Overweight and cant get off the ground

[greensleep]

My dream was to hike the AT after retiring . So I've been retired for 6 years and still haven't even hiked a section of the AT . I'm 68 years old . My problem is I'm overweight (100 pounds ) and cant seem to get the weight off . I hike local trails here in eastern Ohio but nothing works . I also swim everyday for 1 hr . . When day hiking after about and hour my hips start to hurt as does a shin splint feeling in my shins . I'm blaming the weight for all of this . Does anyone have any suggestions . I've been to the doctor and he prescribes cutting back on food intake and exercise which I am doing . Help get me out there .

Thanks ,
Gonzo

I know what I'm about to suggest might seem radical, but have you considered bariatric procedures? Having been in the healthcare industry for 30 years, I've seen a lot of lives changed by these; most for the better, some not. There's always risk involved with medical intervention. If your life has become a trial of moving from one health crisis to another due to obesity and less invasive strategies haven't worked, maybe look into it. Just a thought.

[Leo L.]

I'm far from overweight, but due to a serious illness and the medical treatment of (which was successful), I've got a nice round belly that contains several extra kilos.
Now trying to lose those extras is really hard. I'm not strong enough to do longer hikes and have fun doing it.

The secret behind losing weight is simple: Less input than output, over longer period of time.
Output can be anything that needs calories: Hiking, any kind of exercises, simply being outdoors. Its as simple as "keep on moving" - the whole day.
Input can be tricky, as humans tend to ly to themselfs.
But again, there are some typical and simple solutions: Skip all sugar, lower alcohol input, lower calories input in general.
Its more easy if you stay away from the kitchen.

And both parts, lower input plus higher output, one can more easy achieve if out for hiking. Going stoveless makes it even better.

(OK, and now I'm off for dinner )

[Odd Man Out]

I'm 60 YO and a bit overweight (should probably loose 25 lbs). The last time I was successful at loosing weight, this is what worked for me:
Walk at leat 1.75 miles on the treadmill every night after supper (about 30 min at about 3.7 mph). Eat three meals per day with NO SNACKS!. For me, it is the huge number of calories i consume between meals that is my undoing. Don't obsess over diet. Just eat a balanced diet of real food and cut back on portion size. There is no "superfood". I never drink beverages with sugar or fake sugar, so I didn't have to give those up, but if you do give them up. I only drink water, coffee, tea, beer and wine. Weigh yourself every morning when you wake up and plot your results so you can see long term results compared to a goal. I found 1 lb per week was a reasonable goal. That means losing 50 lbs takes a year. Don't expect fast results. There are short term fluctuations in weight. This is why you need to weigh you self at the same time every day and plot over the long term. I also found it helpful to publish my progress. I print my weight loss chart and post it on the refrigerator door and my Facebook page. Keeps you honest. What I would like to add to this is yoga and weighlifting.

[capehiker]

Have you considered seeing a therapist along with diet and exercise? I work with patients classified as morbidly obese and we see better long term results when therapy is included. Statistically, severely overweight individuals have a psychological component that needs to be addressed as well.

Hope that didn’t come off as too personal but this is one aspect that is overlooked all too often.

[perrymk]

I have shared this on various forums so have it saved for re-posting. It's easier than remembering it all. 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 2018 and I have usually maintained my weight in the 180-185 range. 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 a healthy 17-18% bodyfat. 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.i


In the end, diet and exercise are important, but it's not terribly important which particular protocol is followed as long as calories burned exceed rcalories consumed.
Good luck with your weight management

[SC_Forester]

I am in the same situation as Leo L. But i have found the trail to be a great place to lose some negative weight. I say negative because you will also gain muscle weight. One reason I have found it to be successful is that you account for each oz of calories. Also when I have 3-5 days worth of of food in one pile you can easily see how poor or good your food choices are.

[rocketsocks]

Love me some Cabbage soup (with tomatoe base)...eat as much as ya want!

[Runner2017]

Love me some Cabbage soup (with tomatoe base)...eat as much as ya want!

In general cabbage is a good and safe vegetable. However, it doesn't work for people with certain madical conditions. Look it up on WebMD.

[rocketsocks]

In general cabbage is a good and safe vegetable. However, it doesn't work for people with certain madical conditions. Look it up on WebMD.

thanks......

[WTX2WY]

I don't have any advice for you but found this girl's instagram and blog the other day. Pretty inspirational in terms of not making excuses and working with what you got. She has a few articles with tips for plus size hikers.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ashleysadventure/

The Trek articles by her: https://thetrek.co/author/ashley-manning/

She has made it 600+ miles on the AT so far this year.

[shelb]

Hike the Buckeye Trail.
Section hike it if you need to. You're retired, clock is ticking.
PS- go to a real shoe store, get fitted for shoes. While you are there, check out compression sleeves.

Feral Bill is correct: section hike! Take your time! (Seriously, do NOT plan on more than 5 miles or so a day until you have experience on the A.T.!) Think "SMILES before MILES!"

Get good shoes! Note: these might not be boots! Some people do boots, a few do hikers, and some do trail runners! (Personally, I only do trail runners, or else I get mega blisters!).

Regarding food on the trail: My suggestion for shorter trips: If you are only doing a two week trip or under, focus only on protein: Make sure you get 60-90 grams a day... example: 20-30 gram protein bar for breakfast, nuts for snack, tuna and tortilla for lunch, jerky or beef sticks or cheese for snack, protein again for dinner (10-20 grams) in whatever meal you have... I have found that this diet always results in significant weight loss on the trail; plus, since I have at least 60-90 grams of protein a day, I have plenty of energy for hiking up to 20plus miles a day (but note: I am younger and have worked up to that level - even though I am overweight...)

[gracebowen]

From personal experience I can tell you cico ( calories in calories out) works.
At one point several years ago I was up to at least 220 lbs. I'm 5ft 6in. I was drinking probably close to 3k calories a day in tea (five 32 oz)and soda (100 to 200oz). Plus eating probably 800 to a thousand calories of junk food a day. 2 or 3 candy bars and bags of chips.
I was so fat it hurt to walk. I cut out half of my tea and soda the day I decided enough was enough. I also cut way back on the junk food. I got down to 200 lbs and was happy for a while. 2 years ago I decided I wanted I didn't want to be obese anymore. At that time I was drinking a 2 liter of Pepsi a day. I switched to the sweetened with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup Splenda. I lost another 20 lbs.

A week ago I decided to try to come off of caffeine. I now drink 1/2 to one 16 oz Mt dew a day. The rest is water. I usually add a 5;calorie water enhancer. I lost 3 more lbs already. I literally just decided to try the 5 calorie pack that has caffeine. I didn't buy it before because of the brand.

I haven't consistently done anything except cut out empty calories and monitor portion size. I have lost and kept off over 40 lbs

For a while my weight would bounce around from 185 to 196. I'd get careless about junk food and portion control. Then for a year I kept it at 187 to 184.

I'm down to 182 now

I do have my phases of trying to be more active but I've not been consistently excersizing. Others have suggested to just go hike. I agree. I only hike a few times a year but can go about 4 miles without regretting it the next day. Last time I did 1 mile day 1. 3 or 4 miles day 2. I was tired but not in pain. Then I got lost in the woods and probably walked 2 miles before I got unlost. After that I was in pain.

I do go hungry sometimes but it's usually a mild hunger. Sometimes I also stuff my face lol. I think as long as you generally run at a deficit you can and will lost weight.

I've read to keep a food journal. I never have. I always knew where I was messing up.

For you just identify your areas where you are overindulging. Then cut back.

Oh and my main weakness is chocolate so I only buy minis or snack size now and I keep it in the freezer. It helps keep me in check.

[gracebowen]

Also when I am being good I know the calorie count of everything I eat. I weigh my food on a postal scale.

I will get out a portion of Pringles and eat them slowly.
I ask myself questions like

Do I really want an Oreo that's 50 calories or would I rather eat 5 Pringles.
I know both are junk food that's just one example. I usually cut the crust off bread to save calories. It actually ends up being about half the calories. I've weighed the bread before and after.

[atraildreamer]

Google "Intermittent Fasting".

You get to eat every day, but restrict your meals to a 6 or 8 hour time period.

It allows you to eat normal meals, but allows your body to burn fat during the fasting period of 16 to 18 hours.

After a few days of adjustment to the new eating schedule, you will find that you will tend to choose the healthier foods
and not the hi-carb, hi-sugar, over-processed foods that are so prevalent in the typical American diet.

(BTW- A slice or two of pizza is OK once in a while! )

[foodbag]

If you have Netflix I'd like to recommend that you watch a couple of documentaries, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, and Hungry for Change. You get a real look into how the American food industry produces products that are totally unhealthy, addictive, and which contribute to weight gain. A change in what you eat can make all the difference.

When you are hiking you can eat just about anything you want, but to get to a baseline starting point there are recommendations that may help you to achieve your goal of being able to hike. Among them, don't drink anything but water, and try to eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. I have been gradually changing my eating habits, which has been quite difficult, as the crap that I have been eating for years is highly addictive (and cheap). I feel much better and would recommend these changes to anyone, whether or not they are overweight.

[Odd Man Out]

If you have Netflix I'd like to recommend that you watch a couple of documentaries, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, and Hungry for Change. You get a real look into how the American food industry produces products that are totally unhealthy, addictive, and which contribute to weight gain...

We vacationed in Sweden and Norway last year. Our flight home arrive too late to drive home so we stayed one night at a hotel (Residence Inn) by the airport and drove home the next morning. My wife and I took one look at the breakfast buffet at the hotel and we're appalled. The difference in quality between the American and Scandanavian hotel breakfast was shocking. You don't notice how bad it is until you get some external reference.

[Runner2017]

We vacationed in Sweden and Norway last year. Our flight home arrive too late to drive home so we stayed one night at a hotel (Residence Inn) by the airport and drove home the next morning. My wife and I took one look at the breakfast buffet at the hotel and we're appalled. The difference in quality between the American and Scandanavian hotel breakfast was shocking. You don't notice how bad it is until you get some external reference.

I was wondering what type of food they serve at the hotels you stayed I. Sweden and Norway. I assume the Residence Inn just serve the SAD (Standard American Diet).

[GreatDane]

I'm 67 and overweight (ok, morbidly obese) and nothing has worked so far. On a whim (and with a little more desperation than I like to admit), I joined Weight Watchers online. I know. Weight Watchers. Not fancy or cutting edge. But, in six weeks I'm down 16 of the 95 pounds I need to lose. It is hands down, far and away the easiest plan I've ever tried. My skin looks great, my hair is shiny, my nails are growing like never before, and I generally feel great. I have an appointment with my primary care physician next week and I anticipate that my blood pressure and cholesterol will be much closer to normal.

That said, I agree with everyone here who said you should get out and hike now, regardless. Last time I was on the AT I was almost as heavy as I am now. But I trained by walking long distances, climbing stairs, strength training (especially my core, legs and butt) and doing balance work. It was hard out there, but I felt great and had a blast, even if every single person passed me by. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.

[Lyle]

WAY more important than exercise is limiting your caloric intake, especially early on in your weight loss journey.

To make it easy to learn what proper eating and proper portions sizes are (most of us Americans have no idea) use the website http://myfitnesspal.com

Once you learn proper eating and portion sizes, then you can fine tune and enhance weight loss through exercise. Exercise alone rarely (never) results in significant weight loss.

I would also highly suggest watching this young man's Youtube videos. He is very practical, enjoyable to watch, and very motivating. "Obese to Beast"

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzo...xogJHWJ2SypiNg

[Slo-go'en]

I just hiked some 300 miles over the course of 25 days, eating less then 2000 calories a day on average. I lost 8 pounds. 195 to 187. I was hoping for more then that. It takes a lot of effort and a lot of time to loose a really significant amount of weight.

While I did meet several guys in their 70's on the trail or getting close to it, they were all very fit and long time hikers. A 77 year old had 3, 2000 mile rockers on his shirt! I also met a large number of 60ish thru hikes. We often out numbered the youngsters at the shelter sites, although that ratio was shifting more in favor of the youngsters as I approached the center of Virginia. The things all the older hikers had in common was good health and in good shape to start with.

For the OP, I'm afraid his ship has sailed. He really needed to start working on this 5 or more years ago. Let this be a wake up call for some of you who still have time. It's still a good idea for him to lose weight and get outside and walk around everyday.