I'm trying to imagine hiking with a 200+ pound pack. I am failing to do so. I hope he has a positive experience, regardless of how many miles he makes.
I'm trying to imagine hiking with a 200+ pound pack. I am failing to do so. I hope he has a positive experience, regardless of how many miles he makes.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
This is the main problem I see with LD hikers who lose weight on the trail. They actually reinforce terrible eating habits for 6 months on trail, worse than they were eating pre-trail. They are only losing weight because they are out-exercising their poor diets. When they return to life it's hard to undo those bad dietary habits, which is why it seems like nearly everyone eventually returns to their pre-trail weight.
It is what it is.
I've had ups and downs with my weight over the last 20 years and I can attest to the misery of carrying a backpack while overweight. I found the physical discomfort got in the way of enjoying almost anything else I was on the trail to experience. The best moments were when laying in my tent at night listening to the coyotes, frogs, crickets, birds, rain, etc. The hiking felt like just a way to get from the comfort of my tent to the comfort of my car at the trailhead.
When you end a LD hike and have lost a lot of weight your always hungry. Most thru hikers who get to Maine are little more then skin and bones. It's not so much a poor diet as it is you simply can't carry enough food. Then when you have unlimited access to food again, you eat a lot to make up for those months of deficiency. Then before you know it, you've gained 100 pounds.
The main problem I see with this big guy is if he does loose a lot of weight and looses it fairly quickly, he'll have a lot of loose skin which will have to be surgically removed. But apparently so far that doesn't seem like it will be an issue. It will be interesting to see how long he lasts.
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This has long been a concern of mine for when I finally get to thru hike. I am what I like to call a recovering glutton. I more or less have had my eating under control since 2008 and have maintained a healthy body weight since then, but how much and what I eat is something I am conscious of every day.
You can still eat healthy out there, you just have to make the effort. Practice on your shakeout hikes.
I swear that bad food is an addiction. I'd be on a roll at home, then go out for a week or the weekend, eat like crap, then continue after I got back home.
I've found it best to just avoid the stuff altogether.
Hasn’t posted go YouTube in a bit, maybe hunkered down somewhere? Gotta make more miles right?
as someone who was once approaching 300lbs my mind truly boggles at the idea of being 400 (or more). its work to eat that much. it really is. the sheer effort almost seems harder to me than loosing weight.
the other thing i can never relate to about people like what this guy seems to be is that when you weigh 280lbs any sort of change in the right direction (ya know, like eating only 5 candy bars a day instead of 10) causes relatively rapid and noticeable weight less.
like i said, its an effort to gain and maintain all that weight.
havent watched the videos (and probably wont) but based on the comments from those who have it seems like hes spending more time eating than hiking.
Ok, he is walking and talking in his most recent videos. His first video was of him laying down on the trail so maybe just a skowch of progress?
A kind gentleman sought him out on the trail (presumably after seeing his videos) and helped him get rid of unnecessary gear and lighten his pack. I assume that would make walking easier than it was in the beginning. That's not to say it's impossible that he increased his endurance just by hiking.
You've hit on it Wayne. One correction though. More precisely we're programmed to eat junk food often en masse on hikes as if that's ok. What often follows is precisely what JPritch has observed.
Exactly, we're led to believe it is AOK to reinforce problematic eating and drinking habits within the context of 6 months on trail. When this is noted many become defensive of their eating and drinking habits eschewing nutritional understanding as junk food eating and binging on food has no consequences. Making matters more problematic is that we assume we can make up long term on trail caloric AND WIDER NUTRITIONAL deficits by engaging in short term - in town - huge buffet eating even if it's non junk food. Long term even being defined as week long deficits. I used to have these mistaken beliefs too because that was what being promoted most often. I bought into many of these fallacies. I've been able to put away many of these mistakes by making resupply and nutrition - beyond narrowed calories or cal/oz ratios - a significant aspect in planning a hike. The more I've practiced the easier it became. Now, I don't require as much time in providing for this aspect. It's similar to picking out my kit. I can get it done, getting spot on or 90% acceptable, without belaboring it. But sharing how it's done requires personally belaboring the awareness of details. Few will stay focused that long. BTW, not incidentally, we can increase our focus by avoiding certain foods or food additives, and mindless food consumption approaches.
A benefit I brought to hiking is having a good awareness of controlling eating and drinking habits. For me, it's still something I need to be highly aware and open to further understanding. It really is a skill to maintain body wt, a fitness baseline standard, appropriately energy levels and nutritional requirements not only on or off trail but in transitioning between those lifestyles. It's the same when off trail lifestyles change. We have to be aware of adapting as necessary. I've written it before and again I'm surprised more hikers don't have significant body wt fluctuations. It's similar to going on a diet in a temporary approach. When dieters don't change their eating and drinking habits for good when they go off their diets or their lifestyles radically change stats demonstrate many gain more wt than before they went on a diet.
What do we often do when we say we're on vacation? Does it not often involve food and drink indulgences? Although I agree with some of the reasons why one might say a hike is a vacation I never perceive a hike as being on a vacation. When I'm on vacation it tends to me being catered. I'm not doing a hike to utterly be catered, alienated inside a bubble. It's all about me, I, mine. I'm not forgoing or ignoring consequences to myself or others. There are impacts that need to be considered if we're to walk conscientiously and with contemplation. Engaging in food and drink is but one consequence.
This is one of the most often noted awareness of those that do a long hike or spend time outside of US societal norms or travel extensively abroad perhaps especially so when we it's experienced in a very thrifty manner. We become more aware - sobered up - from ignoring rampant consumption and Materialism. Whether you spend yrs living off grid in a makeshift teepee or 6 months living out of backpack walking daily this awareness can become evident. This carries over to food consumption and food needs being able to more acutely differentiate between needs verse wants.
Second Chance had a six-mile day in his most recent video, so I think he is getting stronger. Once again he used up all his water before he got to the next water source, which is a very worrying trend. One missed water cache and he could be screwed. Looks like he is now around 5 miles from Mount Laguna, so he should be back in town in another day. Hope he lays off the junk food.
I wonder what his daily water requirements have been? Probably pretty substantial.
“For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”
John Greenleaf Whittier
Water: Requirements? Or poor management? Or bad habits?
Early on he said he was going through a liter in a mile or less. That sounds like a lack of exercising, etc.
The problem seems to be a complete lack of experience and preparation.
I wish him luck. Luck will only get him so far.
Wayne
He wont be first fat guy to either succeed or fail.
At least hes outside hiking .
Its about the journey......not the destination.
The latest video is titled Laguna.
Wayne
Looks like he's safe and having a good time, which is all that matters.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
Best of luck Second Chance. You seem to be enjoying yourself. Those of typing should be so fortunate. I'll be following along!
So far, he is experiencing nature and loving it. I wish I was there. I will keep on watching for a while...
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