Try this to Lose Weight so Hiking Doesn’t Suck
I use to be kind-of fat, depending on who you ask. If you asked me, yeah… I was fat. If you asked my brother, I was really fat. If you ask my wife, she’ll tell you I’ve always been perfect. But friends, I was fat. Let me say it better - I was unhealthy. I tried to eat in my late-twenties like I ate in my late-teens and it caught up with me in a horrible way. Then I’d try to go out into the parks, and boy - what a mess.
Fat Dave in Badlands National Park, 2010. I hate this photo so much.
It wasn’t until several years later that I got it under control. Now we’re approaching summer, and you’re probably wanting to get outside and do something. If you need to shed that winter weight, I’ve got a one-two punch to your fatness that will get you slimmer. And let me add this - there is way more to hiking endurance than weight. But let me try to explain it like this… I can be in the exact same cardio / muscular shape, but if I carry my 35lb daughter on my back (as I often do), I will have less endurance. Period.
So this guide is to help you cut some weight off. You’ll have to do the cardio / muscular thing on your own.
Skinny Dave, 2018.
First, get control of your mind.
You are your boss. The key to weight loss is discipline. You have to make up your mind on what you’re going to do, and stick it out. If you cheat or compromise, then don’t expect any results. They won’t happen. It’s better to never start a weight loss journey than it is to be defeated by it. The path to victory is mental control, so get control. And get accountability too, if that helps. This is probably my most go-to advice for people, including my kids. Get control of your mind.
Punch One: Get into Ketosis
You can read all day long about the keto diet. I actually do the keto diet three or four times a year since I initially did it in 2017. Back in the initial keto experience, I went 90 days and lost almost 40lbs. It was wild. And I ended up looking pretty scrawny. I ended up intentionally gaining a little back, and now hang out around 25-30lbs less than I did when I first did the keto diet. When I do keto now, it’s more for my mind. It’s about keeping control. It’s about being able to be free from sugar and carbs - my two greatest weaknesses!
On the keto diet, you eat high-fat and high-protein foods and completely avoid carbs and sugar. That includes natural carbs and sugar. If you can make it three days on this diet, it’s smooth sailing from there. But those first three days or so are brutal. Your body wants to fight for sugar. You’ve got to regain control and fight that fight.
There are plenty of resources about the keto diet, but if you do it correctly and do not cheat, you 100% will lose weight. And fast. Seeing the scale go down daily in the first 10 days is so encouraging. Find some info on the keto diet, a keto calculator to count those macros, and a sustainable meal plan.
Punch Two: Intermittent Fasting
This can be an either-or-both with keto. Our bodies respond well to fasting, even so that it’s a spiritual discipline. It’s good for our body, our mind, and our soul. Intermittent fasting is eating in a window and fasting in another window. I personally do an 8hr window of food followed by a 16hr window of fasting. For me, my window is 11am - 7pm, following by fasting after 7pm until 11am. It’s honestly really easy, and cuts my calorie intake significantly.
It may be a little hard to break normal three-meals-a-day rhythms, but once you do, it’s pretty easy to maintain. You’ll lose weight, but it’s a slow loss. Intermittent fasting is more of a lifestyle change than it is an immediate result diet, like keto.
That said, if you combine the two, you’ll see major weight loss quickly. I can do both for 10-14 days at a time and lose a quick 5-10lbs in that window. It’s pretty wild stuff.
This blog isn’t meant to give you medical advise, or even fitness or health advise. I’m just sharing what I do so I can hike without the extra pounds on me, and make it a little further and overall feel a little better. At the end of the day, you’ve gotta do what’s right for you and your body. That’s why it’s always good to chat with your doctor before you begin any diets, and see what they recommend.
It feels good to feel good, so go get it.