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Do you gain or lose weight on an extended trip ??? Do you gain or lose weight on an extended trip ???
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Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
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Poll: How much weight do you gain or lose while on the road ??
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How much weight do you gain or lose while on the road ??

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  #1  
Old 10 Aug 2010
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I dropped 15kg (from 88 to 73kg) in 5 months on the road through China, Russia, Europe in 2008.

In Eastern Russia my diet each day was 1 bowl of Borsch, 2 slices of bread, 1 black coffee, as much fresh and cold mountain water I could drink and 1 Mars bar.
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  #2  
Old 10 Aug 2010
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You'd have to take a good run at it Ted to gain that kind of weight in Africa! Might have been a combination of the hot weather and the sporadic menu choices but most people that I rode with or met had lost weight. Of course none of us was any fitter from all the sitting around so I would have to say there was a lot of muscle mass loss as well. With diligent effort you should be able to add some weight back when in the southern part of the continent from what you lose in the northern part. Remember is the most thirst quenching of the beverages typically available...
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Old 10 Aug 2010
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I ended up gaining about 4 kg's (10lbs) on my Central America trip earlier this year. At home I can prepare my own healthy foods and there are plenty of opportunities for exercise.

When it's hot and humid all I want to do is lie in a hammock or under the fan, even after a long day of sitting in the saddle with mininal exercise. And there are so many different s to be tasted along the way.


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  #4  
Old 10 Aug 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrabblebiker View Post

When it's hot and humid all I want to do is lie in a hammock or under the fan, even after a long day of sitting in the saddle with mininal exercise. And there are so many different s to be tasted along the way.


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Ain't that the truth !!
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Old 10 Aug 2010
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Ted, have a look at the 5th photo down on my Argentina-Alaska blog taken the same day I got home and tried on my old jeans.

I really wish I had that stomach now!! The UK booze culture has a lot to answer for...
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Old 10 Aug 2010
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Ted, have a look at the 5th photo down on my Argentina-Alaska blog taken the same day I got home and tried on my old jeans.

I really wish I had that stomach now!! The UK booze culture has a lot to answer for...
Any excuse to flash your pants eh !!


But sheeet man ! You lost some pounds. Were you not eating any fine Argentinian asados and empanadas ! ?? lol
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Old 10 Aug 2010
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Oh, totally....plus the Quilmes! I think it was just being more active every day, even things like packing up the bike every day or setting up the tent etc all adds up.

That and travelling with a girl who was on such a tight budget that 'apparently' it was cheaper to share a meal than have one each!


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Were you not eating any fine Argentinian asados and empanadas ! ?? lol
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Old 10 Aug 2010
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Oh, totally....plus the Quilmes! I think it was just being more active every day, even things like packing up the bike every day or setting up the tent etc all adds up.

That and travelling with a girl who was on such a tight budget that 'apparently' it was cheaper to share a meal than have one each!

Why did you go and have to say Quilmes ! Those 1L blue and white bottles have a lot to answer for !!

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  #9  
Old 22 Aug 2010
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I gained about 6 pounds in 12 months riding UK to Oz, mostly in India and Malaysia, good food, plenty of it.
Recently lost about 10 pounds cycling around SE Asia for 4 months and was pretty skinny to start with, looked like I had been working on the Burma railway after, a great way to lose weight if you want to.
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Old 22 Aug 2010
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I gained about 6 pounds in 12 months riding UK to Oz, mostly in India and Malaysia, good food, plenty of it.
Recently lost about 10 pounds cycling around SE Asia for 4 months and was pretty skinny to start with, looked like I had been working on the Burma railway after, a great way to lose weight if you want to.
Definately on my list !!
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  #11  
Old 23 Aug 2010
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Am afraid I'm going to deviate from what most people have said on this thread (and from my own previous backpacking experiences) and say I gained quite a bit of weight. Lots of driving every day, coupled with lack of exercise and (crucially) every night to wind down!
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  #12  
Old 25 Oct 2010
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Over 12 months motorcycling to Australia I put on about 6 pounds, mostly in India and Malaysia.
My recent 5 month cycling trip to SE Asia I lost about 8-10 pounds but was pretty skinny to start with, I came back looking like I had been working on the Burma railway.
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  #13  
Old 31 Oct 2010
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Gain and lose ...

When doing a lot of off road and dirt, standing up all day every day for weeks on end, moving with the bike, I lose weight. When larding it up on asphalt, sitting down, stopping at cafe's all the time, I put it back on.

So its become a simple formula for me. My riding weight for off road is about 7kgs lower than my riding weight for asphalt - which is basically the same as my 'working in an office' weight.

I gravitate towards the lower weight when riding dirt, and I gravitate towards the upper weight when riding asphalt or not riding at all.
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  #14  
Old 31 Oct 2010
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In my personal experience, the Acute Malaria Diet (tm) is the most ruthlessly efficient for weight loss. I've lost over 20 pounds/10 kilos in a few weeks almost effortlessly. On the other end of the spectrum, Canada and the USA seem to be the easiest places to pack on the poundage, irrespective of activity or sloth.

Overland motorcycling may be exhausting at times, but for me it doesn't really compare to other activities when it comes to calories consumed, aerobic thresholds exceeded or muscle mass accreted. On a long trip, both my forearms and my belly seem to bulge ominously.

All bets are off in areas where there is little or nothing to eat; this includes parts of Africa and Asia, and occasionally elsewhere. But set point theory, which seems to dictate that I always end up 15 pounds heavier than I'd prefer, rules in the end.

Mark
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Old 19 Jul 2011
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I usually lose 2 or 3 pounds a week when touring.
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