The BAD word

“Thats right, diet. I've been inspired by all your photos and the good times you all seem to have out on the trail. I have fun on trail now but it would be easier if i had a lot less lard to carry up those mountains.

WISH ME LUCK!”

“Just remember; diet is DIE, only with a 't' at the end!
(Garfield)”

“Good luck-I hope I don't find what you lose.”

“I'll leave it on the trail for you wolfsistter!”

“Some of the great things about hiking/backpacking and weight...

You go as far as you can... And soon you will be able to go farther.

You start out heavier than you will end up..

You can eat what you want, because the exertion/exercise of consistent hiking/backpacking will natually transform fat to muscle.

Chocolate becomes a food group!

Fatty food are few and far between on long trips...

Muscle weighs more than fat. But at least it is useful.

The moral of the phrases... Diet less.... Hike/backpack more!”

“I would love to be able to backpack more. Unfortunatly at this point in time backpacking trips are few and far between due to work, shcool and other obligations:(.”

“Dieting is for people that lay around and don't do anything. Hiking does wonders for keeping/putting you in shape.
GO PLAY!!!”

“Prioritize, Spirit Coyote...
Hiking is healthier than dieting and a lot more fun. If there are other hikers in your area, or hiking clubs, jump in and go... You will have a blast. Take your time and do not worry about keeping up a fast pace.”

“Good luck!!!

Just do what I do I ride a S.bike for 30 mins every day at a high rate of speed & I do my Abs & Back Mach for 50 reps each and then I do between 10 & 20 miles of backpacking almost every weekend.

Its just a idea for ya!

8)”

“I have hiking as part of my new routine...dayhikes every saturday and wendsday (my only days off) and 30 mins of excersise(at least) all the other days.

i've been fat all my life and its time i change that. When i lose my excess baggage i'll reward myself and go hiking on one of your trips! :)”

“I read somewhere yesterday (newspaper I think) that when we walk at 3 mph we only burn fat. Aparrently we have some carbs we store that we call on when we go faster. Anyway--it said we could walk 1000 miles at 3 mph on our stored fat. Do I believe this? I have no way to check it out.”

“That would be cool!

8)”

“Hey coyote. I've read that vigorous sexual activity can burn up to 300 calories an hour...












F.Y.I.”

“Don't wait to loose weight to go on a trip!
That's like saying. "I'm too outta shape to go to the gym".”

“Good point!

8)”

“We're fellow brothers (or sisters / or brother and sister) in the battle of the bulge. I too have been overweight all my life. I was damn near 300 lbs. in high school, and am still tipping the scales at 260 right now.

I've lost and gained more weight in my life than I can count. In college, I made it all the way down to 190, mostly by starving myself and pushing my body past exhaustion. I let myself go after college, and, alas, I weighed myself at the beginning of this year and found that I had gained every pound back (how depressing!). Back up to 290.

The problem was that I developed few good habits when I lost the weight in the first place. I did it with the intent of losing weight, not being healthy. I never learned to eat a balanced diet, and to moderate exercise so that I could sustain it.

Since January, I've lost 'bout 30lbs., and I never placed myself on a real diet. I just concentrated on eating foods with some nutritional value, being conscious of fat content (though not avoiding it altogether), and avoiding some of the little extras (e.g., pop, coffee, and candy). But, then again, I've had no hard and fast rules, and allow myself to indulge the occasional cravings without any guilt.

While I weigh nearly 70lbs. more than in college, I think that I'm 'bout the healthiest that I ever been. The pounds are coming off slowly but surely. I just think the most important thing is develop those good habits that will serve you well for the rest of your life.

My advice to you is to avoid the diet roller coaster, and just buy a good (non-programmatic) book on nutrition. I bought Nutrition for Dummies, and it has improved my health considerably. And, oh yeah, always drink lots of water.”

“Hey, chips, when ya lose all that weight, ya might look pretty sexy in that kilt! ;)”

“I could weigh 400lbs. and still look sexy. I'm an Adonis. Suck it.”

“LMFAO!”

“I agree with Walkindude-- Don't wait until you are somehow different... You'll wait your life away. Do it NOW!!”

“Deliberately drink untreated water on the trail.

It's called the giardia diet plan -- guaranteed to lose weight.”

“As much as I hate dayhiking, It's probably better for you.
Reason: Your not weighed down by as much extra weight and you can go faster and do more miles. Plus I've noticed thay without a back, your arms are able to swing free as you walk and this allows some hip twist and burns the abs and love handles. With a backpack on it restricts movment.
Make sence?”

“Spirit Coyote, lets have a contest...I started my diet 2 weeks ago...lost 10 lbs so far...just from having no meat on the weekdays. My aim is to loose another 15 lbs...those are the ones that's going to be hard to loose. I also intensified my workouts to firm up.”

“Once lost 18lbs. in two weeks on a bet. Wasn't healthy, but it sure was fun.”

“Spirit Coyote, I know you probably don't want to hear this from "my kind," but I wanted to add something. I have been very thin my entire life. I have to work at trying to keep my weight up, which really is hard. I've had women I didn't even know come up to me in public places and tell me they could get me help for my "problem." Many people assume I have an eating disorder. So, it isn't only overweight, but underweight people too that get the comments/stares. I've been to the dr. to see if there were underlying probs. or disease, I've tried medications to help put on weight, and I've even tried adding nasty shakes and stuff to my diet. Finally, after this last round w/ my dr., he just told me I'm fine and I should enjoy the body I have. So, I concentrate on eating a pretty high calorie diet and loving being smally-petitish. What I'm trying to say is that it is great you are going to try out a new "life," but try to be happy about being you. Okay, that was real long, hope it was encouraging, I'll be quiet now.”

“You did not look so thin in the picture I saw of you Newgirl... LOL”

“HaHaHa! Funny stuff buddy!”

“Newgirl, The reason you get stares is because you got a newspaper in front of your face. People wanna see you. ............Unless you got face hair or something.”

“LOL, just messing with you...”

“Yeah, Yeah boys. I heard it all the first time around. I'm working on a gosh danged picture for you all. Now, can we get back to encouraging Spirt.”

“"A gosh danged picture" LOL, I was in Montana for over a year and never heard anyone speak/type like that. Do not work too hard on the picture. I will probably see you on the trail someday.

Spirit Coyote.. You go Woman! Keep up with your plan and get out and see the big wide world. You never will regret it. New Girl is right about one thing. Like the person you are.. So that does not hold you back from anything life has to offer. Good Luck and I hope to see you on the trail someday.”

“NewGirl's going to get self conscious now.”

“Some of the women I work with got all pissy about my wife being skinny when they met her, too. Don't let it bother you, Newgirl. Spirit, if you feel the need to become healthier, hiking is a good way to do it.

People place way too much emphasis on appearances in our "culture". The marketers make sure we know what beauty is supposed to look like, but they've never bothered trying to reconcile that to what true beauty is. My guess would be that most people have stopped looking for it, and replaced it with a brand name.

The way things are going, pretty soon "beauty" will be shrink-wrapped and you'll be able to buy it off the shelf. It still won't change who you are, and what you see when you look in the mirror.”

“Hey, newgie. When you stand sideways and stick out your tongue, do you look like a zipper?











Just kiddin' darlin'...”

“WLD, I was censoring myself. You are right in Montana, we would say god damned . . . or worse.

Father Goose, you are just so hilarious. You're killing me. LOL!”

“Hey, baby. Thin may be in, but fat's where it's at!













At least that's what us overweight types keep telling ourselves. (SEG!)”

“I'm not sure how in thin is FG. I sure get the icy-hate stare from women often enough to convince me otherwise.

Who cares either way. Just love your own little or big self, no one is perfect.”

“As much as it goes against purist hiking mentality. I keep my wind and legs up to hiking speed by biking, blasphemy I know, but it only takes a 45 min ride three times a week which is easier to get and can be done in less time than driving to the Y. I'm not a huge guy 6'and normally 190 but I've trimmed 10 lbs. lean and healthy.. Helps that my wife is a fitness nut 5-3 and 105 lb with abs you can bounce a quarter on. She has to do aerobics, run and yoga to keep her As$ from getting big.”

“I like to call myself horizontally challenged. My poor mom, she's not only fat, but also short. She's horizontally AND vertically challenged. I love her nonetheless...so long as she gets dinner on the table.”

“I do not care if you are fat, thin, tall, short... A wibble that wobbles and doesn't fall down, or if you look like gumby.
All I care about is do you
BACKPACK OR HIKE! LOL

Newgirl, I went to send you an apology. Since, I seemed to touch a sensitive spot. But you do not have an email address...

Spirit Coyote, you still ROCK. Because you are trying to improve yourself. And I admire that!”

“WLD, no need to apologize. I wasn't offended. I guess I came off that way, but I'm fine. I've heard it all, it doesn't bother me.”