OK... I know that there are undoubtedly some posts out there that cover this and I am starting to mine them, but in the meantime I'd love to hear from people who can both relate and provide some good advice for me specifically. So, here's the deal...

I am 34-year-old male who's carrying around approximately 70 extra pounds that I want to rid myself of, the next two years. Even when I was young and fit, I was a somewhat stocky at 5'9" 180 (when I get below 180 I actually start looking a bit gaunt). Despite my imposing (and not in a muscular way) physique I do manage to do a bit of hiking in the Sequoia NP area. Usually 10-15 mile day hikes between 7,200' and 10,300' a couple of times a month during the summer. Unfortunately, I usually do take a day (or two) to recover after each hike.

In theory, if I can shed the weight, I know I have the strength to go higher and longer. For instance, last September I attempted Mt. Whitney with a couple of friends and was able to make it from portal to trail camp (approx 6.3 miles from 8,360' to 12,000') carrying a 50+ pound pack. Unfortunately, after that day, I was spent. Besides being slower than molasses (about 5.5 hours) I didn't hydrate well and didn't acclimate enough and may have ended up with a touch of altitude sickness. Sadly, the next morning while my friends summited it was all I could do to to drag my butt off the mountain. At the end of the day it's really no mystery, though, that the only thing holding me back was my own fat a**.

So, now I want to lose the weight, but I honestly struggle to know where to start. We all have gifts in life but physical prowess, training, fitness and motivation have never been my strengths. But I love hiking high and want to learn some basic climbing. Anyhow, I want to get up Whitney next time I go back and as I may be moving to Washington soon I want to climb Rainier in the next year or two, as well. So those are the two primary goals I have in mind. I NEED TO LOSE THE WEIGHT...WHERE DO I START? What are your recommendations of books, videos, training regimens should I look to in order to simultaneously lose weight and train for climbing? I'd love to hear from some of you huskier hikers/climbers out there who've had similar struggles, or anyone who can muster empathy for my plight without recommending a regimen that will kill me or sap my motivation to try.

My first suggestion is to not think about Losing Weight. Instead, think of changing your lifestyle.
To be more specific. Your lifestyle changes need to incorporate eating better, getting more exercise, and using your experience in a meaningful way.
Start with baby steps. Don't set unrealistic goals that will make you feel like a failure. And realize that if you backslide, it is not the end of the world. Just keep taking those small steps to a different life.

#1. Change the way you eat (not How Much). Read this book about (real) food:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014311 ... 0143114964
If you are like most folks, simply cutting out bad food will remove 10 or 15 pounds off of you. Imagine how you'd feel if someone took that much out of your pack!

#2. Get more exercise. Start adding a little bit on a daily basis. Today, simply walk around the block. After a few days, add a pack,or add a bit of distance. Add some hills. Keep at it. When you are walking 10-15 miles per week, those weekend hikes will start to seem easy. So do more of them. Walking to Trail Camp should (and will) seem like a short hike.

#3. Use your experience. You know what caused you to bail on Whitney. Practice good technique on EVERY hike. When you no longer have to think about drinking, etc., then you will be ready to do Whitney. Instead of thinking about drinking (or pace, or whatever) you can instead enjoy the scenery.

Rainier is a big mountain- you'll have to gain 50% more than on a climb of Whitney. And like Whitney you'll be carrying overnight, but now with the additional weight of snow climbing gear. Even so, there is no reason to carry more than 50lbs, so you should also look at your gear. On an overnighter on Whitney (with a good weather prediction) you should not need more than about 30 lbs. of gear. After all, John Muir probably did it with no more than a blanket and a loaf of bread.

PS- At 34, you are still young (I climbed Rainier two weeks ago, and I am 55). Get after it now and you will live a longer, more enjoyable life.

Touchy-feely Story #1
A good friend of mine is was 30 when we met. He sounds like your build. He was about 6' at 195 lb. He use to say his ideal fit weight was about 175, so he's around 40-50 over by that standard (at the present, about 215-220). He use to ride for Oregon State's cycle team. So when he got me into mountain biking he owned the shit outta me. He also got me into weight lifting. Me, at the time, was a 5'8.5" skinny white dude at about 151 lb. Now I am about 161, courtesy of vanity muscles (to some extent) and it is 3 years later. I only recently was able to out ride him, within the last 6 months. Now I am not faster or better rider, just have better endurance so I can go up hills for longer etc. You get it. Over the last year he gained about 20 lb too (he had a kid, lol).

Touchy-feely Story #2
I remember 4 years back when I first got my old mountain bike. I couldn't ride worth shit. I got exhausted on a 50 foot hill climb outside my apartment. This is 5 years of doing jack shit since my last soccer game in early high school. Driving everywhere, on foot seldom. I was still thin. I even passed out twice after rides near my house that summer. I think to some extent it might have been some sort of anxiety that triggered it. But hasn't happened since.

If you eat fast food:
Just read the nutrition info online and choose based off. Don't feel like you're killing yourself by eating it. Sometimes it is just more convenient and your time saved by it is of greater value. McDonalds cheeseburgers are 300 cal per with less fat than protein; like 12g and 15g I think. If you don't drink diet this is a huge calorie gainer. This is my perspective. If you are paranoid about aspartame in diet beverages Coke Zero has a lot less than Diet Coke. Like 54mg/8oz versus 120mg/8oz. Even then FDA says 50mg/kg body mass max daily dose. Thats like 20 D Cokes for a 75 kg person.

My whole point is you don't need to be a pencil to be in shape. Sounds to me that you are doing OK for being 70 over but you want to be more capable. Never forget: genetics, habits, digestive issues, whatever..... Calories in < Cal out means weight loss. If you eat fast food, skip fries. Run, hike, workout or something a few days a week ( 2-3 hours total)and cut back 500-600 cal a day than you usually do and you may lose around a lb a week. That would be my goal. I think it's modest. You will get more conditioned over time. Took me 2.5 years to out ride my buddy and was the one with the gut where as I had the 6 pack (this was after a year of working out). Last thing, you need to find the motivation. Other people can get you excited but only you can make it last. It must be deep, I put it in italics. lol But seriously.

No video is gonna help you if you do not get up off the couch and start pushing yourself. Do not do 1 hour workouts that do not push your body. Anyone can get on a stationary bike for an hour and do half ass job for 2 hours a day. To work your body you have to work hard.
Seems like your 15 mile hikes are a good way, but I would do at least 2-3 of those a week and look at my diet. 70 lb overweight is a lot. I used to be about 120lbs overweight. Hardest thing is to get into a regime and do hard work no matter what. Make a schedule and stay on it no matter what. If your friends are having a party do not flake on your work out. Attend after you are done. There is nothing more important. If you have trouble pushing yourself, sign up for cross fit or something and attend 3 days a week. And than advance to 4 and 5 when your body is ready.

PS: my mp3 player helps me get through some tough workouts, may work for you.

kylenicolls wrote:If you don't drink diet this is a huge calorie gainer. This is my perspective. If you are paranoid about aspartame in diet beverages Coke Zero has a lot less than Diet Coke.

How about no pops at all? Lots of sugars in all soft drinks and juices. Drink water. And tea. The daily coffee won't matter if you mostly drink healthy.
On a side note, inverted sugar syrups are said to directly nourish cancer cells. Lots of highly unnatural substances in mosts soft drinks.

phlipdascrip wrote: inverted sugar syrups are said to directly nourish cancer cells. Lots of highly unnatural substances in mosts soft drinks.

The mixture of glucose and fructose in soda (sweetened by high-fructose corn syrup) is essentially the same as that in honey, and very similar to many fruits, such as pears. What is it about "inverted" sugars that causes cancer, different from what one might get in "natural" foods? "Said to" is weasel wording. Who "said," and where are the studies, and the critiques of the studies?

It's all about diet. Cut the carbs, lose the weight. Find a form of fitness that you enjoy. Hike as much as you can, but try other things too.
Keep trying, don't give up, try different things to find one that works for you.
Here are a couple of suggestions.
Go here. http://crossfit-tulare.com/#/about/4543232441 They will help you get fit and strong for climbing.
Get this book. Do the slow carb diet. http://www.fourhourbody.com/ Then do it again.
Eat this, in order of priority...Meat & Veggies, Nuts & seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar.
There are a ton of success stories out there, you can be one too. Setting a goal, Whitney in July 2012 is a great way to keep motivated. Try Mt Adams too, since you'll have to travel, it's more of a commitment.
Good luck!

phlipdascrip wrote:

kylenicolls wrote:If you don't drink diet this is a huge calorie gainer. This is my perspective. If you are paranoid about aspartame in diet beverages Coke Zero has a lot less than Diet Coke.

How about no pops at all? Lots of sugars in all soft drinks and juices. Drink water. And tea. The daily coffee won't matter if you mostly drink healthy.
On a side note, inverted sugar syrups are said to directly nourish cancer cells. Lots of highly unnatural substances in mosts soft drinks.

Lots of people do shit that isn't good for them. Hell drinking beer has a more direct line on ruining your day than a Coke Zero. And it costs more. It is a compromise with cutting calories but not abruptly changing lifestyle.

kylenicolls wrote:Lots of people do shit that isn't good for them. Hell drinking beer has a more direct line on ruining your day than a Coke Zero. And it costs more. It is a compromise with cutting calories but not abruptly changing lifestyle.

Of course, don't have to listen to me (and probably won't) ... but, LIFESTYLE is a priority for most people.

MoapaPk wrote:The mixture of glucose and fructose in soda (sweetened by high-fructose corn syrup) is essentially the same as that in honey, and very similar to many fruits, such as pears. What is it about "inverted" sugars that causes cancer, different from what one might get in "natural" foods? "Said to" is weasel wording. Who "said," and where are the studies, and the critiques of the studies?

"Though shall use google!" says the weasel. http://www.google.com/search?q=fructose+cancer+cells
not only inverted stuff apparently.

Just a thought:

Part of the reason for your failure on Whitney may have been the "50+ pound pack." This is WAY TOO MUCH.

For a trip like that, you should have 30-35 pounds MAX! I could probably do the Whitney Trail (with 1-2 nights out) carrying under 25 pounds. I don't even carry 50 pounds on multi-day trips to climb technical routes (that require a rope, trad gear, ice axe, crampons, etc). Acquire the right gear and pack smart and you'll be able to make up somewhat for a lower level of fitness and some excess body weight.

phlipdascrip wrote:

MoapaPk wrote:The mixture of glucose and fructose in soda (sweetened by high-fructose corn syrup) is essentially the same as that in honey, and very similar to many fruits, such as pears. What is it about "inverted" sugars that causes cancer, different from what one might get in "natural" foods? "Said to" is weasel wording. Who "said," and where are the studies, and the critiques of the studies?

"Though shall use google!" says the weasel. http://www.google.com/search?q=fructose+cancer+cells
not only inverted stuff apparently.

Here's a thought: read what you post. From the scholarly article near the top of your google search:
"High fructose intake was related to a lower risk of advanced prostate cancer ." ("Calcium and Fructose Intake in Relation to Risk of Prostate Cancer")

Yes, studies of isolated pancreatic cancer cells show they metabolize fructose in preference to glucose. But cancer cells prefer to metabolize a lot of substances that are otherwise deemed healthy.
So what does that mean in terms of aggregate risk for an individual, when studies of actual people show the reverse trend for prostate cancer? So how is fructose in soft drinks different from the same levels of natural fructose in fruit juices and honey?

Here are some more quotes from the google search:
"I have treatments that can cure pancreatic cancer in the Petri dish. We've had that for more than 50 years. But they don't work on pancreatic cancer in humans. That tells me there's a difference, biologically, between cancer cells in a Petri dish and cancer cells in a person and we have to respect that."

Otis Webb Brawley, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, American Cancer Society
August 8, 2010, BoingBoing.net

“Both the authors and the press need to retract these alarmist and unsupported claims — especially the authors, since such gross over-interpretation of a lab study is inexcusable among academic scientists. They seem to be grasping for headlines and promoting some anti-fructose political agenda.”

Gilbert Ross, M.D., Executive Director and Medical Director of the American Council on Science and Health
August 4, 2010, HealthFactsAndFears.com

Not everyone is on the same page.

I was in a similar situation several years ago. I was overweight, liked to eat (a lot), and didn't exercise nearly enough. When I decided to get rid of the extra pounds - I cut my portion sizes. I looked at what I normally would have eaten and then cut the amount in half. This resulted in a more reasonable daily caloric intake (I was a big eater - someone else may not have to cut their portions as dramatically as I did). In addition to the dietary changes, I purchased a bicycle and began biking approx. 10 to 15 miles a day (had to work my way up to that - the first time out I could only do about a mile). With only these changes, I managed to lose about 50 lbs. in about 4 months, plus I gained a lot of endurance, strength, speed, etc.

Vitaliy M. wrote:........... I used to be about 120lbs overweight..

you were 120 pounds overweight? You're only 24 and have been climbing for at least a couple of years. How did you possibly put on so much weight as a youth?