100 lbs & Europe in 2015

ahealthyenthusiasm

Hello folks!

I was informed the other day that my father is getting me a round trip ticket to Europe as my birthday gift. I'm hoping to bike and walk through the six cities I'm going to be visiting (Edinburgh, Dublin, London, Paris, Venice, Rome) in order to save money and truly experience these places.

However.....

I'm currently about 100 lbs overweight ( apparently insanity got me here). I'm also in the worst shape of my life. Walking up a flight of stairs winds me.

I'd ideally like to lose at least 80 pounds before I leave in June, and also get into shape enough to where I can enjoy my very physical trip rather than be fatigued and sore the entire time.

Any suggestions on where to start? What activities to pursue to help me with my backpacking through Europe journey?

Any insight would be much appreciated! Thank you!!

obscuremusicreference

Start with your diet! Log/weigh/measure everything. And build up your stamina on the stairs, because that will help you overall. Oh, and do strength training--you don't say whether you can join a gym now or not, but even bodyweight exercises like push-ups will help.

Good luck! And don't put pressure on yourself to lose a certain amount by a certain date.

segacs

Sounds like an AMAZING trip!

A few thoughts on the weight loss:

• Start with this program, get a food scale, log and track what you eat, and aim to eat at a healthy deficit (1-2lbs/week).
• Up the exercise slowly. Start with easy things, like just moderate walking or, if you cycle now, some cycling routes around your neighbourhood. Aim for slow and steady progress.
• Don't pressure yourself too much. Think of it as the long haul. Having a goal is a good thing. Having a really aggressive goal (and I'm not sure when you plan to leave, but 100lbs by your birthday might well be overly aggressive) is just setting yourself up for failure. [ETA: Just re-read your post and realized you plan to leave in June. 6-7 months of weight loss at a healthy pace would probably put you at 30-40lbs maximum, with some variance for height and age. 80-100lbs might be your ultimate goal, but I'd suggest viewing it as a goal to achieve over the course of a year or two or even longer.] View this as a lifestyle change, not a diet. However much you lose by the time you leave, that will just be progress towards your ultimate goal.

A few thoughts on your travel plans:

• Add some smaller towns and countryside locations in between all those cities, or else you'll get city burnout. Big cities aren't necessarily the best way to see a country, anyway.
• Get yourself a really well fitted backpack (visit a specialty store or a chain like MEC in Canada or REI in the US) and load it down with weights and practice walking around your own city for a month or two before you leave. Walk up and down some stairs, on uneven surfaces like cobblestones if you can find 'em, etc. Practice cycling short and increasingly long distances before you go, too.
• Don't stress too much about your weight -- there are backpackers in Europe of all shapes and sizes. You'll be fine.
• The travel and backpacking itself will lead to weight loss. Like you said, you'll be much more active when you're there, cycling, walking around, sightseeing, doing things. Maybe at first you'll be tired and worn out at the end of a day, but it will get easier.
• The biggest trap on these types of trips tends to be alcohol. If you are a drinker, or even if you don't drink much at home but can overindulge on the road, you might find yourself drinking a lot of calories. Keep it in check with moderation and lots of water -- your budget will stretch further that way, too.
• Hostelbookers.com, Rome2Rio.com and TripIt.com -- seriously, awesome websites, all of 'em. Also, Couchsurfing.org is great if you want to stagger hostels with some more local experiences.
• Check out the Thorn Tree forum on Lonely Planet for awesome travel advice from like-minded backpackers.

Have fun and good luck!

girlviernes

Fifty pounds and focus on fitness is probably more realistic for June. I backpacked for a year at about 50-60 pounds overweight without problem.

jpaulie

80lbs between now and June assuming you leave mid June is about 3.3lb a week. It is considered healthy to lose 2 lbs a week on a typical diet. You will lose more per week for the first few weeks. When I was (way) over weight I lost a lot more upfront and then leveled off. So many things to suggest but TRACK YOUR FOOD. You will not believe how much sugar you probably eat. You should limit to 25g per day and many people eat 100-200g easily.

If you are adding exercise (hopefully) get some help. My biggest issue with losing weight over the years was getting injured by going at it too hard in the first few months. Jumping into something like cross-fit can set you back until you are prepared for it.

Talk to your doctor before you get too far into it. Very important with that kind of weight loss.

Lastly, don't look at it like you are losing weight for the trip. Look at it like you are losing weight for the rest of your life. Enjoy a long healthy life!

Kalikel

80 pounds might be a little ambitious, but you never know how far you can go until you try!

Go see the doctor, make sure nothing is wrong, get cleared for exercise. Get some good advice and a referral to a dietitian if you think you might have things to learn.

You might hit 80 by June! Good luck!

...and bring your dad back a nice souvenir!

fitfreakymom

Weight train and very few cheat days. Log and measure your food.

fitfreakymom

And buy a food scale and toss the human one lol go to your doctor s office or a gym to get weighed as they are far more accurate.

ahealthyenthusiasm

Thank you everyone for your input!

I'll definitely take everything you've suggested to heart.

acmanna

Best wishes! My advice: start walking...I live in Germany and you will walk a lot! Also bring very comfortable shoes..tennis shoes! The first 2 months I lived here I always had blisters. When we have visitors I easily log over 30k steps a day. You will have an amazing time!

Sued0nim

get a pedometer (I love my fitbit) and walk lots - set a minimum target of 10K steps a day then build from there

hit the gym and start weight training now

eat at a calorie defecit

you can feel so much better by June

girlviernes

Be a little careful about ramping up your exercise - you don't want to hurt yourself. Make sure you wear supportive shoes, stretching regularly, and working on strength (develop your calisthenics and you can continue while traveling).