Lighten Your Heaviest Gear: You!

[Addie Bedford]

Companion forum thread to:

Lighten Your Heaviest Gear: You!

[Brian UL]

Now don't get me wrong Im not saying calories don't count. Sure if you eat enough veggies and fruit ( especially fruit) you can gain weight. But we are talking about pretty over the top amounts that don't really apply much to the real world.
What Im saying is that different calories are metabolized differently by the body. In other words, your body wants to store carbs as fat while it dose not really want to store fat as fat. So it has preferences, this is why as I said, farm animals are feed grains to fatten them up and not butter.
Sugar and refined carbs are the worst in this regard and its why you will gain weight so easily with them. Sure part of it is that fiber and fat make you feel full and so you eat less but its a double whammy of eating lots of calories that don't fill you up and eating calories that are preferentially stored as fat. So, if you want to lose weight you should avoid bad calories first and foremost as calorie counting is complete guess work and you can never know just how much you are burning compared to how much you are eating.

[Roger Caffin]

The UL walker's UL dehydrated MacDonalds Hamburger:

(Wheatmeal biscuits, no sugars, and thin salami.)

Cheers

[Nia Schmald]

"What Im saying is that different calories are metabolized differently by the body. In other words, your body wants to store carbs as fat while it dose not really want to store fat as fat. So it has preferences, this is why as I said, farm animals are feed grains to fatten them up and not butter. "

I quick google suggests cows are actually fed fat and the reliance primarily on grain has to do with a calorie/$ calculation. http://www.livestocktrail.uiuc.edu/dairynet/paperDisplay.cfm?ContentID=246

"In other words, your body wants to store carbs as fat while it dose not really want to store fat as fat."

Do you have a source for this claim?

"So, if you want to lose weight you should avoid bad calories first and foremost as calorie counting is complete guess work and you can never know just how much you are burning compared to how much you are eating."

I disagree. I think it's vital to know how much you eat. I was shocked the the first time I weighed the food I was preparing and found I was eating about 2500 calories per day. No wonder I was so fat (230 at the time). Eat one extra banana a day at 100 calories over what you need and you will gain 1/2 lb per week and 25 lbs per year. That's a fairly small difference that adds up quickly.

I weighed my food for about a month. At that point I had an understanding of what a serving of steak, fish, or rice looked like and I could keep track of my intake with out the extra bother. I also quickly realized that it was nearly impossible to eat a sufficient quantity of vegetables for it to be significant in the calorie calculation.

We weigh every bit of gear that goes into our pack to get the most efficient system. I am surprised at the suggestion that we don't need to do the same for what goes into our bodies.

Another google got me this study: (http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/fta-s07.shtml)

"Wansink’s studies showed people drank an average of 25 to 30 percent more from short, wide tumblers than from tall, skinny glasses. The same amount of juice in a tall, skinny glass looks as if the glass is fuller than it does in the short, wide glass. "

It's these kind of misconceptions that lead many to overeat with out being aware of the difference.

[Brian UL]

"Do you have a source for this claim?"
This is old science by now from 2002 it all started here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html?pagewanted=1

[Nia Schmald]

Ok so this article is suggesting that the super low fat diets were failures. I agree. But I don't see the science to support Atkins style low carb diets as a panacea. For example this from the mayo clinic:

"The reality: Most people can lose weight on almost any diet plan that restricts calories — at least in the short term. Over the long term, though, studies show that low-carb diets like Atkins are no more effective than are standard high-carbohydrate diets and that most people regain the weight they lost regardless of diet plan. However, studies have shown that people who continued to follow diet plans such as Atkins for two years did lose an average of nearly 9 pounds (4.1 kilograms) overall. Some studies suggest that it's not cutting carbs that leads to weight loss with Atkins. Instead, you may shed pounds because your food choices are limited and you eat less since the extra protein and fat keep you feeling full longer. The bottom line is that to lose weight you must reduce the calories you take in and increase the calories you burn."

Consider cultures around the world. There are the rice eating Chinese, Japanese and south Indians, the heavily fat and protein eating Inuit, the meat and bread eating Moghuls. There is a great deal of variety in the types of foods people eat and the ratios of fat, protein and carbs in their diets. All of these traditional cultures were healthy enough to survive for thousands of years. That suggests to me that there is no magic formula for what makes a healthy diet.

Heavily processed foods on the other hand are relatively new and as such are questionable. You can track the spread of high levels of obesity around the globe by the spread of McDonalds. Just coincidence?

[Brian UL]

The article does more than suggest that "super" low fat diets are are failures. Its describes how sugars and grains cause one to gain more weight than high fat diets and there fore calories are not everything. It goes on to explain how sugar/carbs cause obesity and diabetes. It also explains why organizations like the Mayo clinic continue to rationalize the low fat anti-meat agenda. The Chinese and Japanese eat a lot of meat- pork, fish, fish broth, and vegetables of all kinds. They don't all eat a high carb diet compared to us. The Okinawan s live longer than the Japanese and eat a high pork diet. Plus some populations can genetically tolerate higher amounts of carbs than others – the American natives are a good example of a population who are devastated by our high carb diet.
But really Im not going to prove anything, people will belive what they want. I just thought that the alternative view should be expressed to keep this article balanced.

[Ross Williams]

I'd liek a follow up article discussing just where hikers should focus their muscle and workouts. Just getting in shape might mean too much weight in the pectorals or biceps. If we really want to go lightweight, shouldn't we be focusing on the right muscle groups and not just doing a P90X workout?

How much extra weight do we carry in muscle?

[CW]

P90X is a full body program based on leaning out and not on getting big. If you follow the program as designed you won't be able to carry extra muscle per se. You'll only carry what your body needs.

[Matt Mahaney]

Chris,
I know you were doing p90x. How is the aftermath? A few friends of mine were not able to maintain the gains they made in their fitness or the loss in weight. Did you adhere to the diet? It looks like a good program I'm going to start in the next few weeks. Back to topic. Sorry.

[CW]

I've been doing it more or less this entire year. After the first 90 days a daily workout became part of my routine so I've just redone the program over and over mixing in some other activities like mountain biking and running on nicer days. I only stuck to the diet in a strict manner for the first 3 weeks and since that point I've eaten a mostly balanced diet. Overall I lost about 22 lbs and have gone from around 14% BF to around 5% BF. I didn't gain any overall size, just definition and strength but I believe this is largely diet related. Having been up to 211 lbs at one point on a smallish 5'8 frame, I have fat fear. I'm afraid to eat too much for fear of getting fat again despite my incredibly high metabolism and daily activity. At present I eat around 3k cals a day split out over 6-8 meals. 3k cals is technically a lot for a 145 lb guy but I believe I'm probably still under eating somewhat. I have photos from before and after the first 90 days and also more recent ones but I don't want to post them on here since I'm sure everyone browsing this thread doesn't want to be forced to look at them. I can PM you links if you want to see the differences.

[George L Privett]

I really enjoyed this article and comments. The article affirms the program I followed successfully to reach the weight and energy level I want.

I consume a balance of calories and do a variety of moderate exercises – the favourite is walking to work with a small pack everyday. For me it was simply a change to a simpler, lighter lifestyle.

I am in my sixties and younger people seem impressed with my energy level, strength and endurance, especially walking up and down the back hills and snow shoeing. For those "heavy weight" hikers, here is the website encouraged me. http://caloriecount.about.com/

[Kathy A Handyside]

Well, as a person who keeps fighting the weight battle, I enjoyed this article and found it helpful. Why? Because it put a new slant on things and gave me a new perspective. I like the idea of working on myself the same way I've been working on my gear.

Thank you! This is just what I needed to motivate myself!

[EndoftheTrail]

In case anyone is interested — there is only one "o" in lose. OK, carry on…

[Jim W.]

But there are two in loose.

[Gabe Joyes]

Thank you Jeremy for writing this article on a very important topic. This article has some very valid points and excellent advice, and in some ways I like the comparison to UL backpacking. But, your body is not a backpack, it is a body.

"Eliminate Everything You Don't Need"

How about: "Moderate or Alter Less-Nutritious Foods"

For example:
The article mentions avoiding ground beef. OK fine I don't eat a lot of ground beef. But you can definitely go to the grocery store and buy ground beef that is 94% lean, make your patty a reasonable size (not 1/2 pound), wipe off any extra grease, add that with a low-fat mozzarella, and pile it high with all sorts of veggies. Did you "eliminate" something potentially harmful from your diet? Nope. Did you have a delicious and healthy meal? Yep. You don't need to be a devout food monk to lose weight. You could I guess, but that doesn't sound like much fun to me.

Backpacks don't have desire for gear like the human mouth does for food.

[Lynn Tramper]

"Backpacks don't have desire for gear like the human mouth does for food.:

Well said. A field I am actively working in at the moment is on the addictive nature of food. We are hard-wired to crave it, to seek fat, salt and calories. That's why, although everything in this article could now be considered "common sense", we have an obesity epidemic. The gap between knowing what you should do to lose weight and actually doing it is one of human nature's greatest weaknesses.

"I'd liek a follow up article discussing just where hikers should focus their muscle and workouts. Just getting in shape might mean too much weight in the pectorals or biceps. If we really want to go lightweight, shouldn't we be focusing on the right muscle groups and not just doing a P90X workout?

How much extra weight do we carry in muscle?"

It depends on your goals. If you want to have the absolute lightest "skin-out" weight, then starve yourself and do no weight training. If you want to be the fastest packer, then focus on legs, core-muscles and aerobics. If you want to be a healthy life-long backpacker (and also hopefully enjoy other sports), then do an entire body workout.

And remember: muscle is mostly water. That's why fad and crash diets work so well in the beginning. You can lose a lot more weight quickly by shedding some muscle and water than you can by dropping fat.

[Jeremy Pendrey]

Gabe: Insightful and fair points.

One can take an analogy too far to make a point. Although backpacks don't have a desire for gear, people seem to crave gear in ways that are at least sometimes analogous to the way they view food – holding on to bad habits out of fear of going without, etc. Anyway, I realize it's not a perfect analogy, but I thought it still one that could resonate with this group of readers.

Regarding moderation, I have taken it case by case in deciding when to do without entirely and when to moderate. With certain foods I have been successful at moderation. With others, I have not, and have instead decided I just don't need/want them in my life. Figuring out which is which is an ongoing experiment. Some foods are difficult choices because, in moderation, they have nutritional benefits and/or provide fulfillment. Other food, like pure junk food, is difficult not because of any nutritional benefits, but because of our evolutionary predilection to love it.

Also, I didn't intend to recommend monastic asceticism. To the contrary, I have found that eliminating unnecessary or unhealthful food we unthinkingly include too much of in too many meals has, in addition to the physical benefits of weighing less, opened up a world of opportunity and flavors I didn't even know existed. And that is where I had hoped the analogy would resonate the most. Traditional backpackers see us as depriving ourselves, but we'd disagree.

Thanks again for your comment.

[BlackHatGuy]

"Douglas and Roger: Thanks for the positive feedback."

Jeremy, you're quite welcome. Your article certainly beat the one I was going to write: "How I lost 117 pounds overnight for only $500! The UL Guide to Divorce!"

[David Lewis]

To the person who commented about P90X not necessarily working the right muscle groups… and perhaps giving you too much weight in the pecs / biceps… I suggest you check out the program. The TV Commercial makes it looks like it's all about bulk… because that's what sells. But the program itself is extremely well rounded! There are 12 DVDs and only half of them are strength training. The other half of the program is abs, core, cardio, plyometics, yoga and stretching. It's extremely well thought out and well-rounded. Great for any athlete I would say. I've done it and it's a great program. And I did NOT end up looking big and bulky in the slightest. Not at all. Just lean and strong.

[David Lewis]

p.s. One thing we all seem to forget about (which the P90X diet program really helped me realize) is the amount of 'hidden' sugar we ingest from things like condiments. Condiments are killer. If you make a stir fry but then saturate it with some sugary chinese sauce like sweet and sour or szechuan… you are defeating the purpose. Or make a grain-based veggie burger on a whole grain bun but then bury it in ketchup and sweet relish and mustard. Better off with a bit of mayo and dijon. Or avacado. The P90X diet plan actually includes a condiment allowance… like… 1 condiment per day for instance in the first month. It's something I never really thought much about before until it was pointed out to me in that diet program.

[Brian UL]

The P90x thing is fine and all , but you can just save your money and do 20 min. of basic exercises like pushs-ups, chin ups, jump rope ect. I'm a big fan of interval training. Just lower the rest periods between sets as you get stronger/ better cardio and increase the intensity. Start with 10 mins and work your way up to 20 as you get in shape.
The only real criticism I have of P90X is the length of time the workouts are. 40 min is a little too long. Sorter more intense workouts are more efficient the same way 15 min of jump rope is better than 30 min of jogging..

[Tohru Ohnuki]

This article was written by an engineer who helped write Autocad. It's a pretty clear and simple model for how to control weight by treating the body as a machine. It cuts through a lot of the FUD regarding diet and weight loss and addresses issues like how to trend weight measurement to average out daily water weight variations:
The Hacker's Diet by John Walker

Basically it's this:

[Nia Schmald]

Brian, have you checked out crossfit.com? Their workouts sound very much like what you describe. They also have a forum for healthy diet. Lots of people in to Taubes, zone, paleo etc.

[Anonymous]

"Your article certainly beat the one I was going to write: "How I lost 117 pounds overnight for only $500! The UL Guide to Divorce!"

LOL

BTW, I don't see any reason not to go ahead with that article, Douglas. I'll bet it would be wildly popular. Might even get you on Oprah, or Letterman. Hopefully you'd refuse an invitation from Geraldo? ;}

[Author]

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