Training strategy for an obese mountaineer

[bonehead]

Since you have stated your goal in public
you have now made this a matter of honor.
Make all of your eating/exercise choices with
that in mind and you will succeed in that goal.

[Sean Nunn]

I think it is important to remember that we all tend to think that whatever works for us is THE answer. For me high carbs, long distance running, and a little strength training work. For others that might not work so well. Honestly I think you have to find what works best for you.

That being said, slight calorie intake reduction and increasing calorie burning via physical exercise are the gold standard for losing weight. Either one can result in weight loss, but the combination of the two is your best bet. Within those parameters, find what works for you.

[jeidson]

At any rate, as someone stuck living at 1,200 ft who needed 13 hrs RT to summit Capitol from the lake, I'm going to need to do something pretty "zealous", TFNA or otherwise, if I want to do the little bear / blanca traverse next year and have a fun, safe experience

Why do you think you’ll need anything pretty “zealous”? Like justiner said, “run, not too fast, mostly uphill” (Replace “run” with “walk” if like me you cannot run uphill). It’s really that simple.

I read a photo caption in a Black Diamond catalog about 10 years ago which has always stuck with me. “Mountaineering: slowly walking uphill while not feeling very well.” It’s meant to be funny, but at the same time, it’s so true. Justiner’s idea to run (or walk) slowly uphill is basically building a good aerobic base for that. Considering your long term goals (Rainier, Denali), a good base is exactly what you need. You can train for speed after you build a good base, but there is no shortcut.

I agree completely with this.

I lost over 200lbs. Started walking and could barely walk a mile then started doing cardio on a daily basis. Graduated to long hikes and climbing mtns here in the Appalachians then ran my first 5k, then a 10k. I didnt care about the time just wanted to push sustainability and consistently was able to do more and more as time went on and I continued to push the envelope. Came out to CO in August to see if I could handle it and was able to get up a few peaks with relative ease, not having any issues with it at all. Even doing hikes on back to back to back days and still feeling great because my legs were already conditioned for the long haul. Aerobic exercise and a strong cardio base is IMO is the key to enjoying the mountains.

I really believe now that you can do anything you want if you're willing to adopt the lifestyle, do the work and stick to it.

[oldschoolczar]

If your primary goal is to lose weight, focus on what you eat more than your exercise regimen. My experience has been that dietary habits will play a bigger role in weight loss than exercise. In fact, when I focus on training I often gain weight. You should still train, but if weight loss is the goal, I think dietary habits are more important.

My wife made me join her on the "Whole 30" diet last January. I dropped from 198lb to 182lb in 30 days without working out AT ALL (except for some skiing on the weekends). I maintained this weight after the diet for a few months until I started running regularly. I've slowly gained weight over the summer as I've been ramping up the running. Not sure if this is from gaining muscle mass or just eating too much.

I was always skeptical of these paleo, low-carb, etc. diets, but I'm a firm believer now that if I have to lose weight I will focus on my eating habits. However, I'd rather be a little fat and fit than be skinny and out of shape.

Sounds like you want to focus on both diet and exercise. I'd suggest shifting the focus to diet at the beginning to shed pounds quickly and then ramp up the training as you lose pounds.

Good luck!

[mountaingoat-G]

What does TFTNA mean?

Training
For
The
New
Alpinism


On the topic of weight loss, it's been said before: give up soda. Not only will you lose weight, but soda has so many other negative health effects.
Also (and some will call this sacrilegious) give up beer.


To the OP: you are already doing better than most people I know. Congrats on doing Capitol !!

[RockiesAdrian]

I disagree that giving up soda or beer is a necessary step, so much as setting a specific calorie goal and sticking to it.

However, if you are trying to stick to 1500 calories per day, you will find that your desire for either of these beverages must be quite high to find room for them.

If you were on a 2000 calorie per day restriction, it wouldn't be nearly so challenging to find room for one or the other.

[LURE]

I disagree that giving up soda or beer is a necessary step, so much as setting a specific calorie goal and sticking to it.

Soda has no place in the human diet, if you ask me. The whole beer thing, all the calories in there are like 90% from the alcohol. The body can't store alcohol calories, so it's pointless to count beer and liquor calories. Every alcohol calorie gets burned and removed from the body no matter what you do. It's an interesting physiological misconception that beer and liquor make you fat. Food makes you fat. Alcohol can contribute to weight gain, but it's not the alcohol calories doin it.

[RockiesAdrian]

Soda has no place in the human diet, if you ask me. The whole beer thing, all the calories in there are like 90% from the alcohol. The body can't store alcohol calories, so it's pointless to count beer and liquor calories. Every alcohol calorie gets burned and removed from the body no matter what you do. It's an interesting physiological misconception that beer and liquor make you fat. Food makes you fat. Alcohol can contribute to weight gain, but it's not the alcohol calories doin it.

I think soda is disgusting and never drink the stuff. But to say alcohol calories do not affect weight gain/loss seems very hard to believe. Do you have any sources to back up that claim?

[Oman]

It's an interesting physiological misconception that beer and liquor make you fat.

If America were sober, then White Castle and Taco Bell would not exist, especially after 10 p.m. I'm guessing the pretzel and chips business would take a pretty big hit, too.

[LURE]

It's an interesting physiological misconception that beer and liquor make you fat.

If America were sober, then White Castle and Taco Bell would not exist, especially after 10 p.m. I'm guessing the pretzel and chips business would take a pretty big hit, too.

Exactly. Except I'd still go to T Bell

[mountaingoat-G]

You can definitely lose weight by giving up beer....

[Andymcp1]

Hey, I'm also fat and like walking up hills- lets be friends, if nothing else we can just eat doughnuts on pikes and take the railway down. LOL- JK.
I recently have found myself in the same place as you, overweight and full of ambitious goals that my bodyweight did not allow to be a reality. I think there is no set answer for what will work best for you its a game of experimenting and figuring it out. With that said just listen to Justineer- I want to echo many of his points as they are spot on. Be consistent, find something that works for you, just do it! I like the Body for Life diet plan, its simple, eat healthy foods in healthy portion sizes every 3 to 4 hours. It is not restrictive, its just a common sense diet. Skip the whole KETO thing, its great in theory but the people who stick with it are the people who stick with diets and like to talk about them, unless you love drinking oil and eating avocados all day long.
Start running, uphill walking on a treadmill and doing the stair stepper and throw in a cycling class for cross training. I do a bodyweight workout 2x per week that consists of squats, lunges, high box step ups, push ups, dips, pull ups and sit ups (abs). I keep it simple and do 2 or 3 sets of each exercise for as many reps as I can, you will work your way up and even my fat ass can do pull ups now!
For cardio just do a pace that you can maintain and do again the next day, take it slow with running as its really easy to over do it and get an injury when starting from where you are (trust me I was very fat and in the exact same place).
Lastly, stretch at night while your sitting in front of the TV. If your married your wife will make fun of you, be forewarned, but it will help a lot and you will feel better for doing it.
If you have questions send me a PM, I'd be happy to talk to you more.
Andy