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silverscuba22
11-04-2011, 13:19
I have seen a couple threads about weight loss on peoples thru-hike, people post they lost 20 pound or 50 or whatnot. But without some context if hard to really fully understand, i mean for me, my weight is 200 pounds , im 6'0 tall, in good shape. if i lost 50 pounds i would look like a concentration camp survivor. lol i was going to see about maybe starting something with start weight , end weight.... maybe what your miles per day avg was. and overall how good of shape you were in when you started. to kind of give people a basic reference.

something like....

male/female: male
start weight: 200
end weight: 180
MPD: 15
shape starting: Good
Comments: i suck blah blah blah

10-K
11-04-2011, 13:22
I see what you're getting at but the info isn't going to help you.

Just go hiking, eat when you're hungry, eat till you're full. If your clothes get loose, eat more. If they get tight, eat less.

My last long hike was 800 miles and I weight 10 lbs more when I finished than I did when I started and I averaged 20 mpd, including 5 zeros and 3 short days with less than 5 hours hiking.

Pedaling Fool
11-04-2011, 13:33
Generally people that lose large amounts of weight have it to lose. That was my case I weighed 240lbs at the beginning (I'm only 5'8") and I lost ~50lbs. I did not look like the typical hiker (male) at the end of my hike, couple reasons is because I've been doing a lot of weightlifting for years prior to my hike, so it wasn't all fat, but a good amount. But also I had a very good diet, did not eat the typical stuff many hikers eat. Much of it was dehydrated stuff like veggies, some fruits and a lot of jerky with a staple meal of usually rice. And a lot of oatmeal, but some gorp and whatever else I found in town, much of the time it was peanut butter and I hate peanut butter, it's a very good source of fat and protien.

So typically you'll just lose excess fat, not necessarily lose 50lbs, that's getting into the range of what us fatties lose. Don't try and limit your appetite when you get to town and you'll be fine.

Pedaling Fool
11-04-2011, 13:36
...I did not look like the typical hiker (male) at the end of my hike, ...BTW, what I mean by that is that many males look like they just got out of a concentration camp at the end of their thru-hike.

sbhikes
11-04-2011, 16:50
The people who lose the weight are the ones who have weight to lose. Rare is the person who loses nothing, but that sometimes happens, especially if that person is already very thin. The slow exercise of hiking normalizes your weight. The real trouble is after the hike your metabolism has changed and you won't be able to handle modern industrial processed food anymore and you'll probably gain it all back, even if you practice calorie restriction and try to keep up some level of exercise. That's been my personal experience after two 3-month section hikes.

JAK
11-04-2011, 18:49
I think you can safely loose 1% of your body fat each day, if active enough to lose it, and as long as you don't go too far below 10% body fat. So if you are starting out at 200 pounds, 6' tall, your lean body mass is probably 150-160 depending on how much muscle you have. So if its 150 you can start out losing as much as 0.5 pounds per day, but by the time you are down to 180, you should eat more so as to slow your loss down to 0.3 pounds per day, max. So if hiking at 5000 kcal/day at the start, less 1750, you should be eating at least 3250 per day, and by the time you are down to 180, if then consuming 6000 kcal/day with increased fitness and mileage, less 1000 or so, you should then be eating at least 5000 kcal/day. If you are losing more than 1% of your body fat per day, or if it falls below 10% body fat, you should eat more, or slow down, or take a feast and rest day once a week. Watch out for muscle loss also. Waist line measurements, relative to height, is a good estimate of % body fat. There is a formula out there.

I know for myself, at 6' tall, I have a waist line of about 1" for every 5 pounds I weigh, and a lean body mass of about 150 pounds. So if I measure say, 40", and I weigh less that 200#, I know my lean body mass has gone down, and if I weigh more than 200# at 40", I know my lean body mass has gone up some, because I have gained some muscle somewhere.

Bloomer
11-04-2011, 19:01
I left Waynesboro, VA last year around Trail Days weighing 245 Lbs and hiked to Duncannon, PA in 20 days. My end weight was 217 Lbs. I'm 6' 1" and my Body Mass Index ideal weight in 185 Lbs. I have put 10 Lbs back on since that hike and not been very active this past year. The first ten pounds are the easiest to loose because its mostly water weight (so I have been told).

garlic08
11-04-2011, 23:31
I'm a 5'-9" male, my starting weight was 150 (I was in excellent hiking condition, all ready to go), my ending weight was 145. My lowest was probably 142, pretty skinny for me. I hiked in 106 days for a 20 mpd average. The AT was my third 2000+ mile hike, so I had a good idea of what I needed to eat to maintain my weight at that pace. I actually gained weight in the mid-Atlantic, there were so many good places to eat.

English Stu
11-05-2011, 05:56
My first section hike on the AT was over 700 miles and I lost 14lb from a 142lb frame. I spotted how I looked halfway along and halted the weight loss;you just have to eat more. I invested in a small frying pan cut the handle of and then started to make pancakes and have tortilla wraps/cheese as extras to the noodles and oatmeal. Since then I eat more and get sandwiches whenever I can to take out for the first meal after a town or an extra after breakfast. Bread,bagels and other breads are also good additions to get in towns and eat as long as they keep fresh.
You do have the time to cook on the trail. I sometimes made the tortilla wrap at lunch time, it makes for a proper rest stop rather than 10 minutes and a Snicker bar ,though I did that as well.
Evidently the real wagon train heros in the West were the women as they could make both bread and cheese.

Serial 07
11-05-2011, 08:37
you'll lose a bit of belly fat and some muscle on the upper body...basically you will trim down with tree trunk legs....

modiyooch
11-05-2011, 10:01
I lost weight, but the hardest thing was when I got off the trail. My appetite was still raging, but my activity level took a major hit.

Tenderheart
11-05-2011, 10:50
The people who lose the weight are the ones who have weight to lose. Rare is the person who loses nothing, but that sometimes happens, especially if that person is already very thin. The slow exercise of hiking normalizes your weight. The real trouble is after the hike your metabolism has changed and you won't be able to handle modern industrial processed food anymore and you'll probably gain it all back, even if you practice calorie restriction and try to keep up some level of exercise. That's been my personal experience after two 3-month section hikes.

Totally agree. When I returned from my thru hike, I immediately started running again and eating low fat, but began gaining weight. I'm not sure how to correct the wrecked metabolism.

RoadApe
11-06-2011, 11:33
The best reply yet. So many people over think this stuff. Just do it!!


I see what you're getting at but the info isn't going to help you.

Just go hiking, eat when you're hungry, eat till you're full. If your clothes get loose, eat more. If they get tight, eat less.

My last long hike was 800 miles and I weight 10 lbs more when I finished than I did when I started and I averaged 20 mpd, including 5 zeros and 3 short days with less than 5 hours hiking.

Wise Old Owl
11-06-2011, 20:10
Thats because Tenderheart a diet in High Fat = Energy with medium carbs and some will disagree - lower than current Sodium and Nitrate ... IMO is the way to go. (YEA EAT SOME JUNK FOOD)

There isn't a recked meto... whatever.. you are burning your personal fat and trading it for heavier muscles. Eating fat and red meat does NOT cause body fat, too many carbs does.

This is why when watching the "Biggest Looser" they can loose ten pounds then the next week Plateau! - and get kicked off. Possibly the hardest thing to do in life (as you get older) is go back to college and loose weight - I have done both.

aaronthebugbuffet
11-06-2011, 21:05
Totally agree. When I returned from my thru hike, I immediately started running again and eating low fat, but began gaining weight. I'm not sure how to correct the wrecked metabolism. Fat doesn't necessarily make you gain weight. Do know your daily calorie intake?

Hosaphone
11-06-2011, 21:54
I think if I was thruhiking I would maildrop a "meal replacement" protein powder weightlifting supplement. Mix it with easy-to-find carnation breakfast and you have a tasty, 100+ calorie/ounce, no-cleanup-required milkshakeish drink that gets you a ton of protein along with a ton of good vitamins/minerals, carbs and often some fiber too!

Scorpion
11-06-2011, 22:02
In 04 I went from 230 down to 180 on my thru. What do I weigh now? 230 again

Scorpion

Tenderheart
11-07-2011, 14:21
Thats because Tenderheart a diet in High Fat = Energy with medium carbs and some will disagree - lower than current Sodium and Nitrate ... IMO is the way to go. (YEA EAT SOME JUNK FOOD)

There isn't a recked meto... whatever.. you are burning your personal fat and trading it for heavier muscles. Eating fat and red meat does NOT cause body fat, too many carbs does.

This is why when watching the "Biggest Looser" they can loose ten pounds then the next week Plateau! - and get kicked off. Possibly the hardest thing to do in life (as you get older) is go back to college and loose weight - I have done both.

Do they teach "Spelling" at the college you went back to? I suppose trying to not die of heart disease is also a point of discussion. I eat low fat in order to reduce cholesterol.

JAK
11-07-2011, 16:16
I burn fat in order to maintain low cholesterol.

LDog
11-07-2011, 19:51
Totally agree. When I returned from my thru hike, I immediately started running again and eating low fat, but began gaining weight. I'm not sure how to correct the wrecked metabolism.

Here's some food for thought on this issue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSeSTq-N4U4

mateozzz
11-07-2011, 21:10
I'm 5'10" and only around 150 lbs and on a 10 day section hike @ 14 mi/day I usually lose 2-3 lbs and I eat pretty good. I have wondered how much I would have to eat on a thru hike to keep from disappearing!

Cookerhiker
11-07-2011, 21:54
Weighed about 200 at start of Colorado Trail thruhike, about 20 lbs too much. I'm 5'11". Hiked 482 miles, averaged about 13 mpd, lost 25 lbs, gained about half back in the 2 months since the hike ended. That's misleading - after the CT, I also hiked 200 miles on the Superior Trail. It's hard to keep off; I still have problems laying off sweets.

Maybe I shouldn't bake so much....

JAK
11-08-2011, 09:42
My own experience is the only way to get it off and keep it off at my age is to stay active and injury free. When I take a rest day, my body wants to eat more, store some fat, like 50 pounds isn't already enough. lol. Gotta exercise at least an hour a day, 10 hours a week, even if its just a walk.

Even a 3-5 day hike is a great way to kick off a diet and exercise program. It's what the body wants and needs, plus some upper body stuff, just to get everthing reset and working as it should. Heading out this week.

T-Dubs
11-08-2011, 19:02
I eat low fat in order to reduce cholesterol.

Seems a tad misguided in light of current research.
I eat whole foods to ensure cholesterol can do what it is supposed to do.

Tenderheart
11-09-2011, 14:49
Seems a tad misguided in light of current research.
I eat whole foods to ensure cholesterol can do what it is supposed to do.

Then someone needs to alert the American Medical Institute, or whoever, to let them know that all of their data is incorrect or misguided. And isn't it wonderful that, once again, the snafu was discovered right here on WB?

Jukebox
11-09-2011, 15:09
I have seen a couple threads about weight loss on peoples thru-hike, people post they lost 20 pound or 50 or whatnot. But without some context if hard to really fully understand, i mean for me, my weight is 200 pounds , im 6'0 tall, in good shape. if i lost 50 pounds i would look like a concentration camp survivor.I was/am pretty similar to you - 6'2", about 205, and in good shape when I started. When I hit Harpers Ferry, I was 165 and my ribs were pretty prominent. I was eating pretty much what everyone else was, and had to make a real effort in the northern half to eat as much junk food as possible to keep from losing any more weight.

T-Dubs
11-09-2011, 22:37
Then someone needs to alert the American Medical Institute, or whoever, to let them know that all of their data is incorrect or misguided. And isn't it wonderful that, once again, the snafu was discovered right here on WB?

I stand corrected. Once the 'diet-heart' hypothesis was developed and the AMA et. al. got involved in telling us what to eat for our health, things have really gotten better. Follow the recommendations of the food pyramid (AMA approved) and this is what you get:

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html

We limit gluten grains, avoid sugar and never use seed oils. We cook with butter, lard and coconut oil. We eat some green vegetables but don't think there is anything to 'superfoods'. I supplement with replacement minerals but avoid vitamins (with the exception of V-D). I'm not about to tell anyone what to eat or why (nor discuss religious preferences) but in the information age one should take advantage of the opportunities to research those life and death topics as one's health. Here's a start:

This blog cataloged some of the science behind a traditional diet.
http://girlgoneprimal.blogspot.com/p/show-me-science.html

We follow this blog as it seems to be close to our diet and it's fairly smart in content:
http://perfecthealthdiet.com/?p=5027

As to low cholesterol being healthy, here are two recent published studies:


....clinical and public health recommendations regarding the 'dangers' of cholesterol should be revised. This is especially true for women, for whom moderately elevated cholesterol (by current standards) may prove to be not only harmless but even beneficial.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21951982


--(effects of low cholesterol on mortality)-Specifically, excess causes of death included cancer (primarily lung and hematopoietic), respiratory and digestive disease, violent death (suicide and trauma), and hemorrhagic stroke. On the basis of this and other reports, a debate arose on whether recommendations for lowering cholesterol should be directed at the entire population.....
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/92/9/2365.full


(http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/92/9/2365.full)

Ladytrekker
11-09-2011, 23:21
I saw a study once cannot find it now where someone surveyed thru hikers by gender. The findings were that males lost more weight approx. 30 lbs and would more likely have a gaunt look at completion. Where as women lost approx. 10 lbs but had a more muscular appearance especially in the legs. And from the pics I have seen of many to the thrus at Katahdyn I would say it seems fairly accurate.

T-Dubs
11-10-2011, 13:16
I saw a study once cannot find it now where someone surveyed thru hikers by gender.

Sounds familiar; could it have been in this book by Mueser?
http://www.amazon.com/Long-Distance-Hiking-Lessons-Appalachian-Trail/dp/0070444587 <--Amazon link

Sue_Bird
11-10-2011, 14:11
I think if I was thruhiking I would maildrop a "meal replacement" protein powder weightlifting supplement. Mix it with easy-to-find carnation breakfast and you have a tasty, 100+ calorie/ounce, no-cleanup-required milkshakeish drink that gets you a ton of protein along with a ton of good vitamins/minerals, carbs and often some fiber too!

heh. my hiking partner carried those from harpers to katahdin. he lost something in the dept of 30 pounds and kind of did look like a "concentration camp survivor" at the end. he tried really hard not to lose weight, but it was kind of unavoidable.

how much weight you lose I think depends partly on what you have to lose, as some have said, and also how many hours a day you are hiking. you'll lose more weight if you are spending more of your day hiking, even if you are hiking slower. You'll lose less weight if you hike fast for less hours per day. (also obviously it depends on how many calories you're taking in too.)

i say don't worry about it and have fun. you can correct whatever happens with a well-balanced plan once you get off-trail. Eat what makes you feel good and hike well.