Of the nine people hiking to Maine, one of them told us of his plan to average 20 miles per day. He left early on April 13th and we never saw him again. We all assumed that he was far ahead of us, moving at a lot faster rate. Much later we found out the real story. He hiked hard and fast at the beginning and blew out his knee. So he had to spend several weeks recuperating in Suches, Georgia (a very small town close to the Appalachian Trail not far from the starting point). Eventually he was able to hike again. Ultimately he was able to finish the trail, but it was several weeks behind all of the rest of us.
I guess there is a lot to learn from that. Trying to do too much too quick is not a formula for success. Many people go on "crash" diets to lose weight, but they almost never work. About a year ago I lost over 20 pounds in eight weeks, but I gradually put all of it back on. The tortoise and the hare were both going for the same finish line. The point for me is not to reach my target weight once. The point is to reach it and maintain it. If it takes more time to get there, that's ok with me. I think I will be a tortoise instead of a hare.
Truett's Grill had a special today so I got a chicken sandwich, medium waffle fries & a diet Dr. Pepper. According to their online meal calculator (found at http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Food/Meal ) That was 880 calories and 40 grams of fat. The diet drink saved me 180 calories! I think I will eat a big salad for supper to compensate. This morning I weighed in at 185.8 pounds. I'm making progress, slow and steady!
So, are you going to hike the trail again when you hit your goal??
ReplyDeleteIt's a great experience, but once is probably enough for me. I have other mountains to climb!
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