Not like everyone else!

   It didn't take long on the Appalachian Trail to realize that I'm still not a morning person. In the mornings I would often wake up in the morning in one of the shelters to the roaring sound of a backpacking stove. Sometimes there would be two, three, or even four of those little stoves heating up breakfast for hungry hikers. By the time everyone had their food cooked and the last stove was turned off, the silence was amazing! I was usually the last to leave a shelter in the morning and usually the last to arrive at a shelter in the evening. Getting a bit of a later start didn't bother me at all. I covered the same ground as every other hiker. I didn't have to be like everyone else.
   So who says that I have to lose weight like everyone else? I've decided not to starve myself because it will just make me "pig out" later. I'm cutting back on some of what I eat, but I'm still going to eat good stuff! Last night I was tempted and ate one (just one!) chocolate chip cookie. I didn't toss and turn all night worrying about what that one cookie would do. This morning I weighed in at 185.2 pounds. It's only 0.2 pounds but it is still progress! I'm trying to stay away from all desserts and sweets, but I'm sure I will have some along the way.
   This morning I got up early and did a community service project called "Hands on Henry" (our county is Henry County). We put markers on storm drains in neighborhoods. We did drive most of the way, but I had to jog up the road sometimes. It was good exercise and burned some calories!

Hiking alone and together

   A lot of people asked me if I hiked the Appalachian Trail with someone else or alone. The answer is "yes". I did not have an official hiking partner, but I often hiked with other people that I met along the way. We all started in Georgia and were headed to Maine. The first week was really a "shake down" week. It was a time to get used to hiking. I only averaged about 10 miles per day, but that was enough for starters. Most of us who started on April 12 were keeping the same schedule. And it was still raining most of the time every day. At the end of the day we all crammed into one of the shelters along the trail to eat, rest, and try to dry out.
   Last night I ate a big salad with a little bit of fajita meat on top for supper, and I worked for a couple of hours in the garden hoeing weeds and planting seeds. This morning I weighed in at 185.4 pounds. I guess all the garden work was worth the sweat!
   Starting a blog to talk about losing weight doesn't sound exciting to some people. After all, losing weight is a personal thing. It's something that I am doing by myself. But by blogging about it, other people are able to join me on part or all of the journey, just like hiking the A.T. Thanks for walking with me!

Should I be a hare or a tortoise?

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!

Now I know why it rained the first day on the trail!

That first night on the Appalachian Trail was quite interesting. There were 10 hikers crammed into the simple wooden shelter on the top of Springer Mountain in North Georgia. Of those hikers, 9 were trying to hike all the way to Maine. I had never met any of them before, but we were all starting the same adventure.
When morning came on April 13th, 1980 it was raining. Can you backpack through the rain? Sure, but it isn't a lot of fun. And since it was the first day, my pack was the heaviest it would be (about 40 pounds). The rain probably added a couple of extra pounds too. The rocks on the trail were slick and the mud clung to my giant mountain climbing boots. The start of this grand adventure was a bit damp, but I pressed on.

Fast forward to April 13, 2011. This morning I stepped on the scale to see how much damage I had done yesterday. Sure, I ate salad at lunch....but I also had two big bowls of soup, one was "loaded potato soup" with cheese and bacon bits. And then there were the rolls..... OK, so I stepped on the scale and it said 187.4  For those keeping track, it means I gained 0.6 pounds. At that rate I will weigh 274 pounds by the time this project is over!

Realistically speaking, weight does vary from day to day. I really can't do anything about what happened yesterday. All I can work with is right now and do better in the future. I hiked the Appalachian Trail in 146 days. It wasn't a sprint, it was a steady pace. Getting down to my ideal weight won't happen overnight. There will be setbacks, but I have to persevere. Even if it rains, you have to press on! Now it's time to eat a big salad for lunch!

The project starts!

On April 12, 1980 I started on the adventure of a lifetime. I climbed to the top of Springer Mountain and started hiking the Appalachian Trail. That was 31 years ago today. I was 18 then, now I am 49. Back then I was a "bean pole" weighing in at about 135 pounds. As of this morning I weighed 186.8 pounds. That's why I decided, if I can hike the Appalachian Trail, certainly I can get down to a healthy, sustainable weight of 165. That's why I call this "the A.T. 31st Anniversary Project". Every day I will try to keep you up to date on how I am losing weight--what works and what doesn't work. Of course I ate a huge lunch today & am almost late for a meeting where there will be lots of snacks....so I'm probably getting off to a slow start.
That first day on the Appalachian Trail it was drizzling rain. My dad said, "are you sure you want to set out in this weather?"
I replied, "you have to walk in the rain sometime!" and off I went.
So, for better or for worse, here I go on another "adventure" to get rid of this "spare tire" and get healthy!