Lost 5 pounds (and hope not to find them)

[TooOld2HikeQ]

A total newb to backpacking. Old. Hoping to do a few Section hikes before I can't.

Although I've been hiking for a few years now at a local preserve just to stay active, I've become serious about training this year, now hiking with my backpack with increasing loads. (And doing more resistance training on a Total-Gym clone.)

I'm already skinny, so I didn't think that I had much fat to lose. Nevertheless, I had a bit of fat around my waist, which I am happy to report has shrunk considerably.

I've lost 5 pounds (which makes my pack seem not as heavy) and, as a bonus, my hip belt doesn't constrict me like it used to.

So, I know it's crazy that we purposely leave our nice, comfortable, environmentally-controlled homes to eat & sleep in not as nice, not as comfortable, freezing cold (or, as I might soon experience, uncomfortably hot) environments. (Not to mention that the food isn't as good as home cooking.)

But, hey, it's good exercise!

[jonathanpatt]

For me it's gone the other way, though mostly due to an exchange of fat —> muscle. I work full time on a field crew (mostly trailwork, but other conservation projects as well) and while for me hiking and backpacking didn't make as much long-term difference on my weight, I went from a baseline of 145 lbs when I started volunteering on trails a decade ago to around 170 lbs now.

But no matter what I do, I can't seem to lose the bit of belly fat I've always had since I was a kid!