Motivated fat guy looking for help

[freys]

For hiking the stair climber is going to be your best/worst friend. I highly recommend the sit down bike for cardio. You are bending your knees to get them use to moving with no impact while you're keeping your heart rate at a steady pace for a sustained period of time. 20 minutes minimum. I watched a guy do just this at the rehab VA rehab facility over the past 4 years don't know him personally but this dude had jowels no neck. He now rides a bike 30 miles every morning weather permitting and on hikes that we do he went from almost dieing (I seriously thought he was going to die one time at the start) to staying in the front pack on 6-8 miles what i consider strenuous hikes.

You can do it. Most likely see you out there at some point. March 9th start

[dudeijuststarted]

You're working out and you're posting to here. Sounds like a success in the making.

I'd say don't overexert yourself preparing for the trail, and stick to the gym routine that allows your body to gradually hit your fitness goals and recover safely. The body has a way of adjusting to the trail, and the only thing that is going to do that is hiking the AT's specific terrain. I'd say that a healthy lungs and heart (don't smoke!,) as well as some flexibility in your joints from your shoulders through your ankles (primarily the back, hips, and hamstrings) are more important than hitting the trail with badass cardio. You'll build cardio out there, trust me. A good way to do this is yoga or a stretching coach. I used yoga as prep and as morning warmup/evening cooldown and didn't have one single injury. Weightlifting is great for your health, glad you're doing it and you should keep doing it, but prepare to lose muscle mass everywhere but your legs over your journey! You might also want to spend the money on a visit to a GP to get your bloodwork done and identify any deficiencies as well as visit a nutritionist prior to your hike. If you have any abnormalities in your bloodwork now, believe me it will be worse out there and when you come back. Thru hiking is extreme, this prepwork is worth the $200 or whatever.

If you are thru hiking, take a look at your schedule and try to give yourself adequate time to finish. If NOBO, the general last-minute date to summit Katahdin is around October 10. Point is, gradually increase your overall well being vs. allowing yourself to stress over specifics. Finishing this thing is about attitude and thinking critically.

[Suzzz]

First of all : CONGRATULATIONS !!! It's not easy to do a complete 180. Changing life long habits is hard and you should be proud of what you've accomplished so far.

Second - Diet : Find what works FOR YOU. For some, a cheat day works. Waiting all week for that day can be quite the incentive. For others, it's the first step into the abyss and they can never recover (like expecting a compulsive gambler to only gamble on Sundays). It all depends on why you over eat or make the wrong food choices. If you're just a lazy eater, chances are that with the right kind of motivation (which you seem to have) a cheat day will work. If you're a compulsive eater, chances are it will only make things worst. Knowing why you eat will help put things in perspective and will help you make the appropriate adjustments FOR YOU. Also, in this day and age of miracle cures and miracle diets, remember that the best way to go about it is to keep in mind, as mentioned before, that it's important not to omit any of the food groups as they all have their importance. If you haven't already done so, talking to a dietitian might be beneficial.

Third - Fitness : Physical training and preparation is imperative but in my experience there's no training like the real thing. The only way that you can really prepare for walking in the woods with a XXlbs pack on your back for 4-6 months is to walk in the woods with a XXlbs pack on your back for 4-6 months! That being said, don't stop going to the gym. Physical training is never a waist of time. The better shape you are in, the easier things will be for you. And always remember that there's no right or wrong speed on the trail. Just walk at a pace that is comfortable FOR YOU. If you can walk all day without taking breaks, that's great, but if you need five breaks a day to keep going, or even 10 breaks a day, so be it. Pushing yourself can yield a great sense of accomplishment but can also be very hard on your body. Also, I strongly believe that 90% of your potential for success resides between your ears. If you're in the right frame of mind, you'll go much farther than you ever thought you could (provided you aren't injured or encounter unforeseen situations such as inclement weather or forest fires). A good balance of physical and psychological fitness is your best bet to cross the finish line (wherever that may be). If you don't finish on your first attempt, you can always come back and finish later.

And by the way, I have a friend who can climb Katahdin in 2 hours less than it takes me. Her ONLY training is an elliptical machine placed in front of a TV in her basement! Like I was saying before... do what works FOR YOU.

Again, CONGRATULATIONS. Regardless of whether or not you ever set foot on the AT, you will reap the benefits of all that hard work!

[jefals]

I haven't read all replies. I'm sure someone has already mentioned , first thing, consult with your doctor!
Then - regarding exercise: I like stair climbing and elliptical. I have a knee which gives me problems and a few times has caused me to stop my working out - especially stairs - for a month or two, so then when I'm ready I have to start from scratch.
I find, what works for me is to remember at first it's all about consistency. It's not about how many calories I burn at first, but building up the discipline.
While my goal is 70 flights of stairs - about 25 minutes, I might just do 7 flights a day at first, for the first two weeks. Then, depending how I feel, I might do 7 the next week and maybe the week after that. in other words, I do not impose any psychological pressure on myself.
But, in reality, after 2 weeks, I'm generally ready to increase. And, while I've been telling myself that, "ok, Jeff, when you increase, let's try moving from 7 to 10", normally I find that it's no problem to go to 14 or even 21.
So, the idea of not setting goals that I have to meet - seems to help me meet them anyway, if that makes sense. After 2 or 3 - or 4 - months, I'll be doing my 70.
And I approach the elliptical the same way.
Well, on a personal note, 20 minutes of stairs followed by 40 minutes on an elliptical, 4 or 5 days a week, with a sensible diet will get me in pretty good shape. I'm not sure it's good enough for hiking, tho. When I'm climbing those mountains, it's not 20 minutes - it's ALL DAY LONG.! 😢😭

[Deadeye]

Get Body for Life by Bill Phillips. Read it, do it, live it.

[Spirit Walker]

Despite your weight, you can and should be walking every day. Start easy, but build up.

You drink a lot of protein drinks. You might find real food more satisfying.

A cheat day can work, or just a cheat meal. It depends on how many calories you eat on that day.

Tracking calories in calories out is a bit of a pain, but it really helps you to know how much you are eating. myfitnesspal or fitday both have good food and exercise tracking.

Finally, congratulations on working now to get your eating under control. As others have said, it's easy to lose weight on a long hike. It's much harder to keep it off afterwards. One problem for many hikers is they eat a lot of junk food while hiking and continue to do it after they finish the trail. Having some idea of how to eat more healthy will benefit you after your hike.

[Hikingjim]

I get bored of the stairmaster fast but seem to be able to tolerate incline treadmill for a lot longer.
Along with everything else, I would say long sessions of incline treadmill (10-15 degree incline) are extremely beneficial.
My heart rate doing 4 mph incline treadmill is very similar to 6.5 mph jogging without the incline

[yaduck9]

Awesome thanks guys, yea I've been eating right(I think) for the last few weeks, this is my average day if anyone has input:

Breakfast:
2 egg whites
1 serving of oatmeal
30g protein shake
Fruit

Snack:
wheat thins/carrots and hummus

Lunch:
Grilled chicken breast or turkey sandwich( no mayo, just mustard or avacado)
Piece of fruit( Apple, orange)

Snack:
30g protein shake
Kind bar or wheat thins and hummus

Dinner:
Chicken spinach salad with vegetables.

Before bed/late:
30g protein shake



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In respect to your protein shake, if you are using milk, I would suggest changing to unsweetened almond milk.

Breakfast; cut out the oatmeal and the fruit ( in other works 1 serve of carbs from 2 servings )


On your vegtables, avoid starches ( potatoe, rice ), go with raw veggies. Raw cauliflower, broccoli, leafy greens, ( carrots are good but watch the amount, hi sugar. )

Sandwich; Try to avoid bread........

Snacks; almonds, walnuts, string cheese.

On exercising.............rotate....hike ( w/ and w/o a 20 lbs pack ( 3 gallons of water )), treadmill, elliptical, rowing machine,, stair climber, bicycle works different muscles, keeps your body guessing and avoids the repetition burnout.

Spreadsheet; keep a spreadsheet on what you eat and your activity, it will keep you honest...

Get a book on the Paleo diet.....and consider steering toward it.

I find that making small continual changes is much easier than trying to make an abrupt major change.

just my 2 cents

[egilbe]

If any high rise buildings in your area, make it a habit to climb the stairs to the top floor a few times a day.

[Carroll0331]

Wow guys thank you so much. I didn't expect this kind of response, and so quickly. I've got some work ahead of me and couldn't be more excited!


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[Carroll0331]

In respect to your protein shake, if you are using milk, I would suggest changing to unsweetened almond milk.

Breakfast; cut out the oatmeal and the fruit ( in other works 1 serve of carbs from 2 servings )


On your vegtables, avoid starches ( potatoe, rice ), go with raw veggies. Raw cauliflower, broccoli, leafy greens, ( carrots are good but watch the amount, hi sugar. )

Sandwich; Try to avoid bread........

Snacks; almonds, walnuts, string cheese.

On exercising.............rotate....hike ( w/ and w/o a 20 lbs pack ( 3 gallons of water )), treadmill, elliptical, rowing machine,, stair climber, bicycle works different muscles, keeps your body guessing and avoids the repetition burnout.

Spreadsheet; keep a spreadsheet on what you eat and your activity, it will keep you honest...

Get a book on the Paleo diet.....and consider steering toward it.

I find that making small continual changes is much easier than trying to make an abrupt major change.

just my 2 cents

Yea I'm using silk milk, I think its almond, not sure is if unsweetened though. Otherwise if I'm at work I just use water. The protein shakes I'm using right now bc I'm crap at cooking and still trying to get the meal prep thing down. If I cook chicken for 5 days meal prep will it still be ok to eat?


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[egilbe]

Chicken is fine after five days, even if it is a bit chewy. Dont like fish or beef? Eat half as much as you think you should when it comes to beef. 4 to 6 ounces is more than enough.

Do you have a kitchen scale to weigh your food?

[yaduck9]

Yea I'm using silk milk, I think its almond, not sure is if unsweetened though. Otherwise if I'm at work I just use water. The protein shakes I'm using right now bc I'm crap at cooking and still trying to get the meal prep thing down. If I cook chicken for 5 days meal prep will it still be ok to eat?


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I have found that 5 days, for chicken, is near the borderline. Most of the time you will get away with it but then there is that 1 day . A can of tuna , hard boiled eggs can get you over the hump. Hamburger or turkey burger can fill in for those 1-2 days.

Silk is almond milk, so your ahead of me on that.

You might check with your dr and see if your insurance will pay for a visit with a nutritionist. Worth the time and effort.

[kayak karl]

great read https://www.amazon.com/Heft-Wheels-F.../dp/1400052416

[jefals]

I get bored of the stairmaster fast

Amen to that! I do too - but, I really think it's probably the best thing, short of actual hiking, one can do to prepare for this activity. So, I slug thru it anyway. For one thing, while I'm climbing the stairs, I keep telling myself, "boredom is not an excuse to quit"!
Then, I'll tell myself to "just do 3 more". Once I've done those 3, I'll repeat. Just little psychological tricks I guess, to keep my mind active while I'm working thru those stairs...

[FreeGoldRush]

I get bored of the stairmaster fast but seem to be able to tolerate incline treadmill for a lot longer.
Along with everything else, I would say long sessions of incline treadmill (10-15 degree incline) are extremely beneficial.
My heart rate doing 4 mph incline treadmill is very similar to 6.5 mph jogging without the incline

I do this with a YouTube thru hike playlist while walking. In fact, I don't allow myself to watch thru hikers unless I am on the treadmill. When you see a guy walking 20 miles in a cold rain and describing his experience you will have no problem walking 5 miles on the treadmill at an 8% incline.

[rockyiss]

Heres an idea ,after eight years in the infantry just do what you did in boot camp. They have a good track record for getting people in shape ! lol

[shelb]

Carroll0331,

Awesome job on the weight loss so far!!!I strongly suggest that you stick with the High Protein diet... aim for between 60-90 grams per day. (Note: others stated that you focus on certain types, I think it is enough that you hit those grams (*Note: I lost 65 pounds in the last 2 years, and my husband lost over 100#.

Training: I am not a thru-hiker. I have hiked on the A.T. 6 different times, with mileage ranging from 55miles-201 miles each time. Personally, I have noticed that my friend and I train best when we do stairs. Walking is not enough for me. I need to have a balance of cardio with an emphasis on stairs - probably because the mountains on the A.T. require WAY MORE climbing that anything in Michigan!

BTW: After I lost my last major poundage.... I felt like a gazelle on the trail! Able to leap tall buildings (or mountains!) in a single bound! I can't describe how much better this last year's hike was for me!

Enjoy the journey and the hike!

Shelb

[capehiker]

Sounds like you're doing well already. I started at Springer a husky 245lbs but I was cardiovascularly fit and that is my advice to you. Get your lungs tuned up (I was walking 6-8 miles a day before starting). Your legs will come as you hike. GA is either straight up or straight down. Keep your miles low the first few weeks and you will be fine. Don't over think it.

[q-tip]

Best climbing/training program I have ever used, "CLIMBING:TRAINING FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE"by Clyde Soles. Strongly encourage getting and using heart rate monitor. Send PM if interested in further info.