am i setting myself up for failure?

[fst4dr]

I am about 100lbs overweight. I am not a complete couch potato: I lift weights occasionally and walk/jog a few miles occasionally. I have hiked/camped before but not recently. I have always wanted to thru-hike the AT, and the chance has come and I'm going to do it. I am hiking more for the experience, with weight loss as a nice side benefit. Do you see many overweight hikers on the trail? Have any made it the whole way?

Just curious..

Simon

[Teacher & Snacktime]

First you have to define failure. It's news to me that NOT hiking 2184 miles lessens anyone. Enjoy doing whatever you can. Do that, and you've succeeded.

[kayak karl]

failure would be just sitting at home. go for it. have fun. it has been done, but I have no names.

[hikerboy57]

I am about 100lbs overweight. I am not a complete couch potato: I lift weights occasionally and walk/jog a few miles occasionally. I have hiked/camped before but not recently. I have always wanted to thru-hike the AT, and the chance has come and I'm going to do it. I am hiking more for the experience, with weight loss as a nice side benefit. Do you see many overweight hikers on the trail? Have any made it the whole way?

Just curious..

Simon

i definitely dont see too many overweight guys finishing..give it a go, you've got nothing to lose but pounds, and they will fall off as you travel north.
good luck.

[canoe]

You are a young man. Go for a few short hikes and build up to 8 to 10 miles with a pack. You will be fine if there are no heart issues. Lots of big folks on the trail. Me being one of them.

[canoe]

i definitely dont see too many overweight guys finishing..give it a go, you've got nothing to lose but pounds, and they will fall off as you travel north.
good luck.

Maybe the reason you dont see to many big ones at katadin is after walking 2200 miles they have slimmed down

[hikerboy57]

Maybe the reason you dont see to many big ones at katadin is after walking 2200 miles they have slimmed down

Exactly my point

sent from a samsung galaxy far far away

[takethisbread]

I knew a woman a few years ago, I was hiking up to Mollies ridge and I sat with her on a log. before I passed her. she was older, in her 60's heavy smoker drinker and 250 lbs or so. way overweight. I enjoyed our chat. I never thought she'd make it to hot springs. I bumped into her again 6 months later. on whitecap mtn in Maine. she was there! she had lost 100 lbs. such an inspiration. anyone can do it. it's a matter of will not ability


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[Sarcasm the elf]

+1 to all of the above. As long as you are otherwise in good health, just hit the trail*, start slow and then go slower. Don't overdo it for the first few weeks and give your body a chance to adjust to all the walking.

Remember only 15%-20% of people who attempt to thru hike actually finish. You might not make it all the way, but that's no reason to quit before you've started.


* If you have other health problems or concerns then talk to your doctor about your plans beforehand.

[turtle fast]

With sincerity most people who quit the trail is not from a physical aspect, but mental. The hike is just as mental as it is physical and many just cant wrap their heads around the routine, the mileage and the elements (think walking in rain all day being damp/wet). Unless you have a physical issue you dont know about...those pounds will shed quickly. Myself I was 50 or so pounds overweight...and even had to have my hip belt on my ULA pack replaced as the large size did not fit anymore. If you start slow and do not overwork yourself I can not see why you could not make it to Maine.

[Abatis1948]

First you have to define failure. It's news to me that NOT hiking 2184 miles lessens anyone. Enjoy doing whatever you can. Do that, and you've succeeded.

Teacher and Snacktime are giving good advice. I am about eighty pounds overweight and I hiked the forty miles from Amicalola Falls SP to Neel Gap in four and a half days this past July. When I completed the approach trail, I knew I would make it all the way to Neel Gap. I plan to complete the Georgia section in early June this year and go on and do as much as I can of the trail before my thru hike in 2016. Go for it and hike as for as you are able. If you have to stop for any reason, you can come back later and do more.

[Hill Ape]

do it live. seriously, negative thoughts are going to keep you trapped in the overweight pattern. break out. its all mental

[Lone Wolf]

I am about 100lbs overweight. I am not a complete couch potato: I lift weights occasionally and walk/jog a few miles occasionally. I have hiked/camped before but not recently. I have always wanted to thru-hike the AT, and the chance has come and I'm going to do it. I am hiking more for the experience, with weight loss as a nice side benefit. Do you see many overweight hikers on the trail? Have any made it the whole way?

Just curious..

Simon

back in the early 90s i met a guy who weighed about 350. he made it. i've met fit marathoners that quit a week into it. mental toughness will get you there

[Don H]

I worked with a guy who ran full marathons and talked like he was gonna tear the trail up on his thru. He didn't make it out of Georgia.

Start slow and take your time, build up to it.

[sadlowskiadam]

If you define success and failure as finishing a thru hike versus not finishing, then it is 10% physical and 90% mental as to whether you succeed. I ran into several thru hikers who were 80-120 lbs overweight, and they finished the trail. I also ran into many young and fit thru hikers who quit within the first 500 miles. If finishing is your goal, then it will come down to mental toughness and determination (the physical fitness aspect will come on its own with the hike). You will be amazed at how quickly your body will change and adapt to the physical demand that is thru hiking. Do not let your physical fitness determine whether you hike or not. Best of luck,
-Counselor (GA-ME 2013)

[Spirit Walker]

If thruhiking is a serious dream of yours, you owe it to yourself to try. The first couple of weeks won't be easy, but it will get better. There are a lot of people who start the trail out of shape and overweight. The ones who finish are no longer out of shape, and generally they've lost a lot of weight.

Be aware though, the weight loss will only last as long as you continue to be active. If you become a couch potato again, the pounds will pile on.

[Rocket Jones]

Someone already said it - start slow, then slow down. It's not a race, and every day you're out there hiking is a win.

[Tuxedo]

I heard a story of a guy who wanted to quit 3days in because he was to fat. He said hes 350lb and cant go on, this gent telling the story said he made a deal with him that he'd follow him to Neals Gap. As they both went up the next hill the guy turned and said I lied to you im really 450lbs the story teller said thats ok it doesnt matter I will follow you anyway. All the while he told great stories of the many challenged hikers on his previous thru's the reasons of many. To shorten the story a bunch he followed him all the way to Fontana Dam his legs were under him and planned on going all the way.

It's left foot, right foot and up hill, down hill. Nothing you do to get ready will prepare you like getting on the trail and walking all day every day. The AT is hard and for what ever reason you think will be the issue... weight I'd say is low on the list from a physical point of view. Mentally it will play im sure... ALOT will be mental on the trail. So think of a hike that your in a rain storm and lightning is blasting the ridge line your stuck on and it's hailing on you. I'm certain 100 extra pounds will be the furthest from your completion/quiting thoughts!

[Toon]

I knew a Guy that did it in 2012 he had lost 70 pounds by hotsprings.

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[MikeD]

Plenty of people do it with some extra pounds, myself included. The first 200 miles are tough take it easy and pace yourself. You will see many people speeding past you but its not necessary to try to match their pace. If you get up every day and decide to hike it will all fall into place. The hardest part for me wasn't being overweight it was putting on wet socks in the morning. Enjoy your hike