Shrink yer arse!!

“I thought I'd take a stab at reviving this contest idea that seems to have crapped out. Really, I just want to see bacpac part with some of his (good) gear!

First of all, I've got to admit that I tend to be amused by the extremes that the militant ultralight nazis (sorry, Nigal!) will go to cut weight. Especially when most of us (toothpic aside) could easily part with 5-10+ pounds off our butts! With all the related benefits (joints, cardiovascular, energy, endurance, etc.), you've got to admit that every pound of fat you can shed is probably equivalent to 2-3 pounds out of your pack!!

Since the hiking season is upon us, and nobody's gettin' any younger, maybe we should put together some sort of weight loss olympics. Gold, silver, and bronze prizes to be awarded to the people who lose the largest percentage (no need to get too personal!) of their starting weight. We could make the Fourth of July the finish date. Obviously, the honor system would need to prevail. A little moral support, accountability, and creative suggestions might be just what some of us need?!

Any takers? Ideas? Feedback? What can you provide for prizes bacpac? Do tell. No spam, gorp, or ramen please!!!!”

“Alpine, I'll enter if I can count the 15lbs. I've lost since Feb. Would that be cheating? Good idea! How 'bout ya get extra points for quitting smoking too?”

“Yo I have lost 58lbs since Aug. 13.5% body fat. I smoke, whats my score! I will post latter on How I did it! Yo bear! And you can do it too!”

“I lost 24 lbs of deskjob gut since last Aug. and it feels great! It may not sound like much but I was 185 to start with. You are correct in that it had a massive positive effect on my backpacking ability. Go for it!”

“I would like to lose 15-20 to get me back in the 190's.
That could help to prevent further back-pain incidents.

"Desk job".....isn't that something that Billy Jeff Clinton was gettin' in the oval office?”

“Yo Jerbear, post it already..”

“Tom:

re deskjob: don't I wish..

I HIGHLY recommend "A Flat Stomach ASAP" by Ellington Darden (working from memory here). It is a very logical and do-able program to lose fat - not just on the stomach. The "program" is 6 or 12 weeks, but I find I'm still following most of the recommendations after almost a year. It really did produce results.”

“I'm having dificulty trying to shake the 7 oz. that I gained over the winter holidays. I'm still at a walloping 149 lb - 7 oz!

But seriously, folks.
Why not a weight gain contest for us skinnies? I've always appreciated being slim because it attributes to my cat-like agility. However, I'm not as young and agile as I used to be. In an effort to fill the void left by decreasuing agility, I would like to bulk-up a little to increase my strength. Is there something wrong about a fella wanting to outweigh his pack for once???!!!”

“This is not a contest I can win.
It has been decreed by heredity that I shall always have a comfortable seat.”

“mel-I'll bet mine is more padded. LOL!”

“Mel: You must be braggin' again about that beach chair you make Larry carry, right? I didn't know you inherited that thing! :)

Seriously, show us what you got, and we'll be the judge of whether or not it can be improved upon. Wait, you already did!! Your backyard definately don't qualify as acreage...”

“mel baby, So, you tryin' to say you got first class seating?

le Subtil, My stomach is flat. I would just like to tighten up and lose about 15.
I'm six foot four and about 210-215. At 195 (10 years ago) I was a lean, mean, piece 'o leather.”

“TT: You and I are pretty much in the same boat. I'm 6'3" and have been stuck around 210 for too long. I'm shooting for bringing that down to 195-200. It's been quite awhile since I've been there, but I think it can be done. More runnin', less snackin'!”

“mel, your behind looks just fine.

I smoke (yuk) but will quit during my June backpacking trip to NC. About damb time!

Why you tall guys want to be 195? I'm 6'-1", 195-200. It's a good weight for my height. I want a sixpack but I've only got 2 1/2 packs right now. I want to lose about 5lbs off of my stomach but gain it in my upper body by lifting weights. I will get off my butt...I will get off my butt...I will get off my butt... I was about 185 in my picture and look pretty skinny. A lot of people think I weigh around 160. I recommend Joyce Vedral's (Buns of Steel) book on abs. It really works.

Is there a point system to be worked out? I believe that A LOT of points ought to be given for quitting smoking. Percentage of body fat is a good measure but the men have an advantage. Muscle tone? Everybody send Phil a picture of themselves in a bathing suit, especially the women.”

“so bacpac can whack his pud looking at it? no thanks.”

“Amen, brother Al.
I will always have back trouble.....but 195 will improve my chances at less of it.

Maybe I should drink less beer.....naw, more exercise.”

“Should we give more points for those more "advanced" in their walk through life due to metabolism slowdown? This could be really complicated. We need someone in charge to set up the point scale. Extra points for excercise?
Arclite, the easiest time I ever had quitting was on a backpacking trip. Everyother time, (there's been 4 in 10 years), I've had to resort to pharmecueticals. I'll put you in my prayers!”

“Lazy-ass Americanz, you vill die from too much of Kentucky Fry Chicken!
Mooooooohahahahahaha!(_!_)”

“Aww Hell, who needs a 6 pack when you can have a keg?? Boy, ain't that a stupid thing to say? I desperately need to lose about 30 pounds, but I haven't yet gotten the commitment to do it, so I keep half-assing it and it doesn't work. Alright, let's all get together and work on it!! Dammit Tom Terrific, put down that donut and go run! Alpine, quit porking on the McD's and get on the trail! Okay, this could be fun!”

“I've promised myself that if I lose __lbs. I'll treat myself to one of mels llama hikes.”

“weigh in @ 235\8.5% fat,even so i suppose i could stand to shed 35-40 lbs.dont drink\smoke\dope,but have stayed@ this weght for last15-18 years. any practical suggestions ?i walk 20\30 miles in thevening every week,as well as everyday walking.still stay at same weght.”

“8.5% body fat? What is your height and age? Hell, ridgerunner, that's good!”

“6'0" 49yrs young i guess i just re member how much easier it was to find gear\clothes that fit when i weighed 185.”

“I ride a bicycle to work every day. It takes me about 30-35 minutes and I ride hard. I'm not losing any weight this way. The only sure-fire way I've found to loose weight, ridgerunner, is to run. Eating low-fat and drinking plenty of water help, but without the running, I just don't take it off noticeably fast. I got up to 210lbs one time and a lot of it was fat. I ran at least 15 miles a week, at an increasingly fast pace, and dropped to 175 in about 3 months. When I was dancing, I ran 15 miles a week, lifted weights for 9 hrs/wk., did 2100 stomach exercize repetitions per wk. (from the book I mentioned), and danced for 14hrs/wk. I was 32 to 37 yrs old when I did it. Best shape of my life. I guarantee ya, that works!”

“Oh for joy, do you wear tights when you dance.
I'll bet you were a regular Brian Boitano.

Pamster, You gonna eat one of those llamas?”

“I'm down 40 lbs since January, last week my pack and I weighed in at 195 lbs total”

“I know I'm kind of new to this site but can I get in on this thing. 6' 198lbs. I'll be fifty in June (ugh). Eat a lot of junk since I quit smoking. Need incentive to get to the gym to workout. Right now I just walk 2 miles a day.”

“Well, my, my, my....
Lookit all these tall fellas here.
A regular smorgasboard.
You all that tall, don't have to lose no weight. I bet what there is is plastered on right nice.”

“I was 210 lbs @ 5'10". 6 months later i was 165 (thanks uncle sam ). talk to spam he'll set you up. Really though the big thing for me has been to run,run,run i love to eat and to allow it i run 4 days minimum plus 3-5 days on the weights.eat more fruit and veggies than you really want. and realize that most food that you love has a strong desire to kill you!!!!”

“I'm a fan of gorp...it's not a killer I swear”

“The book I recommended in an earlier post is not just for stomachs, Tom. I mentioned it because it explains very well (I think) how your body stores and releases fat, and how you can "trick" your body into storing less fat, and releasing more. You said you wanted to lose weight; I assume you mean fat and not muscle, this book could help you lose fat from wherever you store it, except possibly between your ears :-)”

“I have a three point plan for this summer, quit drinking beer [gasp!], get off this damn computer and exercise, and get back on the 40/30/30 diet.

As much as I adore my Guinness it is like drinking liquid fat because it goes straight onto my gut.

Exercising is just a matter of breaking my routine up. I'm such a creature of habit.

The 40/30/30 diet is the absolute best diet I've ever been on. I have trouble eating all the food it allows me. It does get expensive buying healthy food and it is a pain to have to actually cook three squares a day but it will be worth it.

So I'm in! I would really love to lose about 75 lbs. but I don't want to lose perspective and get all hung up on numbers. I'm 6' and 275. I carry it pretty well and don't look overly obese. I guess you could say I'm just very dense [shut up Nomad!] kinda like lead or gold. LOL! So what are the perimeters for this little contest/support group?”

“BTW- why does everyone keep telling me that I can lose 10 lb. of ugly fat if I cut my head off?”

“I have managed to drop close to 20 lbs since January simply by packing. I'm 6'and now a comfy 185. I wouldn't mind adding a little muscle mass, but I hate to lift weights. I'd rather pack. Ofcourse I have the perfect job to allow me alot of hours on trail each week. I work weekend nights and have the whole week to get out. That could very well be the reason I haven't been seen here much lately. :0) I get off work on Monday at 8am, get some sleep. Pick a spot and usually go out until Friday morning. Get some sleep and back to work Frday night. So, all in all, there is the Bruce method for losing weight and tightening up those flabby butts! More trail walkin' and less of all that other stuff!”

“oh yeah, don't fergit to pick a trail with a nice glute burnin'incline.”

“I'm just looking to lose about 12lbs. But everytime I lose about 6 I stop dead. Then my bad habits kick in. Now if I could lose wieght the way I seem to lose hair I would be ok.”

“A quick check of this thread seems to indicate that we may have 10 or so people interested in slimming down (and possibly a few more). That seems like a pretty good start! Any other lurkers want to sign on?

Since I got this ball rollin', I guess I'll try to keep it that way. Here's a rough draft of how this could work:

1. Initial weigh-in to be Tuesday, 5/9. Actual weight need only be known by you. Honor system to prevail.

2. Finish date for contest to be Tuesday, 7/4. Provides eight weeks for visible results, and coincides with unofficial start of summer.

3. Contest to be based on percentage of weight loss from initial starting point. This seems like the simplest way to help level the playing field between big/small. ie: If you start at 200# and lose 10#, you've lost 5% of your starting weight.

4. Post progress reports at the 2, 4, and 6 week marks. Share what's working, what's not, seek counsel on pushing through plateaus, hold each other accoutable, diet tips, workout tips, etc.

5. Participants ante up $5.00 (or ?), with their realistic percentage goal, to formalize involvement and make things a little more interesting. Pool of money to be awarded to gold, silver, and bronze medalists based on 50/30/20 split. Prizes to be in form of either REI or Campmor gift certificates. Of course the real reward is better health and fitness!

What else am I forgetting? I'm no fitness guru (Richard Simmons I ain't!). Give me your feedback on what you think of this, and we'll kick it off next week if there's enough interest. Maybe we'll pick up some of the Roan Highlands bunch who we're suckin' wind this weekend. You know who you are!”

“Count me in, I'm a wonderful 5'1 and come in at 125, I'm hoping to drop that to 115 or 110.
BTW, I just went on my first packing trip to the Dolly Sods, I'm hooked it was absolutley wonderful. And I'm going back in two weeks.”

“Starting the 9th huh? Well lets see what my schedule should be until then?I?ll hit Parkin?s this morning for their magnificent 12 breakfast, then hit the Chinese buffet for lunch, then tonight maybe something special like Red Lobster. Tomorrow I?ll start the day with a 12-egg omelet and then Old Country Buffet for lunch and top the whole thing off with dinner at a place called The Grubsteak where I will have their 20oz. Kansas City Strip Steak with all the trimmings. But come the 9th I?ll start my new life as a skinny person. Yea!”

“Jeez Nigal, You could be workin' the center of the line with a bod like that!

Sh!t.....If I lost 75# I'd be skinnier than mel!”

“I'm in. So after Tuesday it is only light beer and small bags of potato chips.”

“Count me in! I've got more to lose than I care to mention. : )”

“I'll join up. Do you want height/weight on this thread? Where shall we send our $5.00?”

“Alrighty Alpine, I'm up for it too. I've been looking for something to kick start my will power, and nothing beats good old Greed I guess. Now, do you want the money in small unmarked bills? JERBEAR, what's your secret diet????”

“How about give the whole bunch of money to a trail foundation, Rail 2 Trails or group of the winner's choice?”

“I'm in. I don't plan on losing a large percentage of weight because I want to replace my fat loss with muscle mass but I don't mind chipping in $5 as incentive for a good cause.

Tom T could benefit from some fat loss between the ears. Tight pants, you wish pal! No I did competition Latin and Smooth Ballroom dancing. I concentrated on Waltz, Samba and Mambo. Very rythmic, very romatic, very female partners. 'Course it would be worth considering a male partner if you'd consider shaving your legs and wearing a dress, Tom. Man, I'd pay BIG bucks to see that picture.”

“Now that?s a true man that can dance those dances! The only dance I can do is the one white guys do only after a 12 pack. That?s right, not very good or pretty. Arclite, how do you know Tomm doesn?t already shave his legs and wear a dress? LOL!”

“Okay... It looks like Alpine, Jestertrail, Nigal, Walks, Creekjumper, Joy, Ranger, and Arclite are in so far. Based on previous comments, that leaves Tom Terrific, Pamster, and Ridgerunner on the fence. Come on! You'll be glad you did. Anyone else out there need a little extra motivation to get going? It would be nice to have at least ten people involved. Think about it, and I'll check back in later. Thanks.”

“I'm in!”

“Nigal, if the music doesn't suit the dances that I know, I'm a pretty pathetic freeformer myself. And I haven't danced competitively in years. Let me tell you about my Greek dance instructer who looked like a goddess.... She now lives up by rad. What a great excuse. Rad, I'm comin' ta visit ya son. Knowing how to dance is a great way to meet nice women. Hey, dress Tom up, shave his legs, and he could probably pass for a Greek somethinorother. But a goddess? Nah, I don't think so.”