Not logging Hiking Days - Am I deluding myself?

Jo2926
Jo2926 Posts: 489 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi

I want to know what people think. My husband and I are trekking the inca trail next year and have started hiking every weekend in preparation. I have an obsessive personality, and I do not want the hiking to become part of that - I want it to be nice time to spend together and enjoying the walking.

On Saturday I did a 8-9 mile hill climbing hike. We were walking for about 5 hours (at least . I put it into MFP and it came up with a ridiculous number - almost 3500. I do not think I burnt anywhere near this and didn;t eat it back, but clearly I need to make some allowance.

To avoid obsessing over every calorie, do you think it would be OK to not log my hiking days, and eat 'normally'? Saturday looked like: Porridge with a teaspoon of honey, 2 boiled eggs, a chicken breast, a handful of nuts and dried fruit, and 6 fig rolls on route, with baked beans on 2 slices of toast and cheese for tea. A protein shake before bed (not a meal replacement just to up my protein).

Am I deluding myself that I can do this once a week and lose weight? Thoughts and advice on how not to turn saturdays into an obsessional day food wise!

Jo

Replies

  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    I think you could lose weight as long as you don't go nuts with your calories during the week. Five hours in one day is like one hour every day for five days. Your body just recognizes the burn, not the day.

    Example: I lost weight in 2000 and couldn't figure out how. My roommate pointed out I went dancing for three hours on Thursday night and Saturday night. I was getting six hours of exercise every week without thinking of it as exercise. So, my weight came off slowly without any real "work". I think of stuff like that as bonus exercise. :)

    If you want to log it, I'd put in the five hours for the sake of your exercise log, but then I'd make sure I kept my calories rather conservative. Since you ARE doing so much work that day, make sure you eat to keep up with your energy level.
  • wayne4825
    wayne4825 Posts: 166 Member
    My wife and I are avid hikers and I can tell you from experience that if you hiked 8-9 miles for approx. 5 hours the 3500 calorie burn is probably right. We hike with heart rate monitors that give an accurate count for calories burned and on long hikes such as that one I've been known to burn over 3,000 calories also.

    I started my weight loss journey at 306lbs and under a year I got down to 240lbs. I was only walking and hiking. That was my only exercise I did. Hiking is a great way to burn calories and lose weight. We do it mainly because it's what we love to do. The health aspect of it is a bonus for us. We have dreams of hiking the Appalachian Trail in the future. We absolutely love the outdoors.
  • Jo2926
    Jo2926 Posts: 489 Member
    WOW. I really thought it was miles out! I might give it a go for a few weeks and see what happens. WIll try and be 100% the rest of the week so if I do not lose I know its down to the hiking day rather than random bad food choices.

    Thanks both!
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
    I would just log it. Don't eat any of the calories back unless you absolutely need to - your body may require some additional fuel for all those calories burned. Just because you enjoy hiking doesn't mean it can't be a part of your weight-loss effort. Just try not to obsess over it! :)
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I don't know how you could hike for hours and *not* eat extra food. If I go hiking, it's usually for about an hour or two, and I munch on trail mix in order to keep going.
  • Jo2926
    Jo2926 Posts: 489 Member
    I don't know how you could hike for hours and *not* eat extra food. If I go hiking, it's usually for about an hour or two, and I munch on trail mix in order to keep going.

    I had a healthy sized porridge - then nimbled the rest on the way round! A slug of coffee and a fig roll at every stop. LUSH!

    My worry is if I start worrying about every calorie I burn I will try not to eat too much and then end up being miserable and not enjoying the hike.
  • wayne4825
    wayne4825 Posts: 166 Member
    If we are planning on a longer hike ( 12 - 17 miles) we pack a snack and extra water. We did a trail that was almost 11 miles and we stopped midway to eat a peanut butter sandwhich and an apple. Thats usually as much as we take. We're relatively quick we finished that hike in just under 4 hours.

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