One of my most important lessons learned on the trail is that the body is very, very efficient at using calories, but you gotta build up that efficiency. Problem is that our bodies lose that efficiency, because we mostly sit around, thereby the body breaks down, and we keep stuffing (and stuffing...) our faces with food -- so no reason to be efficient.
We've all heard the mantra:
We eat too much..., that's a very true statement, but many don't understand just how much we all overeat.
A thru-hike is one of those activities that virtually everyone loses weight, not so much because we are walking all day (not down-playing the importance of that...), rather because we are forced to ration our food, because we don't carry that much food, since it's heavy. We are all burning way more calories than we are taking in, something that is very hard to do when you have unlimited access to food, despite how much you workout. BTW, that
fatguyacrossamerica will find it tough to lose weight, he would have lost it much faster on a thru-hike, because on a bike he has food all around him. Not saying he won't lose weight, he kind of has to, since he's so heavy, but I'd be really interested in what his daily diet consists of...
You want to lose weight, you gotta cut way back on your intake, period. Forget all the advice that says you gotta eat so many calories per day; your calorie intake depends on your activity. Today is my rest day from working out, all I did was yard work. I ate no breakfast/lunch and my dinner consists of yams, soup and garlic bread. Not exactly 2,000 calories.
Yes you will feel hungry and there will be times you feel a little light-headed (if working out on an empty stomach), but work thru it and your body will learn how to feed off your fat stores, instead of waiting for the easier fuel source (whatever you stuff into your face).
http://triathlon.competitor.com/2014...-machine_31034
Excerpt: