Having to do a lot of walking -- looking for advice
I am doing the Breast Cancer 3-day walk with my wife in October. The walk is 60 miles over 3 days. I've been training with her for about a month and a half now. Our training is fairly long distance walking (I walked 2 hours this morning) 3 days a week. I am also lifting 3 days a week and resting one. Lifting is one hour with trainer - lots of deadlifts, squats, farmers walk, bench press, dumbell press, pull downs, seated row, bent over row, some cable pushing and pulling, etc. Generally 6 - 8 exercises per session, mostly 3 sets per, no more than 12 reps per set sometimes fewer - routine varies each session (which some people have told me is not necessarily a good idea).
The issue is I have lost 8 pounds -- went from 176 to 168. I am 6' 2" and want to be going in the other direction. I'm eating way beyond my appetite trying to maintain. Am vegetarian but have been "compromising" a little hoping it would help. (It's a big compromise for me -- until last month I have eaten no meat at all for almost 30 years).
So what can I do to minimize / avoid any further weight loss? The walk is still almost 2 months away.
Maximize your eating by eating more calorically dense foods where you are hungry. There are times, about an hour after a lifting workout, for instance, when I could eat anything put in front of me. Maximize those times.
I'd eat up before and during those long walks, too. If you aren't hungry, then lots of nuts, maybe? Added olive oil, etc. to shakes. I can make a shake that ridiculously high in calories and drink it like it's water.
Do you feel like you're losing fat or lean mass or both? Those eight pounds, anyway.
Maximize your eating by eating more calorically dense foods where you are hungry. There are times, about an hour after a lifting workout, for instance, when I could eat anything put in front of me. Maximize those times.
I'd eat up before and during those long walks, too. If you aren't hungry, then lots of nuts, maybe? Added olive oil, etc. to shakes. I can make a shake that ridiculously high in calories and drink it like it's water.
Do you feel like you're losing fat or lean mass or both? Those eight pounds, anyway.
Thanks for the suggestions.
I think (hope) I've lost some fat, but I guess it's some of both. Losing fat is fine -- several months ago a trainer did my BF with calipers and it was 14% - he said it was "great for 51 years old" (yuck!). Not sure how I would tell what I am losing without having BF checked again?? I feel a little weaker (though I did my best bech press ever yesterday but it was sheer determination), but adding a rest day every week has helped -- until 2 weeks ago I was walking four and lifting 3. I generally get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
I took a Kashi bar with me on today's walk but I couldn't bring myself to eat it. I'm in Atlanta and it's been super hot here -- really saps your appetite. However, I was wondering if eating while walking would be a good strategy. I always do a whey protein shake right after.
The shake I start my morning with is the single most caloric thing I eat: 1/2c 1% milk, 2 T ground flaxseed, 1 T almond butter, 1 scoop Iron Tek choc protein (22 g), a half a banana, and ice. It works out to 408 calories: 32 g protein, 33 g carbs, and 19 g fat. Like you said, I can drink just about any shake like it's water. Would it be bad to double up on it? (as in, bad to consume 2 in one sitting?)
That's the single most caloric thing that you eat? No wonder you're losing weight. Start with simply adding a few things to each meal. A bit more here and there. You could start by making the shake more like 600 cals, or have another serious shake just before the walk, if solid food won't cut it. Then more afterward.
Have you tracked food on fitday.com to see where you sit?
That's the single most caloric thing that you eat? No wonder you're losing weight. Start with simply adding a few things to each meal. A bit more here and there. You could start by making the shake more like 600 cals, or have another serious shake just before the walk, if solid food won't cut it. Then more afterward.
Have you tracked food on fitday.com to see where you sit?
I generally have a bowl of oatmeal (with a teaspoon of brown sugar) or a bowl of organic raisin bran with milk within about 15 minutes of drinking the shake. But if I were going to make the shake 600 cals, would I be better off adding fat (say more almond butter), carbs (say another half a banana), or protein, or does it matter that much?
I'm not too good about tracking food. I tracked Wed, Thurs, Fri of last week. My best day calorie-wise was Friday at 3,635 cals, with 183 g protein, 438 g carbs, and 137 g fat. Seems pretty carb-y. The ratios were less carb on Wed and Thurs but I didn't break 3000 cals either day. I'm sure that's not enough, right? (I see these tables that say an "active" guy in my age group should consume 2,400 to 2,800 per day -- by "active" do they mean getting your own beer out of the fridge? I think I'd be a skeleton at 2,400.)
Per the training schedule I think I'm supposed to walk 12 miles tomorrow. Any thoughts on how many calories I should aim for? At this point should I really even try to focus on ratios or should I just down some food? Worst thing would be to keep losing but have the loss be mostly muscle.
One more question -- should my caloric intake be different on lifting days than walking days and rest day?
12 miles of walking is an extra 1100-1300 calories, based on your weight, so I'd eat more tomorrow.
I don't think your macros matter all that much, but you could easily add more fats your diet. Meaning, since you don't like to eat that much, fat might be easier to add. More nut butter or oils in your shakes, for instance.
I don't know how fast that walk is, but seems like 3-4 hours, right. Eat/drink before, then try to drink something in the middle. You can even carry dry powders and mix and shake while you're out there.
Exercising in the heat (you said it was hot) I'd also recommend a sports drink while walking. You can get some calories in as well as staying hydrated which is vital for overall health. You can drink it in sips.
Well, I didn't make it 4 hours today. I had blisters after 2 so I quit after 3. I've walked much further without blisters -- maybe because I'm breaking in a new pair of shoes??
I drank about 32 oz. watered-down Gatorade while walking and ate a Kashi bar. I drank a protein shake right after, drank a glass of pomegranate juice, and made myself eat a few bites of lentil salad (basically cooked lentils drenched in olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar), but I have absolutely no appetite. So I probably burned about 900 cals while walking (?) and that's about my total consumption for the day so far (as of 3:00 pm). Cold liquids (protein shakes, juice) are all I can imagine consuming right now. Should I just do that and quit worrying about it?
Do you feel like you're losing fat or lean mass or both? Those eight pounds, anyway.
I was thinking last night about this question. At my weight, if I had lost all fat, my BF % would have gone from 14% to like 10%. As you can see from my avatar (from a photo taken this weekend), that sure hasn't happened. But it also got me to thinking -- would this walk training period be more of an opportunity to reduce BF% (let the weight loss just happen), or conversely is it an opportunity to gain mass without gaining too much BF? And what would my best eating / lifting routine strategy be for either goal? (Obviously just eating less while walking a lot is not making my BF disappear.)
I was thinking last night about this question. At my weight, if I had lost all fat, my BF % would have gone from 14% to like 10%. As you can see from my avatar (from a photo taken this weekend), that sure hasn't happened. But it also got me to thinking -- would this walk training period be more of an opportunity to reduce BF% (let the weight loss just happen), or conversely is it an opportunity to gain mass without gaining too much BF? And what would my best eating / lifting routine strategy be for either goal? (Obviously just eating less while walking a lot is not making my BF disappear.)
Your deficit is much too high to retain muscle, particularly during the long walks. If you don't have the energy handy (in your system), your body will take it where it can get it.
You might be able to lose fat and keep most of the muscle if you eat more. You also have to make sure you're lifting smart and heavy so your body knows it needs muscle mass and keeps it. Right now, with all the walking, it's in your body's best interest to lose it.
Adding muscle? Might want to wait until the long, long walk is done.
I know LD already mentioned Olive oil..but I thought I'd throw it in again here. It's the GOOD fat and very dense in calories.
You can add a couple Tablespoons to your shake and never even taste it. (at least I can't) 120 calories in a single Tablespoon!
What about canola oil instead of olive oil? The profiles look pretty similar. I have a bottle of Sprectrum canola oil (100% expeller pressed naturally refined high oleic canola oil) that says 1 T contains 1g sat fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat, and 11 g mono fat. My bottle of Bellino organic extra virgin olive oil says 1 T has 2 g saturated, 1.5 g poly, and 10 g mono (not sure where the missing .5 g went). If the olive is better, I'll give it a try, but it seems like the canola would have less impact on flavor.
What about canola oil instead of olive oil? The profiles look pretty similar. I have a bottle of Sprectrum canola oil (100% expeller pressed naturally refined high oleic canola oil) that says 1 T contains 1g sat fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat, and 11 g mono fat. My bottle of Bellino organic extra virgin olive oil says 1 T has 2 g saturated, 1.5 g poly, and 10 g mono (not sure where the missing .5 g went). If the olive is better, I'll give it a try, but it seems like the canola would have less impact on flavor.
You're absolutely right. Less taste to canola too. That'll work.
Good luck on the walk, it's a great cause. My wife and I will be doing our second 3 day 50 mile MS Walk for a cure this fall. We are walking in the Washington DC area, it was a great time. It is a spiritual, emotional journey much much much more than just a walk.
Good luck on the walk, it's a great cause. My wife and I will be doing our second 3 day 50 mile MS Walk for a cure this fall. We are walking in the Washington DC area, it was a great time. It is a spiritual, emotional journey much much much more than just a walk.
That's a great cause too. Good luck. I guess since you've done it before, you know what to expect. What are you doing to train? We did a training weekend in Chicago a few weeks ago by walking part of the Walk there (16 miles Saturday and 11 or 12 on Sunday). Found endurance was no issue -- our feet were! I did 2 hours this past Saturday and wanted to do 4 on Sunday but quit after 3 because of blisters.
We haven't done much training this year. Last year we tried to walk several miles each evening (up to 8) and do long walks on the weekend. (up to 15 miles) Our walk is at the end of Sept, so we've still have time to train. I had no blisters during our walk, many others did and the use of 'Mole Skin' was very popular, you might want to pick some up.
You're absolutely right endurance was not a problem except for the feet, which were very tired. One of the difficult problems was pace. I'm a fairly tall guy and my wife is 5'7" we walk at different paces so it was challenging to get her to walk faster and me to walk slower. In the end we averaged 3.7mph.
I was doing a lot of running last year prior to the walk and at one point was so bored with walking that I just had to run. Near the end of day 2 some 30+ miles into the walk I went for a 3 mile jog. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, thought I was crazy.
At the over night stops the organizers had massages available, which made things much better the following day.
Having to do a lot of walking -- looking for advice
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