Everybody says that men lose so much weight on the AT. Then how come some pictures of guys at the end of the trail, or near the end of the trail, look pretty overweight. My question is, do some men not lose much weight on the trail? Or by the end of the trail, do 99% of men look emaciated?
calabash
It all depends on how much you weigh to begin with. Some people are significantly overweight, so even when they lose 30 or 40 pounds, they still remain overweight. Most men lose significant weight. Thus, if you are trim to begin with, you may in fact look emaciated at the end. Come to think of it, I have even heard of people intentionally gaining weight before heading out.
Naturejunkie
It depends on how hard you push your hike. One of my AT thru’s was a speed hike and I went from a lean 170 pounds to an emaciated 142 pounds.
Machine
Most people that actually make it all the way, that kept a steady pace, are usually pretty thin and/or fit at the end. I started at about 170 and lost almost 25 pounds…all while easily eating enormous amounts of calories in towns. I also averaged almost 22 miles a day though. It all depends on what you weigh at the start, and how steady your hike is. If you only hike 8-10 miles a day and take a zero day every 3rd day…you obviously won’t lose as much. Either way though…you will be in better shape because of it and it is obviously healthy.
lakewood
On my '03 thru-hike, I really didn’t lose that much weight. I started at 180 and finished at 175 or so. My friend that I hiked with, however, started around 180 and lost 30+ pounds. I think his weight loss stemmed from getting sick several times on the trail. He battled lyme disease, a cellulitis (spelling?) infection, and various other ailments during our thru-hike. We are the same age, comparable in weight, similar fitness levels, hiked the same amount of miles per day, and ate basically the same food. The only difference is that I stayed relatively healthy the entire trip and he battled several ailments. I was in such good shape when I finished, I started hitting the gym and put on 20+ pounds of muscle in no time at all. I was like Barry Bonds, minus the 'roids and HGH!
Gusty
I think if you need to lose weight, you do. And if you need to gain weight you do. I only lost 3 lbs doing all of the Georgia AT, while my husband lost 15.
No Name
If you need to lose weight, you do. And if you need to gain weight you do. I only lost 3 lbs doing all of the Georgia AT, while my husband lost 15.
No Name
Let’s face it, if you’re slim when you start a thru-hike it will be hard to ultimately lose what someone can lose who starts heavier (me). Both times I started at around 210 pounds. Both times I averaged over 50 days of 20+ mile days. Both times had me summit in under four months (not counting zero days, which numbered 20 & 21). Both times I posed by the Katahdin sign I was 48 and 52 pounds lighter. Pace, how hard you like to push or how long you like to walk during each day will determine much. If you go slow and take long town stops, you won’t lose as much. Don’t get me wrong, I take more than my share of zero days, but when I’m out, I love to walk long and make miles…makes me happy. So does losing 50 pounds.
Postcard
A lot of factors are involved in weight lost, not the least of which is age and metabolic rate. It is easy to potentially dev. eating problems due to the loss/gain cycle many distance hikers exper. A friend who is a well-respected endocrinologist during several discussions mentioned some potential long term problems associated w losing more than 12lb more than 3 times during your lifetime-one of which is diabetes. I kinda believe this but think that the body is too complex to have absolutes. Several hikers ea. year dev. pre-diabetic cond. from not having the right ratio of protein to their carbo. intake. Overall, it seems that women burn their fat stores and become more muscular,wheras men lose weight and can become emaciated. I have lost up to 50lbs in a long section hike. As I have gotten older, it is harder to lose lbs. If you are interested in this at a more tek level read about insulin resistance, IGF and basic biological metabolism. Maybe an MD will post or someone w a background in nutrition or biochem. who can shed some wisdom here. Anyway, enjoy your hike and eating exper. along the way.
mike
In 02 I started off at Springer weighing in at a portly 220. I finished the trail 6 months later and 55 lbs. lighter (165 for you remedial math novices). I ate everything in sight (one lunch actually consisted of a box of Nilla Wafers and a tub of Betty Crocker frosting @ Trail Daze … ask Bluebearee) and still lost weight. By the looks of my expanding waistline it may be time for a yo-yo.
MG
I lost only 5 lbs in my attempted 05 hike. But I sure did gain when I got home and kept eating like a thruhiker!
Red Hat
Hey Postcard, I love your book!! Have read it through twice. I was following your PCT hike. Hope things are better at home. Are you going back to the PCT this year or anytime in the near future?
Janet
I’d say it depends on how much you weigh to begin with. My husband was about 25 lbs overweight when we began our '05 hike and by the end he lost 30. I didn’t need to lose any and I ended up losing 10. Just like in the “real world” guys tend to drop it quicker than the ladies. It is safe to say we ate our fair share while out there for 6 months. Either way, we both quickly gained our weight back. Bug didn’t put all of it back on, but as Red Hat stated, the hiker appetite didn’t go away immediately and we both had to relearn portion control (ie we shouldn’t have eaten straight from the half gallon of ice cream we had in the freezer).
Ms Priss
Thanks Janet. Been working on The Artful Hiker.com It should open in a week, its turned out beautiful - it’s been a good distraction. However, thanks for the kind words. Sister is cancer free, Dad’s holding his own but painfree. I’ll head to the PCT to illustrate the entire thru-hike when life gets resolved. Until then, the AT is closer and I’m always looking for drawing inspiration that only the trail can provide.Plus I love the Appalachian Trail Diet.
When The Artful Hiker.com opens, let me hear from you.
postcard
i agree with everything being said…hike hard losre more wgt… easy does it, less. Either way you get very strong and feel superb. Hi ms Priss …
yappy