I feel slightly awkward saying this but you all seem like you're really good folks and not especially judgemental so here it goes... I'm fat and I want that to change. It has to be the primary reason I decided to get into this hobby. I was never the type to go out for a walk in the woods. This is proving to be great incentive for me to just take a walk, to get active. After less than a week of caching I'm already feeling much better than I have in a while. After an ep of Geocaching Podcast pulled from archives with an interview of a guy who had lost 60 lbs I have been wondering if anyone else has any positive experience such as this or possibly some tips on how to work this into a valid workout regiment. Thanks for yer time.

Djgray1200

I don't know what you consider fat and I am not asking you to tell me how fat you are. I am a little overweight also. As long as you happy in life and have good friends then that is all that matters. You will find that the people on this web site do not judge you by your looks.

To answer you question. I have not lost weight Geocaching but then again I am not an avid cacher.

I'm fat, and we've been geocaching for 4 1/2 years. We've cached in 26 states and 5 countries. I haven't lost any weight geocaching. Losing a significant amount of weight takes a complete lifestyle change, not just adopting a more active hobby like geocaching. I haven't been able to do that, but I wish you the best of luck.

But here are some hints I think will help, based on my experience:

Look for caches with "terrain 3" ratings. These will usually give you a challenge without killing you.

Get Delorme Topo or another topographic map on your computer. It will help you determine which hikes will be a challenge you can meet as opposed to a killer climb which will turn you against trying another hike.

Geocache with a friend or significant other. You'll be less likely to quit before finishing the hike.

Pick geocaches that look like they'll have a reward at the end, like a spectacular view. It will make the hike worthwhile.

Bring water, but not a snack.

Again, I hope you make your goal. Keep me informed as to your progress.

I am overweight also. Geocaching didnt pull off any weight for me either. My first wife and the divorce is what did it for me. I lost about 75 lbs through that.:D


NOt much exercise in LPM and GRC

I think that caching has helped with my overall fitness, especially in the winter. Snowshoeing through a bog instead of sitting around in the house HAS to be the better option :) (unless you go through the ice that is....)

I am overweight also. Geocaching didnt pull off any weight for me either. My first wife and the divorce is what did it for me. I lost about 75 lbs through that.:D


NOt much exercise in LPM and GRC

Your first wife only weighed 75lbs?? :p


I agree with much that has been said, in many cases it's not a weight loss program unless out doing the hiking ones instead of the lampost and gaurdrail caches. I however did notice a weight gain last year when I lost my jeep and gps on the same day (may their souls rest in peace) and I hit quite the caching depression after that, and I have noticed that since I started caching and hiking a few weeks ago that I've lost about 10lbs. It really depends on how much you put into it. My tip is that if you find a cache on a trail system or at a trailhead, walk the rest of the trail, don't just go there for the cache and leave (there's often more of a reward than just a cache if you keep going) :D:D

I quit smoking about 11 years ago and gained a lot of weight in the process. Then I managed to hurt myself pretty badly about 5 years ago and I was stuck in one position for several months then I went to rehab. and walking was described as the best overall activity I could do to regain my strength and help get my weight back down. That is when I discovered geocaching and found that it does help. Although, to be honest, I didn't lose any weight but I did feel better. Then this year I realized that having quit smoking 11 years ago and my past injury were no longer a valid excuse for being over weight I decided to eval. my life style and found what I was doing wrong and have managed to lose almost 50 lbs once I corrected those issues. Obviously, overeating was my main problem. I have addressed that with great success and no fad diet or anything else.

To make a long story short, I believe that you are on the right path. Being active, staying busy and positively changing your life style are keys to reaching your goals. IT CAN BE DONE. I did it and others too with more dramatic experiences than I have. You have come to the right place for friends and people with a common interest. Geocaching is an absolutely great and positive lifestyle change that will expose you to great people, great places and life long memories.

Hope to see you on the trails!!

Cache On!!!

A challenging feat it is for sure! I agree with others and echo the life style change as well. That is the key. Geocaching can't help but be a good addition to your overall plan. It may not be the primary reason for the weight loss, but if it helps you feel better and stay focused that it great!

For me, it has been tremendously helpful to write down what I eat and count calories. Though I knew I wasn't eating well, I was quite surprised at how much I actualy did eat when I started tracking. Counting calories also helped me to address portion size. I had completely lost site of what a portion of anything was.

I also echo Rick - being happy in life is important. Looks don't play into that - there are many, many unhappy pretty people out there. My goal is to be happy, have balance in my life, and work toward being more healthy when it comes to my eating habits. Some days, I am successful, some days I am not. But all in all I am headed in the right direction and feel great about that! I wish you the best and am happy for you that you see this site as a resource for supprt!

djgray1200

I started geocaching for the same reason you just said. I'm overweight as well and sometimes I have to quit before I even get to an area because it's just too much for me but I always attempt them. I don't have many finds but I haven't been out much either. I wanted a reason to get out and exercise. For me I could always sit home and watch tv a lot easier then walk around the block no matter how much I WANTED to be out there walking. I could have had a partner or a buddy and all that but it didn't much matter to me. I always had the willpower to tell my friends and family no I wasn't going to go for a walk with them but yet never had the willpower to say no to that extra cookie...

then I figured out I had to find something I loved to motivate. For me it was getting out and exploring my backyards. The first time I walked on a trail that I didn't even know existed it proved to me that walking doesn't just need to be on the sidewalk so everyone can stare at you. Variety is the spice of life. I feel much more confident on hikes because I can stop and take a break and let my body catch up without the stares of people that may or may not be thinking what my mind tells me they are thinking or I can slow my pace or pick it up at intervals which helps out more then just steady walking. It's natures way.

But as far as loosing weight doing just geocaching....probably not?? But it's definitely the right step in line for starting the process. Just remember you didn't gain over night so you're not going to loose overnight.

The way I look at it...I go out for a 2-3 mile hike and I'm not home eating and then when I do get home I'm too tired to even eat haha

Good luck! Hope to see you around neighbor!

I'm one of the THICK people too! And I'm full of artheritis in my back and hips. I just promised my Doctor that I 'd lose more weight before my next visit. I think Geocaching helps if your like me, someone that didn't move much this winter. Now I'm out and about again. I feel better. Hope the weight comes down, But like all these fine caching folk say, It's a diet and lifestyle change, But the caching has got to help in someway. Great idea for a thread though. Maybe a " HOW"S YOUR DIET AND EXCERSIE PLAN GOING" thread. It could be insentive for alot of folk. Let's get through this weekend first, then group diet. Recipes, Walks, Caching trips, stuff like that.
Opalsns

ive lost 20 pounds with weight watchers, watching what i eat and walking alot. i had gained quite a bit after i had stopped smoking a few years ago, and pulling back on the hiking i used to do with onestep hasnt helped. so ive been slowly working on getting back in shape, watching what i eat, not a specific diet, but more of portion size and it has been working.

What is the secret to weight loss? What diet plan works the best? The answer is almost to simple. But none of us like to hear it. Burn more calories then you consume. You'll lose weight. Burn 500 more calories a day then you take, in you'll lose 1lb a week, 52 lbs a year. This means you can eat anything you want as long as you are running on a treadmill all day long. Sucks!! Thats why we have thousands of diet plans, diet books, diet shows on T.V. everyone wants a way to lose the weight with out having to do the work.

On my bike trip I normally consumed 5000-7000 calories a day. We would literally go into food stores looking for things that contained the most calories we could find. Grandma's old fashion chocolate chip cookies I think contained 1000 calories per package. I can remember eating 3 or 4 of these a day along with the ice cream stops. We never ever pasted a ice cream stop. In 47 days coming across the country we each lost over 35 lbs a piece. Why? Because even though we were eating all those calories we were burning 8000-10,000 calories a day. Burn more then you eat you'll lose weight.

Most of us feel if we go for a walk, do a cache, or even do a short hike we should be able to stop at Dunkin Donuts for a little snack. Right. I know I can justify this in my mind. I deserve it, I've worked hard. But the truth is you would have to climb Mt. Washington to offset a Dunkin Donuts snack.

What geocaching can do for us is what everyone has already stated. It can put us on a life changing path, by making exercise something that is fun to do. Unlike an hour on a treadmill, which by the way is almost impossible even for the most dedicated, an hour long hike to a rewarding geocache will allow for exercise while having fun at the same time.

Call a friend, grabbed some water and maybe an apple, go find a easy cache and start working up from there. Before long you'll even be able to do one of Groleau's caches.

I have three children and since the last one (8 years ago) I haven't taken off the baby weight and I have gained more. this year I decided to exercise two days a week in the gym with friends and to eat healthy without feeling like I am starving myself of anything that is fun. My goal is to take a pound off and keep it off. If I keep it off for a week, I try to lose 1 more and keep it off.

I look at caching as a great bit of exercise to do with the whole family. I choose at least one cache far from the road and see where it takes us.

So far I am down 4 pounds in 8 weeks. not much but my weight isn't going up.

The way I look at it...I go out for a 2-3 mile hike and I'm not home eating and then when I do get home I'm too tired to even eat haha



Ain't it the truth!

I'm fat, and I have gained weight since I started geocaching. :( I heard the interview, and the guy was dieting quite a bit at the time, so I attribute it to that. Plus he's still 240, because didn't he say he was 300 pounds when he started?

I did "It's a Singe" today, a 4 climb for about a mile, huffing and puffing all the way! If I did that 3 times a week, then I'm sure I'd see results. But most geocaches just aren't like that, unless you add it on to the hike before or after you find the cache.

Hmmm....proven methods that I've seen work. 1. Portion control works well. 2.Just as important is eating something healthy every two hours whether you're hungry or not. Mozarella cheese stix work well between meals. 3. Water is sooooo important!!! Drink a glass upon waking and before bed, and 20 mins. before each meal. That alone isn't enough, yet makes a huge difference in total health. 4. Walk daily! A slow and short walk off-road on un-even ground will do far more for total health than walking briskly for two miles on pavement.

Thanks all. Of course I wasn't planning on doing a few 1/1s every few days but eating a dozen fried mozzarella sticks every night and figuring I'm doing myself right cuz I'm somewhat more active. I'm drinking far more water. At least a couple of liters a day. Watching what I eat including how much at mealtime, eating more frequently as Squirrelcacher says, and not eating close to bedtime anymore. I think I'm on the right track. Yesterday I did a six mile walk just for the hell of it. I probably wouldn't have done it if I hadn't started caching. I'm feeling much better and the shirts are already fitting a little looser. Thanks again, and I'll keep you posted.

Well after my recent required physical I got on the bandwagon. It was required by my doctor and so forth.

Actually the words High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Diabetic were more than enough to motivate me. Since March 18th I have taken off 35 pounds by following the diabetic guidelines for food. The tough part for me was that 6 ounces of protein thing.

The good news is that after a further 6 week check up my blood pressure is better, my cholesterol is good and my blood sugars are very good.

The suggestions about frequent healthy small meals/snacks (whole grains, non processed foods etc), water and exercise are all excellent suggestions.

Here's to you all seeing less of me!

and stop drinking soda! :D

Actually the words High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Diabetic were more than enough to motivate me. Since March 18th I have taken off 35 pounds by following the diabetic guidelines for food. The tough part for me was that 6 ounces of protein thing.


Cutting WAY back on the bread, pasta and the like will have a MAJOR effect on weight and the A1C test.

First off, what works for one person may not work at all for another. I once weighed in at over 270LBS. My health was not good and I had to make a change. I wanted to see my son grow up, and not miss out on all of the fun stuff he was doing. I started to get outdoors more and off the couch. Have you ever noticed that there's no refrigerator outdoors? Hmm. Just being away from food, had me eating less often. First I cut out the snacking. Nothing good was ever printed on the package of a snack, and rice cakes are NOT food. I was never really a soda drinker, but I did start drinking more water, now vitamin waters. For about a year I ran and that was taking it's toll on my older joints so I stopped. Here is when geocaching came into my life, 4 1/2 years ago. Still overweight, and I still am today, I started out easy and then took on more challenging hikes. The first hikes were more like walks in the woods. I will look back and see if I can compile a bookmark, of easy walks in the woods. Now I am doing much more challenging stuff and have climbed several larger mountains and have loved to be standing on top. I am slow, very slow sometimes, but I have never given up. I have made it to the top of all of them. Thanks go to those who have been with me to make the hike a pleasure. I'm not sure if I could have done some of them alone. The next step was to eat healthier. More fish, chicken, and salads. It's amazing how good a salad can be once you add some roasted veggies. My best tip: wait 20 minutes after eating before thinking about dessert. You brain takes that much time to find out how much you have eaten. You will probally find out dessert is not needed. And don't eat anything 2 hours before bed.
I am now trying to limit my portions, to reasonable size and still feel like I ate something. I have not removed anything from my diet, that I did not want to. I do eat much less red meat and don't miss it at all. If I have walked or hiked alot during my day I will treat myself, usually my weakness. A creamie! (soft serve ice cream) :D
On a recent trip to NH, we think we walked around 15 miles during the weekend. That included caching and just parking the truck and walking.
I am now 225LBS and can enjoy life in more ways than I ever thought. Geocaching has been one of the factors. Great friends who were along for the hikes and just my will to change something for me, were some of the others. I hope this helps. And good luck.

here are 2 of my bookmarks.

A walk in the woods:
http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=1f30596d-3d26-44a5-814c-319d1fda8792

hikes with a view:
http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=30d4d615-0aa0-4998-8123-acd872370add

I was active- canoed and hiked even at that weight....
but one day in Oct 07...I had enough of being FAT!!!
I walked into the YMCa and started going to a class every day....in Nov 07- I walked into Weight watchers...I have been going for almost 90 weeks and I never miss my meeting....I have lost over 120 LBS so far...and have a few more to go..
As so many have said....its a lifestyle change....I had to change my eating habits and my activity habits. Its a hard road that you have to want to go down. Its hard to pass up on all sorts of goodies - but i do my best each day....
It was the best thing I ever did for myself...I can't tell you how great I feel- how much easier it is to hike, bike canoe, camp and so much more.

If anyone one thinks it can't be done, I am proof it can...

My life has changed immensely....I also promise myself...to never go back...
for anyone who wants to- you can do it!!! it takes a lot of time- its not an overnite thing....
nowadays- I enjoy motivating others to try to reach for their goals :)

keep on moving!!
Carol

here are 2 of my bookmarks.

A walk in the woods:
http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=1f30596d-3d26-44a5-814c-319d1fda8792

hikes with a view:
http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=30d4d615-0aa0-4998-8123-acd872370add

I have added a few more caches to the list. New Hampshire and the Augusta area. If anyone has a favorite they would like to add let me know. I hope you all enjoy them as I have. Oops! I almost forgot. Ravenswood. :cool: Sorry Carol. :)

I started geocaching to see what was just beyond my backyard. Lately I have had to give up the daily finds, to come back and see what is IN my backyard. The good news is the work is progressing and the time spent working around the house is keeping me moving, and away from the snacks. This seems like a good idea, and I have lost another 5LBS. :)

Whenever I cross off one of the jobs on my list, I can go out and log a cache. My numbers may be suffering, but my house loves it! :D

I was fat... really fat - 472 lbs. - and I'd been Geocaching for nearly four years. I found myself picking out 1/1 caches, and ones with minimal hiking. Sometimes I'd just sit in the car and monitor the radio while the rest of the team did the hunt and find. I'd get so frustrated, both with myself and with Eric (Steak N Eggs - official team Dad), because he'd give up hunting when I know I could have found it, had I only been willing to get out of the car. I can blame the job injury in 1991 that turned my vertebrae into Swiss cheese, and the forced in-activity that resulted from that, but watching the portions I ate told the tale. :eek:
I'd been trying for years to find a surgeon to do gastric bypass surgery for me, and have my insurance pay for it, but it wasn't until I was diagnosed with a bleeding disorder, and my spleen had to be removed that anything was approved. In May of '05 I had the surgery. I've had people tell me I took the easy way out. Okay, if you want to consider an extremely high-risk six-hour surgery (I was the heaviest person my surgeon had ever performed it on, and he'd done over 1,200 of these before me), where I almost died twice due to blood loss, and the enormous forced life change that comes with it EASY, well, I won't argue with anyone about it. I lived it. Still am.
It is now necessary for me to eat 100+ grams of protein per day, drink nearly 1.5 gallons of water, and take high doses of iron, calcium, Vitamins C, E, and all of the B's, and limit my carb intake to nearly nothing. I've lost (as of May '08 - third anniversary) 230 lbs.
My endurance increased dramatically. I did have to have physical therapy for the first six months to learn how to move again... that much weight loss changes one's center of gravity and makes everyday tasks, well, weird. Geocaching allowed me to set goals for myself. Within six months I was walking five miles per day, and could do terrain rated at 3, though with difficulty. Before the surgery I couldn't walk the entirity of Wal-Mart without feeling like I would die. Now, my kids have a hard time keeping up with me when I shop. I couldn't work a regular job, even an office job because sitting all day was a challenge. Now, I work as a CNC machinist, and standing for a ten-hour shift is no problem. I couldn't do that three years ago. I'd do harder terrain caches and get emails from others who'd done it to congratulate me. It was great encouragement.
Maybe I didn't do it all Geocaching, but Geocaching was an inspiration, a motivator and a goal for me.
Now, if I could turn excess skin into fuel, I'd be driving all over Maine to get my find count up! :rolleyes:
Heck, just getting Steak and the kids to go caching with me without moaning is an issue. Anybody out there need a Geocaching partner to motivate them to hike? I'd love that... :D

and if you are interested in seeing pictures of me as I used to be, or reading about my GB journey... visit one of my websites - photos and everything! Haven't updated it in awhile, sorry for lack of current photos/data.

http://www.beautywithattitude.com/lori_wls.html

and if you are interested in seeing pictures of me as I used to be, or reading about my GB journey... visit one of my websites - photos and everything! Haven't updated it in awhile, sorry for lack of current photos/data.

http://www.beautywithattitude.com/lori_wls.html
Wow, very impressive.

Where about in Maine are you moving to and when? We will look forward to seeing you at one of our events.

I was fat... really fat - 472 lbs. - and I'd been Geocaching for nearly four years. I found myself picking out 1/1 caches, and ones with minimal hiking. Sometimes I'd just sit in the car and monitor the radio while the rest of the team did the hunt and find. I'd get so frustrated, both with myself and with Eric (Steak N Eggs - official team Dad), because he'd give up hunting when I know I could have found it, had I only been willing to get out of the car. I can blame the job injury in 1991 that turned my vertebrae into Swiss cheese, and the forced in-activity that resulted from that, but watching the portions I ate told the tale. :eek:
I'd been trying for years to find a surgeon to do gastric bypass surgery for me, and have my insurance pay for it, but it wasn't until I was diagnosed with a bleeding disorder, and my spleen had to be removed that anything was approved. In May of '05 I had the surgery. I've had people tell me I took the easy way out. Okay, if you want to consider an extremely high-risk six-hour surgery (I was the heaviest person my surgeon had ever performed it on, and he'd done over 1,200 of these before me), where I almost died twice due to blood loss, and the enormous forced life change that comes with it EASY, well, I won't argue with anyone about it. I lived it. Still am.
It is now necessary for me to eat 100+ grams of protein per day, drink nearly 1.5 gallons of water, and take high doses of iron, calcium, Vitamins C, E, and all of the B's, and limit my carb intake to nearly nothing. I've lost (as of May '08 - third anniversary) 230 lbs.
My endurance increased dramatically. I did have to have physical therapy for the first six months to learn how to move again... that much weight loss changes one's center of gravity and makes everyday tasks, well, weird. Geocaching allowed me to set goals for myself. Within six months I was walking five miles per day, and could do terrain rated at 3, though with difficulty. Before the surgery I couldn't walk the entirity of Wal-Mart without feeling like I would die. Now, my kids have a hard time keeping up with me when I shop. I couldn't work a regular job, even an office job because sitting all day was a challenge. Now, I work as a CNC machinist, and standing for a ten-hour shift is no problem. I couldn't do that three years ago. I'd do harder terrain caches and get emails from others who'd done it to congratulate me. It was great encouragement.
Maybe I didn't do it all Geocaching, but Geocaching was an inspiration, a motivator and a goal for me.
Now, if I could turn excess skin into fuel, I'd be driving all over Maine to get my find count up! :rolleyes:
Heck, just getting Steak and the kids to go caching with me without moaning is an issue. Anybody out there need a Geocaching partner to motivate them to hike? I'd love that... :D

Wow . . . this was really inspiring. Thanks for sharing a very personal story . . . very motivating.

Wow, very impressive.

Where about in Maine are you moving to and when? We will look forward to seeing you at one of our events.

Rick, I believe they have been in Maine a while in the Portland area. The site just wasn't updated. They have even put out some caches down Portland way!

Way to go and thanks for sharing your story "Red"!

way to go Red! your are an inspiration- thanks for sharing.

Don't forget to celebrate who you are! We all have good quaities about us. Try to be healther by eating well & getting 30 mins. of exercise each day. Find something you enjoy (like caching) and do it. As we have recently found out, life can be short. So let's enjoy it!
Mipster