[pct-l] Weight loss on the trail

Mon Dec 26 12:44:25 CST 2011

Hello Bruno,

Welcome to the pct-l list.  You will get Lot's of good advice from experienced posters.  I will contribute some advice, thoughts, and comments.

Although many of my hiker-friends think of me as a rider ( I rode the PCT, unsupported, on just one horse, and hiked, carrying a knapsack with an average of 12 to 20 pounds in it, perhaps 15% of the time ), I have also both hiked and backpacked a lot more than most. I am now 76 years young. So, I've had plenty of time to do it. Now that you have some idea of where I'm coming from, here is some advice and comments:

     You have an advantage in that you live at a high elevation - you will have less problems with oxygen intake than those who live near sea level. And, even when you are hiking at lower elevations (than Mexico City) you will be at an advantage in that you will be able to use the higher oxygen more efficiently.  Having said that, you should seriously consider giving up smoking - as that will definitely compromise the advantages that you have gained by living at high elevation.

     As for weight-loss on the trail: Although I am not a veggie, I am a skinny guy who ate mostly a vegetarian diet while on the PCT. Riding a horse, I was not able to hitch into towns and "pig out" as most hikers do. I resupplied myself by driving my rig ahead and caching (well camouflaged) near road crossings and trail heads. Then I would hitch-hike back to where I had left my horse. It took me two years to reach Canada. On the first year, when I reached the Pass west of Sisters, Oregon, I had lost 18 pounds.

     On my the second year on  the PCT I did a lot better at holding body weight by eating two lunches each day and also snacking on high-calorie energy bars while riding.  I would advise you to gain weight before you hit the trail. You say that you have a small stomach. You can increase its volume by forcing yourself to over eat and stretching it to a larger size - then, when it is empty, you will be hungry and will eat more.

     As for conditioning:  Seek out hills, hills, hills, to hike on, preferably on trails that have challenging surfaces - not smooth. You will learn to watch where you place your feet - how not to turn an ankle. Let's distinguish between "hiking" and "backpacking". You need to always carry a pack. Start out with less weight - say 15 to 20 pounds. Then gradually add weight until you are comfortable carrying up to about 45 pounds. On the PCT, try to keep it at 40 pounds or less.  While in the city, during the week, AVOID USING ELEVATORS, go up and down STAIRS - they are your friends - seek them out.  Always try to be wearing a well loaded knapsack. That is also good for the ongoing conditioning of your shoulders, and, going up and down the stairs is good for your ankles and knees.

Have a great hike on the PCT.

MendoRider-Hiker

________________________________
 From: Bruno Barrera Yever <bbyever at gmail.com>
To: pct-l at backcountry.net 
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 11:21 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Weight loss on the trail

Hello,

I've been lurking around here for a while, since I'm preparing for a thru
hike next year. My main concern right now is my fitness level.

I'm 19 years old, 180cm tall and weigh 61kg, which is on the low side of my
healthy weight (60-80kg). I'm not a very sporty person... when I was
younger I played some tennis, but I stopped at around 12. Since then I've
been mostly sedentary. Also I've been smoking for the past 6 years (I've
quit a number of times (for more than a year), and I'm quite capable of
doing it, I just don't really want to... I enjoy tobacco (I smoke actual
tobacco, not cigarettes) :) ). For the past year and a half, I've been
vegetarian, I just recently started eating meat again, to try to gain
weight (not really enjoying it tho...)

I'm quite confident in myself, and despite all the bad things from that
last paragraph, I think I can get in shape by April... at least to get in
the 40kms per day range. My concern though, is weight. I'm afraid I'll
loose too much weight on the trail, so my question is: is there an average
weight loss while on the trail? I've read that you need to ingest between
4000 and 6000 calories per day, just to maintain your weight! This is a
problem for me because I dont eat very much... Not because I'm anorexic or
something, but because its difficult for me. I have a small stomach and
very fast metabolism, so its really difficult for me to eat so much and
gain weight.

Another question... As I said in the beginning, I was a vegetarian (i ate
eggs and dairy products, but no seafood, chicken, meat or any other
animal), and recently stopped as an attempt to gain weight. I realized I
dont enjoy meat as much as I used to, and would like to remain a
vegetarian, so the question is: is it possible to eat between 4000-6000
calories per day on a vegetarian diet? I know most of the stuff you eat
while on the trail are junk food (pop tarts, snickers, etc) except for the
main meals, which are usually pasta with cheese. All that sounds vegetarian
enough for me, but I'm guessing that the meals you have while on towns
count a lot to the overall healthiness of the diet (and I'm sure you're not
going to stuff yourself with a salad after 5 days of pop tarts!)

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).

/walloftext

TL;DR:

- thoughts on smoking and thru-hiking?
- high calorie vegetarian diet for a thru hike?
- how much weight will I loose?
- fitness tips?

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