Near the end of pine_knot's recent trip report I noticed this:


Quote:

I lost 19 pounds during the trip (173 down to 154). But I feel fit and stronger.

I completely agree about the feeling fit and stronger part but WOW! You lost over a pound a day?

I always gain weight on trips but have learned to take a pair of tighter pants for the trip home. I made it a point to weigh myself before and after my trip this year. (11 days) I gained two and a quarter pounds between weigh ins and the shorts I wore on the drive up were just too loose to be comfortable wearing home. I drove home in the skinny pants which were stupid baggy on me having lost two notches on the belt.

Every body is different but I'd be rather concerned about loosing 19 pounds on a 17 day trip in our weight class.

Anyone else pay attention to their weight loss/gain on trips?

During my recent trip to WCP, I lost eight lbs. and about an inch around the waist. That was weight that I really did not need to lose and I regained it quickly when I got back - in about the same amount of time that it took to lose it. Mostly the sugar was/is removed from my diet during trips and I believe that is the biggest factor for me. It's not the exercise or calorie burning that account for it since my day to day regimen at home is usually more intensive than a canoe trip. I do suspect that incomplete hydration may be a big factor too.

I lose about 10 pounds on most of my longer trips. That leaves me a little too lean. I take a lot of food and never feel undernourished. After a number of long days my bodies metabolism speeds up. When it gets really fired up I have to set in the water before bed so I can cool down and get to sleep. The same thing happens at home after an all day bike ride. The experts say that exercising hard for over an hour causes your body to burn more calories for hours after you quit the exercise.

Ever since KF took me on a trip with started with a day and a half portage in deep woods I lose weight on every trip.  Evening meal is my biggest meal and many times I am just not hungry.  I still eat but end up eating less.  Over the past 5 years I have lost 5 to 10 lb on every trip and I gain a little over half of it back. I do notice I run out of energy late in the day on travel days.  My body has trouble with the foods that supply fast energy.  I should probably eat more for lunch.
MagicPaddler

Lost 11 lbs. on my last 10 day Quetico  trip 6/27/11 - 7/6/11. I needed to lose a bit around the waistline anyways.  Usually cover a lot of water on trips. Being an avid fisherman, I like to be on the water almost all day and many evenings. That burns calories.  I bring a hammock but I find I am on the water more often and not in the hammock.

Most of my solo trips are 12-17 days.  I typically lose about 10-12 pounds, but gain it back by Thanksgiving.  I find after longer travel days, I rarely feel like eating a heavy meal.  Sometimes, I almost have to force myself to eat more than I want.  On layover days, I eat more.  I think my weight loss if primarily a change from my normal diet, meaning more protein but a lot less carbs and sugar. 

19 pounds is the most I've ever lost, due to a longer trip and much hotter weather than I usually experience.  I started with a 34 inch waist and end with a 32.  I carried out about 4 days of leftover food (usually I have a day or two leftover).  But as I said before, I feel better and stronger. 

I actually look forward to the weight loss each summer.  I could imagine if I didn't canoe trip, I'd probably be 190 in a couple years.  Today, I'm at 160, right on track to get up to my normal 170 in a few more weeks.   :)

I usually lose about 10 pounds on a 2 week "traveling" canoe trip.  I also become much stronger in my core muscles, I guess from the paddling; and by the end of the trip the packs have gotten to feel lighter too, even tho they are not. ;D
Women have a harder time shedding weight than men, due to our metabolism quirks, so it is great to wear some of it off on a trip.  Lately I have been camping with folks who are in their 70's and 80's and we do not portage and don't cover as many miles and on those trips I do not tend to lose any weight.  :(

Magicpaddler wrote on Sep 3^rd, 2011 at 1:48pm:

Ever since KF took me on a trip with started with a day and a half portage in deep woods I lose weight on every trip.  MagicPaddler

What's up with that MP? Troubled dreams and nervousness keep you from eating right?  ;D

Don't think I've ever lost weight.  I'll check in 3 weeks on the solo.

MT
I just learn a new tripping style.   A lot more moving and less layover days.
MagicPaddler

I usually lose 1 to 1 1/2 kg or so per week (2 or 3 lbs) on a high-carb diet.

No rocket science here: if you burn more calories during exercise than you take in from food, you lose weight.

If you're reasonably fit, once you start paddling and get into a groove your body starts using fuel from three sources: muscle glycogen, liver glycogen (including constant replenishinment by snacking), and body fat. You need to replenish the first two to avoid crashing, but most of us can afford to burn lots of body fat without replacing it and without suffering any ill effects.

Used to lose 8-10 lbs a trip, especially the ones where we traveled deep to see the country. Lately, not so much -- maybe a little less distance, but mostly because the food organizer is bringing more food.

-- kypaddler

Uggh. HHmmm, maybe I shhudda called this site fatcamp. Glamping - Flamping ... ;D

Really? I do eat more often on trips. Lots of fat and just plain pure sugar compared to normal. Keeps me warm. Less carbo-loading to be sure and I haven't exercised pre trip since 2003 so maybe that's part of it.

My layover days are often more strenuous than travel days. My theory is low load long duration has something to do with it. Or perhaps I'm just weirder than I give myself credit for?

You guys and gals do eat until you are full right. Then a little dessert?

My big meal of the day is sometimes half of a split 2 person FD. I do eat more often on trips as that's about all I can force down at one sitting. I only eat breakfast on weekends in real life. Wouldn't touch a donut unless it was politically correct to do so.

I think weight loss on a trip is a natural by-product of perpetual motion. Even a leisurely evening stroll around the lake is going to burn calories. I love tripping because I know I'm typically going to lose about 1 lb per day. Of course you gain it all back on the drive home ;D.

I've never not lost weight on any outdoor trip I've taken, backpacking in my early years or canoe tripping now.
Even when I was working in commercial construction and my job was more physically demanding than most, I still lost weight.
Just the daily demands of a trip, walking/paddling. Setting camp, cutting firewood/hauling water, the lack of easily accessible/unlimited junk food is why most people will see a weight loss.
  We should really call it fat loss, becasue if your taking in the proper fuel, the " weight" loss is body fat, not muscle loss, which isn't what we want.
The more you move, the higher your metabolism becomes which means your going to burn more calories even when your just sitting around the campfire.
Our modern life has its advantages but all that convenience and lack of physical effort to accomplish tasks, is coming at a terrible price health-wise for people our age and especially then younger generation.
I can remember vividly that in my high school days ( late 60's) you could count the fat kids on both hands.
Now it's just the opposite. When the average kid spends 7 hours a day either watching TV or playing electronic games, it's no wonder the current generation may be the first one in history to have a shorter lifespan than the preceding one.
  Getting the kids off the couch and into a active lifestyle should be a national priority.
Everyone hates " diets" and exercising is a habit that may have a hard time establishing.
But enjoyable activities that burn calories and give your body the exercise it needs, kill two birds with one stone and the people who participate in them are much more likely to do it for a long time.
I don't think many of us think of tripping as primary exercise, we think of it as a fun activity that we look forward to doing. The side benefits are fat loss and maintaining/building muscle mass.

The past few years I've been losing 1lb/day, but year-to-year I've plateaued at about 205-210.

I certainly consume fewer calories on a trip than I do at home.  At home a twinkie is just a walk to the store.  On a trip it's weight I have to carry until I eat it.  I'm lazy, I like a light pack, reducing luxury food is an easy way to lighten the load.