thus far going about twice a week... so far I run (ok jog)on the treadmill for about 15 minutes (speed 3-4 and incline of 3-4) .. take a break for a few then do another 15 minutes. It's enough to get me drenched in sweat. I hope that's enough for now. There is absolutely no hope of keeping up with the 25 -35 year olds running 20 minutes plus full tilt on the treadmill.

If it was me (and it has been in the past since I've worked back from major injuries a few times), I'd set the incline to 0 or 1 and just work on your general fitness for now. Lower incline will mean that you can go longer and faster without getting exhausted. Once you've worked up to regularly doing, say, 40 minutes of walking/jogging without a break, then you can start building in some climbing. But I don't see a lot of point in working on your hill climbing when you should be thinking more about losing weight and general cardio fitness.

White Shimmer
10-28-2015, 13:57
I found this thread to be an excellent discussion.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/91666-What-is-the-healthiest-thing-one-can-do


I would also recommend a paleo- or a quasi-paleo lifestyle, as illustrated here.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/


Both have changed my outlook, practices, and fitness.

August W.
10-28-2015, 14:17
You can loose a lot of weight without exercising, going hungry, or counting calories. Spend a month living only on clean, real food (plants and animals, nuts, seafood) while avoiding foods that cause the highest blood sugar spikes (potatoes, bananas, etc.) and you should feel better, sleep better, have less cravings, more energy, and loose several pounds. Avoid sugary drinks as well. You will likely find yourself not wanting many highly processed foods after a month or more of eating this way.
See books by Chris Kresser and Michael Pollan for more information.

Offshore
10-28-2015, 14:27
At Planet Fitness I am thus far going about twice a week... so far I run (ok jog)on the treadmill for about 15 minutes (speed 3-4 and incline of 3-4) .. take a break for a few then do another 15 minutes. It's enough to get me drenched in sweat. I hope that's enough for now. There is absolutely no hope of keeping up with the 25 -35 year olds running 20 minutes plus full tilt on the treadmill.

Why worry about keeping up with anyone else? One of the nicer things about Planet Fitness is that its has wide range of members in terms of age and fitness, so tends to be a pretty comfortable gym. Work on your plan at a level that is safe but challenging and it will fall into place. (Skip the PF pizza and donuts, though.) Give yourself some props for deciding to lose weight and increase your fitness - its something >90% of people don't do. Take a walk thru any Wal-Mart and see...

August W above has a good point about eating real foods. Skip the prepared foods and processed foods. Cook your own and you'll eat better and save money. Pollan's books are a really good place to start. His famous quote is "Eat [real] food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

DavidNH
10-28-2015, 14:52
I have to confess.. I love potato chips and french fries (eating out.. french fries go with almost everything!), as well as burgers and hot dogs and sausages and bananas, precisely the foods you guys are telling me to refrain from eating :-( . I rarely get soda and never keep soda at home.

Feral Bill
10-28-2015, 15:30
A co worker of mine has been getting great results using the treadmill at Planet Fitness. She is 71. Moderate your food intake, walk outside when you can and be patient. There is no magic.

Lnj
10-28-2015, 17:07
I am right there with ya DavidNH. I was thin most of my life, but about 8 years ago I blew up like a balloon. I am a secretary, so desk jockey from 9 to 5 and I work over an hour away from my home, plus I'm a mom of 2 teens, a dog and 2 sugar gliders and a wife. I barely have time to bathe and sleep, much less "work out". I am sitting in my car 2+ hours a day, then sitting at my desk 8+ hours. There just isn't time, and honestly, the want-to, to work out for working out's sake.

I actually know the secret to successful and easy weight loss, and I'm working on it now. The key is NATURAL adrenaline. I am in a very comfy cozy lifestyle now, with not much shaking, and I don't get that excited adrenaline rush regularly anymore. That comes from youth of course, when everything in the world is exciting to us, and also from passion. As a teen, I LOVED to roller skate. I did it 3 times a week religiously, at 4 hours per night. My legs were made of stone. Now... jello. I have just in the last year realized that I get truly excited and squeal happy about going hiking. So guess what.... every Saturday I am hiking somewhere. Its a passion for me. If I am hungry and can go eat or go hiking but can't do both, I will pick hiking. That's passion!

I would say, find something PHYSICAL that you truly enjoy doing and let NOTHING get in your way of doing it as often as possible. So its cold in the winter? Get a coat or 2 and some snow shoes and some microspikes and get out there! That's what I am going to do. As for exercise, obviously if you loved it you wouldn't be overweight in the first place, so do what you love.

As far as diet goes, I agree with the other posters about not eating late and reducing caloric intake and carb intake. I'll tell you how to succeed in doing that as soon as I figure it out for myself!:rolleyes:

TexasBob
10-28-2015, 17:58
I have to confess.. I love potato chips and french fries (eating out.. french fries go with almost everything!), as well as burgers and hot dogs and sausages and bananas, precisely the foods you guys are telling me to refrain from eating :-( . I rarely get soda and never keep soda at home.

Life ain't worth living without Cheetos. I just need to learn to eat a reasonable amount instead of a whole bag! I am working on it.

Offshore
10-28-2015, 18:16
I have to confess.. I love potato chips and french fries (eating out.. french fries go with almost everything!), as well as burgers and hot dogs and sausages and bananas, precisely the foods you guys are telling me to refrain from eating :-( . I rarely get soda and never keep soda at home.

Moderation is the key and everyone deserves an occasional treat now and then. Once you start losing weight though, your whole cost-benefit analysis when choosing foods will change.

ChuckT
10-28-2015, 18:52
Firstly at 52 I'd get a stress test NOW! After you've _had_ your heart attack you will wish you had. Also don't believe everything doctors tell you they put their pants on same as you and me, one leg at a time. If you don't feel right there's a reason find out what is causing that.
Secondly how about mall walking? Excercise the whole system and practice the will power of avoiding junque food.
Finally see what you can do standing up rather than sitting down.
Good luck.

August W.
10-28-2015, 22:16
We are, if my poor, battered memory serves me correct, the second fattest nation on the planet (mexico has waddled past us for 1st place), and that is much more the result of malnutrition than overeating.
If you struggle to both get and remain motivated to eat primarily clean, real foods and haven't put much thought into where your food/drink comes from or the social and environmental results of your food/drink choices, you may find much inspiration to consume more real and healthy foods by reading up on the modern food chain and the extent to which politicians and global chemical companies both influence and control your food options. Would you rather look out from the high peaks of the A.T., P.C.T., C.D.T., etc. and beyond the forests see industrial warehouses and vast carcinogenic monoculture, OR those small, quaint, thriving family farms that gleam the pages of glossy calendars and coffee table books? You make that choice with every bite you chew, and you cast a vote for what you want our all too little remaining rural and wild lands to look like with every meal.

Just a fun-fact here:
For less than what many individuals spend on a thru hike, national food manufacturers can label their teeth rotting, diabetes causing products as being "Heart Healthy" without having to prove that their product is truly heart healthy or even relatively healthy at all. For as little as $2500.00 and a written "good faith" assurance they get approval from our leaders to use that goldmine slogan.
We really are what we eat.... and what we eat, like all other consumables that we purchase or produce, is connected to our wellbeing and the wellbeing of the places and people we love.

rocketsocks
10-29-2015, 03:09
limit the amount of CRAP you eat.

Carbs
Refined sugars
Artificial foods
Processed foods

Pedaling Fool
10-29-2015, 07:34
We are, if my poor, battered memory serves me correct, the second fattest nation on the planet (mexico has waddled past us for 1st place), and that is much more the result of malnutrition than overeating.

Actually, we rank 27th in the world http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/22/youll-never-guess-the-worlds-fattest-country-and-no-its-not-the-u-s/

perrymk
10-29-2015, 07:50
A newsletter I receive from superstrengthtraining.com (an old school exercise book store) recently re-posted something I had written about a year ago. Here it is:

The Keys to Good Health


Mr. Hinbern


I feel the vast majority of health problems are avoidable, while a few are the result of unavoidable genetics, environment, etc.


My opinion on the keys to good health, in no particular order:


1. Keep your mind active.
Read a book, rebuild a camp stove, do a crossword.

2. Keep your body active.
One does not need to be an Olympic athlete, but a mile or two walking per day will do wonders. Or swimming, or biking. Throw in some strength training (calisthenics, weights, etc.) a couple of time per week and you're golden. The best exercise is the exercise one will do. Be sure to work the heart and lungs.

3. Brush and floss at least daily.

4. Avoid alcohol/cigarettes/other unhealthy habits.
Notice I didn't say eliminate entirely, but it shouldn't be a daily or even weekly occurrence.

5. Eat healthy.
We all know whole wheat is better than white bread, we all know we should include raw food (fruits, salads). So do it.

6. Keep your weight down.
Whether it's from junk food, organic olive oil, or pharmaceutical body building supplements, excess weight is unhealthy.

7. Tend to your soul.


I also have a set of similar, simple but for me effective, keys that get a bit more detailed and specific to losing weight. I'll see if I can dig it up this evening.

donthaveoneyet
10-29-2015, 10:28
We are, if my poor, battered memory serves me correct, the second fattest nation on the planet (mexico has waddled past us for 1st place), and that is much more the result of malnutrition than overeating.
If you struggle to both get and remain motivated to eat primarily clean, real foods and haven't put much thought into where your food/drink comes from or the social and environmental results of your food/drink choices, you may find much inspiration to consume more real and healthy foods by reading up on the modern food chain and the extent to which politicians and global chemical companies both influence and control your food options. Would you rather look out from the high peaks of the A.T., P.C.T., C.D.T., etc. and beyond the forests see industrial warehouses and vast carcinogenic monoculture, OR those small, quaint, thriving family farms that gleam the pages of glossy calendars and coffee table books? You make that choice with every bite you chew, and you cast a vote for what you want our all too little remaining rural and wild lands to look like with every meal.

Just a fun-fact here:
For less than what many individuals spend on a thru hike, national food manufacturers can label their teeth rotting, diabetes causing products as being "Heart Healthy" without having to prove that their product is truly heart healthy or even relatively healthy at all. For as little as $2500.00 and a written "good faith" assurance they get approval from our leaders to use that goldmine slogan.
We really are what we eat.... and what we eat, like all other consumables that we purchase or produce, is connected to our wellbeing and the wellbeing of the places and people we love.


I don't disagree with you, but I would suggest this is not the place for a political rant? Just a thought....

August W.
10-29-2015, 11:34
I don't disagree with you, but I would suggest this is not the place for a political rant? Just a thought....

I agree with you completely, and hope that most readers will see that post as more of a healthy food rant than a political rant. My intentions were to possibly inspire some people to eat cleaner foods and be perhaps more mindful of what and who their food dollars support. I more enjoy supporting small farms and people who are producing food in a more ecologically friendly manner than I do supporting junk food peddlers and major chemical manufacturers.

swisscross
10-29-2015, 12:34
Weight loss is done in the kitchen, not exercise.
They work together but not exclusively.

You can exercise all you want and eat like crap and not lose any weight.
You can eat healthy and do no exercise and lose weight.

Calories in less than calories out is how you lose weight.

Taking a walk will not greatly raise your metabolism enough to be truly beneficial to weight loss.

I too struggle with my weight and due to some serious injuries in the last year I have been losing the battle.
Thanks for posting this thread. Makes me want to revisit my healthier days.

illabelle
10-29-2015, 14:22
I recommend the "Full Plate Diet." In a nutshell, increase your fiber intake (from natural sources, not supplements), and so long as you don't over-indulge in sweets and fats, you don't have to go hungry. A plate full of fiber, is naturally low in calories, and high in nutrients. And best of all, I found the book in a free PDF:

http://www.fullplatediet.org/resources/Full-Plate-Diet-Book.pdf

Another Kevin
10-29-2015, 15:32
Weight loss is done in the kitchen, not exercise.
They work together but not exclusively.

You can exercise all you want and eat like crap and not lose any weight.
You can eat healthy and do no exercise and lose weight.

Calories in less than calories out is how you lose weight.

Taking a walk will not greatly raise your metabolism enough to be truly beneficial to weight loss.

I too struggle with my weight and due to some serious injuries in the last year I have been losing the battle.
Thanks for posting this thread. Makes me want to revisit my healthier days.

Most people who gain weight do it almost imperceptibly in the course of a lifetime. They might gain only a couple of pounds a year - but from age 20 to age 60 that would add up to 80 pounds.

So even a little raise to the metabolism, even if you don't change your eating habits, can tip the balance.

I know that the best thing I ever did for myself was to start walking to work with some pack weight. (a clunky laptop computer, a few books, my rain gear, a water bottle or two - essentially, a day pack that weighs more than what I'd carry for an overnight on the trail). It might be just a couple of miles a day, but doing it every day - come whatever weather (and here Up North, whatever weather can be quite nasty indeed) was both a modicum of physical training and, more importantly, psychological training to expect to walk every day. Doing that, and maybe doubling how often I go hiking on weekends (I like to go one weekend a month, maybe a little more) caused me to lose 40 pounds over about 3-4 years - while continuing to eat what I damn please. In my case, that happens to include very little red meat, no soda pop, and only a small amount of alcohol - just because that happens to be what I like. I don't scramble to avoid carbs, or avoid fats, or do paleo, or anything like that.

I think that the key was that I wasn't actively trying to lose weight, just to get out and walk so that I could hike better - plus, the walk home is a great way to decompress from a day at the labs. If I'd been trying to lose weight, I'd have been charging progess - and getting disappointed when it was only a pound a month or so. But tipping the balance toward 'losing' is really all it takes - and doesn't result in yo-yo effects.

I've put some of the weight back this year because I, too, have been struggling with injuries. I'm sure I'll drop it again once I'm not hurting, because that's what happened before.

perrymk
10-29-2015, 16:49
I found my keys to fat loss, Here you go:

Regarding losing fat, I can share what works for me. I hope it helps others. I'll try to keep it brief (smile).

1. Count calories. This is one of those things that no one likes to do, but for me it is essential.
1a. It is easy enough to use an internet search engine to find the calorie content of just about any food, including restaurant food.
1b. One can also use the internet to get estimates of the calories burned by various activities. For example, walking burns about 100 calories per mile for men, about 80 for women.

2. For calorie counting to be useful, one also has to know how many calories are needed to maintain and then eat fewer calories than required for maintenance.
2a. My experience is that most people (depending on activity levels) need between 12 and 15 calories per pound of bodyweight for maintenance.
2b. For weight loss I usually aim for 10 calories per pound of desired bodyweight. I adjust up or down depending on how the weight loss is going. 10 calories per pound usually works OK for me.

3, Aim for a healthy, balanced diet. That is, don't eliminate any food groups. I didn't count grams fat or carbs but did be sure to have at least 1 gram of protein per 2 to 3 pounds of bodyweight. For me this was 60-90 grams protein per day.

My quick example. When I weighed 224 I decided I wanted to weight 185. So my target for daily calories was 1850. I decided I would eat 2000 calories per day and walk at least 2 miles per day (each mile burns about 100 calories for me) for a net of 1800 calories per day. I was also weightlifting 2 to 3 times per week. It took several months (6-8 as I recall; this was in 2008) but I reached my target weight. I was past 40 years old at the time.

This can be as healthy or as unhealthy as one chooses to make it. I find healthy foods generally more filling. I used diet sodas for those times when I needed a sweets fix. I agree diet soda, or any sodas, are not healthy. Neither is being overweight. Everyone has to decide for themselves which is worse, the extra weight or the chemicals in a soda.

Building muscle helps raise the metabolism, but not by much. I see muscle and the resulting metabolic boost more for weight maintenance than weight loss. I've always enjoyed working out with weights and I continue to do so. I also enjoy walking and hiking which are great low impact ways to maintain weight.

The biggest mistake I see people making is underestimating calories consumed and overestimating calories burned.

My eating was more out of habit and boredom, and a genuine enjoyment of food. I had to find a way to stay occupied to stave off boredom eating. For me it was building and restoring old camp stoves. I probably have around 30 stoves in my garage of various types, some dating back to the 1800s. The homemade ones are simple alcohol burning stoves. It may be that finding a hobby, one that requires keeping the hands and mind busy but isn't so challenging that it wears you out, could help you too.

That's the essence.


My biggest claim to fame is that it is now 2015 and I have usually maintained my weight in the 180-185 range although I am currently under 180. Some days are a struggle not to eat, but most days it is merely an effort and I suspect it always will be. Seldom does a day go by in which I haven't kept a mental tally of the calories I have consumed. According to my Tanita, I am usually a healthy 17-18% bodyfat (currently a little lower). Not skinny, not fat. According to the Tanita pamphlets the healthy range is generally 10-20% bodyfat for young men, 13-23% for men past 35 or so. Women can generally add 3-5% to the ranges.

DavidNH
10-29-2015, 18:30
I will add.. I do not smoke (never have) and don't drink alcohol beyond a couple glasses of wine per YEAR. Sodas are confined to the occasional restaurant meal. I remember seeing AT thru hikers downing a two liter bottle of soda in a single evening! and many others chain smoked. Still others seemed to drink as much beer as water (so it seemed to me). Wonder what happened to them in the years hence!

When I finished my AT thru hike back in 2006 I was down to a size 36 weighing around 210 pounds. That lasted for a week or two and was up to a size 38. Weight there after increased only very gradually to the point where 6-7 years hence I gained back the 60 pounds I lost on the hike and then some. You don't even realize you are gaining weight or that fitness level is going down until one fine summer the mountains that I used to just stroll up without breaking a sweat are now exhausting and leaving me sore for a couple days. Last Fall Mount Jackson was a killer and this summer Mount Chocorua and Mount Moosilauke were exhausting as well. You've all given me lots of great advice which I do appreciate. I just can't eliminate chips and fries but maybe I could eat less of them. And I guess the wonderful and very inexpensive Chinese Buffets should be visited less often (once a month rather than a couple ior a few times a month). Steak is a rare treat. Lettuce often goes bad before I can finish the head, and I have never been much of a vegetarian.

TexasBob
10-29-2015, 19:00
>>>>>>>>>When I finished my AT thru hike back in 2006 >>>>>>>>>You don't even realize you are gaining weight or that fitness level is going down until one fine summer the mountains that I used to just stroll up without breaking a sweat are now exhausting and leaving me sore for a couple days.>>>>>

9 years older makes a difference too. What was easy in my 30's was a little harder in my 40's and a bit of a struggle in my 50's. I not saying we are over the hill in our 50's and 60's, what I am saying is that we get tired easier and don't bounce back as quickly as we did 20 or 30 years ago. I had a hard time accepting this but for me at least it means that I need to do some training before I go on a big hike. That is something I never had to do before.

egilbe
10-29-2015, 20:07
I learned to love hiking in the winter. It is pretty awesome! No bugs! I never really thought that was a selling point, but it is! I can deal with the cold. I can take layers off and on easy enough. Winter hiking is where it's at!

salsi
10-30-2015, 03:44
I lift weights as well as snowshoe and some cross-country skiing, but mostly I just life weights for both arms and legs and this keeps everything strong.

Heliotrope
10-30-2015, 07:32
Good advice above, I wanted to add I too used to while away most of the winter until I moved into snowshoeing and traction gear like micro spikes came onto the market. I how find winter to be preferable to July/August for hiking. Trails are fairly empty, no bugs, including popular site accesses, trail treadway is usually pretty firm for snowshoes, no bugs, trails tend to be leveled with the snowpack and more easily trod, no bugs of course, and with the right equipment you can get into places that are inaccessible in summer.

Cross country skiing is a good conditioning activity, as is snowshoeing. I usually find I can keep a fairly consistent mileage number per winter month that I do in spring and fall and now don't feel the need to push myself out in hot, humid weather since I was active all winter.

Just a thought.

I would add one more thing to the benefits of winter hiking: bugs are non existent. [emoji2]



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pedaling Fool
10-30-2015, 08:37
Building muscle helps raise the metabolism, but not by much. I see muscle and the resulting metabolic boost more for weight maintenance than weight loss. I've always enjoyed working out with weights and I continue to do so. I also enjoy walking and hiking which are great low impact ways to maintain weight.

The biggest mistake I see people making is underestimating calories consumed and overestimating calories burned.


Counting calories is probably a good thing, but it doesn't work for me, since I'm too lazy, but definitely worth trying. Me, I just try and eat like I did on the trail and that means going hungry; you do get over the hunger feeling, just got to focus on other things. That is the ONLY way I can keep off the weight, as I said in a previous post. If I'm gaining weight, I don't even consider altering my exercise regimen, even if I'm going thru a period where my exercise regimen is lacking (usually because of injury of just general recovery). Limit intake, period. And it works and I don't have the best of diets, in what I eat and I do drink my fair share of sodas, not every day, but when I do drink them, it can be measured in the gallons:)

I also agree with the above post about the issue of muscles burning calories. I think the effect is greatly exaggerated; I don't believe that muscles keep fat off, as said before, you can only do that by reducing intake. However, building muscles is extremely important (at least in my case) for maintaining a strong, healthy body.

Lifting will keep my frame from falling apart as I age, that is why I do it, all the other benefits are simple pluses, IMO, it's all about maintaining quality of life as I age. There are many cases showing how lifting helps older people gain back some mobility, just think if they kept that mobility by starting a weight training regimen earlier in life. 52 ain't old, but old age will sneak up on you if you don't get started. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDIauBNkoSY

You don't have to go to the gym to get started in a weight training regimen, just stand up and start doing some squats, pushups.... But over time you will want to add weights. Personally, I don't see much use for gyms other than the weights, I can do any cardio outside, so the bulk of my gym time is spent picking up heavy things, the heavier the better. Always be setting goals, that's what keeps me motivated; I couldn't do it, if all I did was mindlessly go in and do x-number of reps for x-number of sets...


I also agree that people woefully under/over estimate their calorie intake/burn. Also another thing that factor ins here is that if you do a particular exercise you burn x-amount in the beginning, but as your body becomes more efficient your calorie burn for that exercise goes down. I never trust those calorie burn charts for a given exercise, again, I just reduce my intake.

DavidNH
10-30-2015, 11:48
@egilbe.... winter hiking is NOT where it's at! It's really cold, and often windy. There is all that extra equipment (snow shoes, crampons, plastic boots), you can't just sprawl out on the summit soaking in the sunshine because its cloudy, windy,temps in teens, and lord only knows how cold the wind chill gets!.. Bugs are basically gone by mid July. If I go out at all in winter it is at low elevation sheltered areas on days that are are at least in the 20'sand the winds are calm or close to.

futureatwalker
10-31-2015, 04:25
My suggestion would be to buy a FitBit or equivalent, and start counting the number of steps you take. Then, increase that number to get your walking miles up. Walk, and walk, and walk.

When I'm preparing for a trip I often build walking miles into my day by walking to the train station (I take a train to work) and back. This adds 4 miles of walking in for the day.

egilbe
11-02-2015, 16:11
@egilbe.... winter hiking is NOT where it's at! It's really cold, and often windy. There is all that extra equipment (snow shoes, crampons, plastic boots), you can't just sprawl out on the summit soaking in the sunshine because its cloudy, windy,temps in teens, and lord only knows how cold the wind chill gets!.. Bugs are basically gone by mid July. If I go out at all in winter it is at low elevation sheltered areas on days that are are at least in the 20'sand the winds are calm or close to.

Haha. I love snowshoeing. I like that packed out trails are easier to hike than rock hopping up some trail. Boulder scrambles in the Summer are smoothed over in Winter. The views are spectacular without the leaves. I'm so looking forward to this Winter.

Offshore
11-02-2015, 19:04
Weight loss is done in the kitchen, not exercise.
They work together but not exclusively.

You can exercise all you want and eat like crap and not lose any weight.
You can eat healthy and do no exercise and lose weight.

Calories in less than calories out is how you lose weight.

Taking a walk will not greatly raise your metabolism enough to be truly beneficial to weight loss.

To lose weight, run a calorie deficit. You can do this by eating less, exercising more or by some combination of the two. Walking is not a particularly effective way to burn calories but it is also not the only form of exercise. So the right type of exercise can do a lot for weight loss. Walking is sort of a "feel good" starter exercise for people who don't usually exercise, but it's only a start. You do need a reality check to be sure that you're working hard enough. Heart rate monitors are good for that. (Walking doesn't raise your heart rate high enough for any real cardiac fitness benefit either.)

DavidNH
11-02-2015, 21:46
but if I run a calorie deficit.. won't I be extremely hungry? and won't that hunger lead to eating more food thus more than balancing out the calories burned off?

egilbe
11-02-2015, 22:05
but if I run a calorie deficit.. won't I be extremely hungry? and won't that hunger lead to eating more food thus more than balancing out the calories burned off?
No. You aren't starving yourself. 500 calories a day will give you a pound a week weight loss. Exercising will keep your metabolism up.

RockDoc
11-03-2015, 00:29
Lose the weight and _then_ exercise.

Marksdailyapple.com tells you how.

Pedaling Fool
11-03-2015, 09:34
but if I run a calorie deficit.. won't I be extremely hungry? and won't that hunger lead to eating more food thus more than balancing out the calories burned off?
What constitutes calorie deficit? It's actually a tougher question to answer than first appears, because we have so much information out there telling us how many calories we take in and what forms of exercise burns X-amount of calories. But the problem is, that I don't believe them, much like the problem with Heart Rate Zones, I believe these calorie burn rate tables are crap.

And here is some proof of that http://running.competitor.com/2015/03/training/many-calories-running-burn_123951 In that article, it turns out that the word Calories isn't even the correct term -- the correct term is Kilo-calories.

But who cares, because another factor is when you exercise your body becomes more efficient at burning calories, so a 1-mile run you may burn x-amount of calories, but after a month of training, that same mile (all else remains the same) you'll burn less calories, because the body has become more efficient. Not that you'll know with any precision how many calories you actually burned, because we don't have a device to measure that, only tables of information. The best way to measure it is to monitor weight, because 3,500 calories burned = 1 pound of fat loss (not water loss) http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/calories/art-20048065

That's a big reason why you can't lose weight from exercise alone, although in the beginning (because your body isn't the best at being efficient) you lose weight relatively quickly, but only to gain it back.

On the Issue of being 'Extremely Hungry'

Hunger pains are not necessarily a symptom of being calorie deficient (at least not to the point of starving yourself), you need to work past those feeling of hunger pains and work that into your lifestyle and over time you will be able to eat less and not feel hungry an hour later, but it takes practice. Remember, your problem now is not an issue of being calorie deficient, but being calorie indulgent. It does take practice on finding that balance between eating too much and eating the right amount and that balance is always changing.

Besides, it's a good thing to be calorie deficient sometimes and you can feast occasionally and not gain substantial weight. Remember back to your thru-hike.

burger
11-03-2015, 10:27
What constitutes calorie deficit? It's actually a tougher question to answer than first appears, because we have so much information out there telling us how many calories we take in and what forms of exercise burns X-amount of calories. But the problem is, that I don't believe them, much like the problem with Heart Rate Zones, I believe these calorie burn rate tables are crap.

And here is some proof of that http://running.competitor.com/2015/03/training/many-calories-running-burn_123951 In that article, it turns out that the word Calories isn't even the correct term -- the correct term is Kilo-calories.

But who cares, because another factor is when you exercise your body becomes more efficient at burning calories, so a 1-mile run you may burn x-amount of calories, but after a month of training, that same mile (all else remains the same) you'll burn less calories, because the body has become more efficient. Not that you'll know with any precision how many calories you actually burned, because we don't have a device to measure that, only tables of information. The best way to measure it is to monitor weight, because 3,500 calories burned = 1 pound of fat loss (not water loss) http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/calories/art-20048065

That's a big reason why you can't lose weight from exercise alone, although in the beginning (because your body isn't the best at being efficient) you lose weight relatively quickly, but only to gain it back.

On the Issue of being 'Extremely Hungry'

Hunger pains are not necessarily a symptom of being calorie deficient (at least not to the point of starving yourself), you need to work past those feeling of hunger pains and work that into your lifestyle and over time you will be able to eat less and not feel hungry an hour later, but it takes practice. Remember, your problem now is not an issue of being calorie deficient, but being calorie indulgent. It does take practice on finding that balance between eating too much and eating the right amount and that balance is always changing.

Besides, it's a good thing to be calorie deficient sometimes and you can feast occasionally and not gain substantial weight. Remember back to your thru-hike.

You have a lot of stuff wrong there. First calories and kilocalories are both units of energy. What we call a "calorie" on our food labels in the US is, to scientists, 1000 calories, so it's really a kilocalorie. But it doesn't matter at all because everything in the US is labeled the same way.

Also, I'm not aware of any evidence that additional training dramatically changes the calories burned during exercise. The reason that your treadmill can tell you that running a mile burns 120 calories is because it takes about that much energy to move an average-sized person a mile no matter how fast they're going (you burn slightly more calories the faster you go, but it's not a huge difference. Obviously, if you weight 300 lbs. though you're burning more calories per mile than someone who weighs 150 lbs).

Finally, you absolutely can lose weight from exercise alone assuming you keep your calorie intake constant. But losing weight from diet alone is much harder because your metabolic efficiency changes, especially if you are in a large calorie deficit. That's why it's best to aim to lose weight slowly.

Basically, you've complicated the issue here to no end. If you burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight. It's really simple and has been demonstrated over and over by scientists.

illabelle
11-03-2015, 10:31
but if I run a calorie deficit.. won't I be extremely hungry? and won't that hunger lead to eating more food thus more than balancing out the calories burned off?

Hunger goes away from feeling full, not from the number of calories. You could eat a three or four donuts and exceed your caloric needs for the day - but still feel hungry, especially once the sugar high subsides. On the other hand, you could eat a plate of beans, vegetables, whole grains, and fresh fruit, and stuff yourself full without going overboard on calories - and not feel hungry at all.

Offshore
11-03-2015, 11:17
Basically, you've complicated the issue here to no end. If you burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight. It's really simple and has been demonstrated over and over by scientists.

This, and thank you. One thing for certain is that no one is losing any weight or getting any fitter sitting in front of a computer following these posts deep into the weeds of pop culture diets and academic theories!

donthaveoneyet
11-03-2015, 11:19
If you burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight. It's really simple and has been demonstrated over and over by scientists.

To me, this simple revelation was what finally got me focused. I was up to 30 lbs overweight at one point about 8 years ago, and tried all kinds of things, but finally read an article that said the above, and a light bulb went off. It really is that simple.

However, I do think there is some truth in the point that you lose less weight for a given amount of exertion as your fitness improves. There was a time when my heart rate monitor would jump to 160 on a simple incline of a few hundred feet; at this point, that same hill (in a local park where I do fitness hikes) won't get me up to 120 (and that's with a now heavy pack and moving much faster). If the heart isn't working as much, it seems logical to me the body isn't, and you are burning fewer calories. This is also reflected in the calorie calculation of the heart rate monitory. Obviously, it's a good thing - but it is important to understand it when determining what you need to do to lose a given amount of weight. At least I think so...

August W.
11-04-2015, 07:27
Actually, we rank 27th in the world http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/22/youll-never-guess-the-worlds-fattest-country-and-no-its-not-the-u-s/

America is the second fattest nation on the planet according to other studies published on the web that you should able to find just as easily as you found the one you linked to. In those articles they only report on nations with the largest populations.

Pedaling Fool
11-04-2015, 09:33
You have a lot of stuff wrong there. First calories and kilocalories are both units of energy. What we call a "calorie" on our food labels in the US is, to scientists, 1000 calories, so it's really a kilocalorie. But it doesn't matter at all because everything in the US is labeled the same way.

Also, I'm not aware of any evidence that additional training dramatically changes the calories burned during exercise. The reason that your treadmill can tell you that running a mile burns 120 calories is because it takes about that much energy to move an average-sized person a mile no matter how fast they're going (you burn slightly more calories the faster you go, but it's not a huge difference. Obviously, if you weight 300 lbs. though you're burning more calories per mile than someone who weighs 150 lbs).

Finally, you absolutely can lose weight from exercise alone assuming you keep your calorie intake constant. But losing weight from diet alone is much harder because your metabolic efficiency changes, especially if you are in a large calorie deficit. That's why it's best to aim to lose weight slowly.

Basically, you've complicated the issue here to no end. If you burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight. It's really simple and has been demonstrated over and over by scientists.
Kilo-calories – I bring that up only because I've read about this issue a lot and did not know anything about calories actually being anything other than calories until I read a few articles that started referring to calories as Kilo-calories (Kcals). It was frustrating when I first started reading this and the link I provided only explained that and I agree it doesn't matter....until you come across the term not knowing what the hell it is... Not only that, but there are other types of calories burned, i.e fat calories vs glycogen calories...


Calories Burned – Short answer is...I don't really know, because I can't measure it, like I can with my heart rate. However, I've read this before and it does seem to jive with my experience with weight loss vs eating quantity.


See this link: http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/caloricexp.html


Excerpt:

Will your fitness level effect the number of calories you burn?

Yes, as you do endurance training your body adapts in many physiological mechanisms. One positive adaptation is a lower submaximal heart rate intensity during your aerobic workouts at a given oxygen consumption.


I have a lot of faith in the calorie burn rates for steam engines, but not for the human body. You say there are a lot of studies showing this, but do these studies look at the same person over a long period of time and what kind of variations are observed? No, I don't accept it, but I can't measure it myself, so all I got is my experience.


I also had my experience with Heart Rate training zones, but the difference here is that my HR is something I could measure directly and I had HR training charts, which were supposedly developed from scientific studies. But the charts were way off for me and became even further off base as my fitness increased. Am I an anomaly? Turns out I'm not, because I talked to other people and found out that they also couldn't use those charts. Long story short, turns out that those charts are products of the fitness industry and not really based on sound science, contrary to popular belief. This article explains how that happened.>>>> http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/24/health/maximum-heart-rate-theory-is-challenged.html?pagewanted=all


Lose weight from Exercise alone – I can't and I know a lot of other people that cannot lose weight by exercise alone. Although, I'm sure there are those that can, because we are all different – again, the science of the human body is far more complex than a steam engine.


I'm sorry if I confused you.:D

Pedaling Fool
11-04-2015, 09:49
America is the second fattest nation on the planet according to other studies published on the web that you should able to find just as easily as you found the one you linked to. In those articles they only report on nations with the largest populations.Maybe you're looking at old studies or maybe at biased reporting... Show your links. Personally, I don't know who the fattest countries are since I haven't done the surveys, but I have no reason to not believe in the Washington Post's reporting, which is reporting on WHO's list.

burger
11-04-2015, 10:32
Kilo-calories – I bring that up only because I've read about this issue a lot and did not know anything about calories actually being anything other than calories until I read a few articles that started referring to calories as Kilo-calories (Kcals). It was frustrating when I first started reading this and the link I provided only explained that and I agree it doesn't matter....until you come across the term not knowing what the hell it is... Not only that, but there are other types of calories burned, i.e fat calories vs glycogen calories...


Calories Burned – Short answer is...I don't really know, because I can't measure it, like I can with my heart rate. However, I've read this before and it does seem to jive with my experience with weight loss vs eating quantity.


See this link: http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/caloricexp.html


Excerpt:

Will your fitness level effect the number of calories you burn?

Yes, as you do endurance training your body adapts in many physiological mechanisms. One positive adaptation is a lower submaximal heart rate intensity during your aerobic workouts at a given oxygen consumption.


I have a lot of faith in the calorie burn rates for steam engines, but not for the human body. You say there are a lot of studies showing this, but do these studies look at the same person over a long period of time and what kind of variations are observed? No, I don't accept it, but I can't measure it myself, so all I got is my experience.


I also had my experience with Heart Rate training zones, but the difference here is that my HR is something I could measure directly and I had HR training charts, which were supposedly developed from scientific studies. But the charts were way off for me and became even further off base as my fitness increased. Am I an anomaly? Turns out I'm not, because I talked to other people and found out that they also couldn't use those charts. Long story short, turns out that those charts are products of the fitness industry and not really based on sound science, contrary to popular belief. This article explains how that happened.>>>> http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/24/health/maximum-heart-rate-theory-is-challenged.html?pagewanted=all


Lose weight from Exercise alone – I can't and I know a lot of other people that cannot lose weight by exercise alone. Although, I'm sure there are those that can, because we are all different – again, the science of the human body is far more complex than a steam engine.


I'm sorry if I confused you.:D

Pedaling Fool, you continue to needlessly complicate the issue. Net calories is all that matters. Even if your calorie burn rate decreases slightly as you get fitter, with greater fitness generally comes greater capacity to exercise for longer times and at higher intensity. So it's not as if it becomes impossible to burn enough calories to make a difference. The only way that the effect of greater fitness on calories burned per mile would be problem is if you did the exact same workout every time you exercised. If you increase your mileage (if you're hiking or running or biking) or increase the intensity (by going faster or uphill), you will be burning more calories as you get fitter, not less.

If you want to keep posting on these misleading and distracting tangents, please start another thread. This can't be of any use whatsoever to the OP who is interested in starting a weight loss plan, not learning about how to keep losing weight as you get into stellar shape.

burger
11-04-2015, 10:36
Also, Pedaling Fool, there is no need whatsoever to measure or even try to estimate the exact numbers of calories burned in exercise or the number consumed. Without some measure of resting metabolic rate, those numbers are mostly useless anyway. For someone wanting to lose weight, they should use the scale to decide if they're exercising enough or eating too much. If you are gaining weight, you need to exercise more or eat less. If you're losing weight, then you're probably doing things well (assuming you're not losing weight too quickly).

All this talk about kilocalories and the exact number of calories burned doing exercise is essentially useless.

jefals
11-05-2015, 12:02
I don't hike much at all in the winter (very cold snowy icy). Last winter I stopped exercising altogether and payed for it this past summer. I'm 52 yrs old 6ft 3 and near 300 pounds. Hikes up Mt Moosilauke and Mount Chocorua (NH White Mountains) left me exhausted this past summer. It took me five hours to get up Moosilauke (Glen Cliff Trail) So yeah, I've gotten out of shape.


I'm looking for suggestions to get back into shape without "killing" myself in the process. I've joined a week or two ago Planet Fitness and am going a couple times a week at the moment.

DavidNH

I've had similar experiences in my life where I get in shape, then let it go... Now, I'm 68. I do 100 situps, climb 70 flights of stairs and then burn 830+ cals on an elliptical, 3 to 5 times a week.

First thing always - check with doctor before starting. Then, go very slow. For me, the key is consistency. It doesn't matter how little you do - just start doing something.

If I quit exercising for quite a while and wanted to start back up and get back where I am now, I might start out doing 3 situps, 3 flights of stairs and 5 minutes on the elliptical. If I was winded on the 3 flights of stairs, I'd cut back to 2. If I didn't like 5 minutes on the machine, I'd go down to 3 or even 2.
The key is consistency. I might keep this schedule, 5 days a week for a couple of weeks. If I didn't feel like increasing anything after two weeks, I'd keep it another week. I wouldn't increase till I felt ready. No pressure.
When you do feel ready to increase, you might surprise yourself. Maybe you plan on going from 3 situps to 6...when the time comes, you may find that you can easily do 9. It kinda works like that for me.
One more tip; I remember Johnny Carson interviewed Arnold Schwarzenegger once. Johnny said that a lot of people don't want to work out because they're afraid the are going to "bulk up", and then when they quit, it all turns to flab. Arnold says, "my advice is don't ever quit". "Don't quit"?, says Johnny. "No, because, you know, you don't quit breathing, or drinking water or eating". So exercise should be just part of life. I'm trying to take Arnold ' advice now!
Good luck!