[pct-l] Weight loss on the trail

[Bruno Barrera Yever]

Thanks everyone for the replies! It has been most helpful.

I was mostly worried about the weight loss issue, since losing even 3 kg
would be really being underweight. It has been reassuring to know that
skinny guys dont loose weight, or at least not very much. I should also
have mentioned I plan on starting the trail with at least 65 kg (preferably
70).

On smoking, I realize the health problems associated, and I know even if
you smoke very little, your general fitness still suffers a lot. That being
said, I dont smoke a lot, mostly just when I'm enjoying a cup of coffee or
something like that. I'll sure remember to be extra careful with fire and
the butts.

I'll remain omnivorous for as long as I can hold it, simply because to gain
weight with a vegetarian diet I have to eat so much more! However, I will
reconsider, and attempt, to thru hike as a vegetarian. I've always been
flexible with the whole vegetarian thing, not that I'll eat a roast beef if
I'm hungry, but if I'm offered meat, and its insulting to reject it, I wont
(I work a lot with families in very poor communities, where this is very
common).

I've been researching a lot on the gear that I'll be taking, and have been
heavily influenced by all those ultralight backpackers out there, so I
don't expect my base weight to be over 6 kg. I'll be trying to walk as much
as I can with my expected weight.

Thanks again for all the advice and experience shared!

On Mon, Dec 26, 2011 at 12:33 AM, Eric Lee <saintgimp at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Bruno wrote:
> >
> I'm sure a lot of people here a very experienced and have done a lot thru
> hikes, so this may not pose a problem to you anymore, but any insight into
> this would greatly help me. Also, if you know of some physical training to
> get in shape, I would really appreciate you experience. Right now I'm
> running daily -except weekends- 'working out' at home (I hate gyms), and I
> try to go hike on weekends, but there aren't very may places around here (I
> live in Mexico City).
> >
>
> Everyone's body and metabolism is different, but at the end of the day it's
> a simple matter of calories in has to equal energy out over the long haul
> or
> it's not going to work.  Fundamentally it's just math.  Some people have a
> more efficient metabolisms than others, and weighing less generally means
> less energy expended in moving down the trail, but it's really all about
> what's going to work well for you.
>
> It's certainly possible to thru-hike as a vegetarian, and meat isn't
> necessary for a high-calorie diet or for gaining weight.  That said, being
> open to the option of meat greatly expands your dining options during a
> long
> hike and I think a lot of vegetarians end up "bending the rules" to one
> extent or another during their hikes.  (Certainly not all of them, though!)
> My best diet advice is to eat what you like, eat as much as you want to,
> and
> try to ensure its reasonably high-quality food with some variety.  A lot of
> people attempt to hike on not much more than ramen and pop tarts but I
> firmly believe that putting some thought into nutrition pays off in the
> end.
> After a few hundred miles you may be surprised at how your appetite
> increases.  If it doesn't then you might have a problem.  In the end just
> listen to your body.
>
> I guess I don't need to mention that laying off the smoking would make your
> lungs a lot happier and probably generally increase your overall health.
> There's just no way around it - habitual smoking is going to adversely
> affect your ability to hike long distances.  Not to mention that smoking on
> the trail is a scary fire hazard - yeah, you'd think that wouldn't need to
> be mentioned but there have been cases of smoking hikers accidentally
> starting fires in the not-too-distant past.
>
> As far as physical training goes, you need to worry about two things:
> general cardiovascular fitness and specific joint and muscle training for
> hiking.  Running and weight training is fine for general cardio health and
> that's important, but there's really no substitute for walking a lot,
> preferably with all of your gear.  I've seen strong runners or bicyclists
> really struggle during the first part of a thru-hike not because they're
> unfit but because their feet, knees, hips, and shoulders are in so much
> pain.  Walking all day with a loaded backpack isn't like anything else you
> might have done and the only way to train for it is, well, to walk a lot
> with a loaded backpack.  You don't *have* to be in tip-top shape before
> starting - it's possible to toughen up on the trail, but if that's your
> plan
> then remember to allow for lots of low-mileage days in the beginning.
>
> Good luck!
>
> Eric
>
>


-- 
Bruno Barrera Yever
http://www.untechoparamipais.org/mexico/
http://www.ubuntumexico.org
http://cruzrojadf.org/