View Full Version : Gain weight before the hike?
person14
03-04-2011, 09:53
I am going to attempt a south bound thru starting in june. I am naturally thin so I am concerned I will lose too much weight and will have to quit. I am 6 feet 165ish. Should I put on weight before the hike to make up for what I will lose? I really don't want to do that as I don't like being overweight but I will if that is my best bet to finish the trail.
Additional info is that I am vegetarian so getting protein on the trail could be a problem. I don't really eat too many carbs in my daily life(i only eat beans/veg/tofu) so I am concerned about eating so many carbs on the trail.
thanks in advance
Pedaling Fool
03-04-2011, 10:13
I wouldn't worry about it, any weight gain will quickly be lost. Just concentrate on having good meals. Carbs are a very good thing on the trail, I wouldn't even consider keeping my carb intake low on a thru-hike. Rice and pasta are my favorite sources for carbs. I remember hearing a professional cyclist talk about how these low-carb diets are no good for racing; I think the same thing applies to thru-hiking.
I naturally eat a lot of veggies, but I'm not a vegetarian, so can't help there.
When I was doing semi pro mountain bike racing I'd have huge carb meals the night before the race, to the point I couldn't eat anymore. The difference between filling up on carbs the night before, and not bothering to, was night and day.
Jim Adams
03-04-2011, 11:24
I wouldn't worry...most of us that do lose weight....need to! LOL
You should be fine.
geek
fredmugs
03-04-2011, 11:49
Eat some MetRx Big 100 meal replacement bars. I have a Super Cookie Crunch in front of me right now:
weight: 100g
calories: 410
fat: 14g
carbs: 41g
protein: 32g
They taste great and are very filling. Big 100 bars and trail mix are my daily staples on the trail.
Just because being a malnourished vegetarian works for you now doesn't mean it's right for you on the trail. There are many things you need to nail down before a thru hike besides getting fat, and it sounds like fixing your diet should be priority #1. Figure out a diet high in carbs and fat that you can prepare and eat 4000 calories a day of--and you will try this before you hit the trail. If you can't easily do it with vegetarian meals, you need to decide what's more important to you, keeping your purity as a vegetarian or thru hiking.
Just because being a malnourished vegetarian works for you now doesn't mean it's right for you on the trail. There are many things you need to nail down before a thru hike besides getting fat, and it sounds like fixing your diet should be priority #1. Figure out a diet high in carbs and fat that you can prepare and eat 4000 calories a day of--and you will try this before you hit the trail. If you can't easily do it with vegetarian meals, you need to decide what's more important to you, keeping your purity as a vegetarian or thru hiking.
This is a little silly, plenty of veggies and even vegans have hiked the trail. Veggie meals are plenty high in carbs and fat...and protein if you're smart.
There are lots of skinny meat eaters out there anyway.
Tenderheart
03-04-2011, 15:38
Don't shoot yourself in the foot by gaining weight before your trip. No, no, no!
A skinny vegetarian, litefoot 2000
Don't worry about gaining weight. In fact, as a skinny person, you could easily gain weight on the trail. I did... I gained 15 pounds on the trail of muscle weight.
Your body will adjust. Don't worry about it.
TallShark
03-05-2011, 00:18
you mean you dont eat pork... dubya tee eff man
mweinstone
03-05-2011, 00:29
your too tall. somehow you must loose height. you need to deheighten.deheightening is frowned on so dont let any hikers know your doing it. shave your head.wear realy thin soled shoes, like dust covers. hunch a litte bit and for gods sakes dont have that tall look on your face all the time. wear a short exspression. then you should make it.
garlic08
03-05-2011, 00:51
I'm another skinny vegetarian hiker. Listen to your body. If you're burning more energy than you're taking in, you'll know. In that case, do less work or eat more food. I wouldn't sweat starting skinny. There are only about 3500 calories in a pound of fat, so a few pounds of fat gained before the hike won't last more than a few days, anyway. You'll have to learn how to eat to sustain your activity for the long haul.
If you eat enough legumes and nuts for your energy needs, you'll get plenty of protein. I've never tried low carb and can't imagine consuming the calories I need for hiking without carbs, but I'm not going to say it's impossible. Give it a try. You'll know in a few days whether it's working or not.
I don't quite get the connection between eating meat and being well nourished. I see lots of meat eaters harming themselves with horrible diets. I also see vegetarians doing the same--beer and chips is a vegan meal, after all. With a little care, one can eat quite well leaving out one type of food--even carbs, from what I've seen.
Any weight you try to gain will be lost almost immediately. Being naturally overweight, I lost all my excess weight within the first 3 weeks. So even if you, a naturally thin person, could manage to gain 25lbs, you'd probably lose it in the first 2 weeks.
This is a little silly, plenty of veggies and even vegans have hiked the trail. Veggie meals are plenty high in carbs and fat...and protein if you're smart.
There are lots of skinny meat eaters out there anyway.
I didn't say anything against being vegetarian, but rather against being a vegetarian that can't comprehend the nutritional demands of a thru hike. With concerns about getting enough protein and too many carbs, what's that vegetarian diet going to look like? I suppose that diet could work if it were primarily olive oil. Yuck.
I'm certainly not saying meat must be consumed either. It would be tough to eat 4000 calories of any type of food without getting a lot of protein.
As garlic said, if you don't figure it out before you hit the trail, you'll quickly figure out if it's not working.
Goridewithme
03-06-2011, 07:13
you will lose some, read this book for some better insight.
http://www.hikinghq.net/book_long_distance.html
Have fun !
Goride
Appalachian Tater
03-06-2011, 12:26
If you can gain some muscle, that would be a good idea, but why would you want extra fat?
Rather than carry extra fat on your body, carry extra food to eat. If you are going to carry extra weight, let it be something you'll enjoy.
atraildreamer
03-06-2011, 14:35
I posted this a while back. It may be of some help to you in determining your food requirements for a long-distance hike. :-?
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=58026
mcskinney
03-06-2011, 17:19
your too tall. Somehow you must loose height. You need to deheighten.deheightening is frowned on so dont let any hikers know your doing it. Shave your head.wear realy thin soled shoes, like dust covers. Hunch a litte bit and for gods sakes dont have that tall look on your face all the time. Wear a short exspression. Then you should make it.
winning! ! !
when I was 17 I weighed 165 pounds, but that was a long time ago. I ain't seen 165 since then.
Panzer