Weight Loss

[Former member 77505]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

 

[simeon]

I generally neither gain or loose anything much. Probably due to the wonders of Spanish pastries and second breakfasts.

 

[Magwood]

I think more people would lose weight than gain it whilst walking a camino. You are using so many calories each day that it is difficult to replace them all with food. Most years I have started my camino several kilos over weight and generally lose around 6-8 kilos. However last year I made a big effort to lose my extra kilos before starting my camino and only lost 2 additional kilos. It all depends on your starting point I guess. This year I hope to be starting my camino at the same weight I finished my last one, so don't expect much difference on the scales when I return, but hopefully some toning will have taken place!

 

[Momonne]

Gain weight in the Camino? If taking buses and taxis to get from point A to point B perhaps, and spending too much time enjoying the inexpensive Spanish wines on offer. I will typically shed half to a pound a day, and then some upon return as my metabolism is cranked up. Don’t worry, you will not put on the pounds again while walking. And good for you for losing some before going, your joints and feet will thank you.

 

[Annette london]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

When we walked our first Camino F in 2005 I lost so much weight is that I had to hold my clothes up with safety pins!!

Never dawned on me to buy some smaller clothes......that would have been too easy I suppose!!..and taken time away from the business of walking and having a great time!!
Then,....food was not high on my agenda...ate whatever was given to me ...chips with everything'!! ....
And I'm one of those who has to watch my weight
Now I think the menu perigeno is more varied and such good value too.

When we walked it in 2015 I lost a few pounds but my husband ate his way across the whole Camino...Tortilla and cafe con leche at every stop....and we stopped a lot....I just let him at it!! .....

Result.....much much bigger ,God bless him than when we started but as he's not generally overweight anyway it did not matter too much

Of course the walking is good exercise but I really think it's what one puts into the mouth that matters ...and the lovely vino of course.

I wouldn't worry about a few pounds here and there though.....
Just enjoy the Camino
Best wishes
Annette

 

[CdnDreamer]

My first camino I was overweight and came home the same weight. Before my second camino I lost 30 pounds and again came home still down the 30 pounds. Good for you for losing weight. It really helps climbing mountains!

I lose weight at the beginning of the walk, but my body compensates somehow and by the end I am the same weight as when I left. Must be those family size chocolate bars that I down at the end of my daily walk - sometimes before I have finished paying for it! I walk with the belief that I can eat anything I want, and as much as I want because I am working so hard each day. It is such freedom to not worry about what I am eating.

Since you wear the same clothes day in and day out, you will know how your body is doing without weighing yourself. Just don't let your pants get tight! Buen camino!

 

[Annette london]

If you’ve tried everything you can think of to lose weight, you've probably noticed just how difficult it is.

You get plenty of exercises, you eat only healthy foods, and you even eat multiple meals a day, just like the experts tell you to.

But no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to shed the fat.

In fact, even when you do everything right, it can still be virtually impossible to lose weight, and it’s not your fault.

The reality is that nature doesn’t want you to lose that stubborn body fat.

Visit my website to get more easy way to lose weight and get a healthy and enjoyful life.
https://yourweightlossdietplan.blogspot.com/

Hi Malam,
Had a quick look at the blog and saw...."a new system to lose weight" ......I gave up then!!!

I don't think there's ever been a "new" system.....
The only system is to stop stuffing ones mouth and eat when hungry!..and get off the couch and move ....and of course not everyone can do this when there's disability or limited mobility.

And I should know as I have to watch my weight or I'd be bigger than a bus! And have been ......in the past

I love chocolate and all things sweet but have to limit these ....as my mother used to say.." Everything in moderation"
Best wishes Malam
Annette

 

[RevBarbaraG]

I am interested in hearing from pilgrims who have done the Camino while considerably overweight.... like, morbidly obese according to BMI. This will be me, unless I can lose 16lb in the next 6 weeks. And then I will be nearly morbidly obese...

Have you done it and lived to tell the tale? I’m guessing the key is pace - listen to your body. I have 31 days to do the first 26 stages of CF from Brierley’s book, then the final 7 days to Brierley’s stages in company.

 

[grayland]

I am interested in hearing from pilgrims who have done the Camino while considerably overweight.... like, morbidly obese according to BMI. This will be me, unless I can lose 16lb in the next 6 weeks. And then I will be nearly morbidly obese...

Have you done it and lived to tell the tale? I’m guessing the key is pace - listen to your body. I have 31 days to do the first 26 stages of CF from Brierley’s book, then the final 7 days to Brierley’s stages in company.

I am not overweight by most standards...but have walked with and observed many pilgrims who were burdened by the problem.
The first couple of weeks are very difficult for most people and can be miserable for those who out of condition and overweight. Many abandon their Camino at this point as they feel they can't continue.
Don't consider quitting...push on. It gets better.
Do not try to keep up with others. Just keep to your own pace and you will find you will actually walk yourself into a higher level of fitness.

I suggest you concentrate on your conditioning in the time you have before you go.
Walk everywhere you can...with your pack. Use the routine you will be on while on the camino. Get up early. Have minimal breakfast. Walk 3-5 miles (further if you have time). Go to bed early. Do it every day.
It is not easy to work this into your time before you leave, but it will greatly diminish the hurt of the early days of your adventure.

The long occasional walk is not a bad thing but it does little to prepare you for the day after day routine of the Camino.

 

[Mark Barnes]

I walked Pamplona to Santiago de Compostela Sept. 22 to Nov. 02, 2017. There is a lot of bread eaten on the Camino and a beer or two drunk. I started weighing 325 pounds and ended at 308, lost 17 pounds. Considering I ate bocadillos and drank more beer in that month and a half than I had in five years I was supprised to have lost that much. It was physically the hardest thing I had ever done. Looking back on it now it was a great experience but at the time I had another opinion of the Camino.

 

[Dorpie]

I definitely fit into the obese category and on both my caminos have lost significant amounts of weight (around 10 pounds) despite giving no thought to my diet which consisted mainly of tortilla, churros and beer. The only person I've known to gain weight was a very slim girl who gained some muscle mass. But while losing inches and pounds was great the real benefit of walk was in my sense of well being.

One word of warning I would have though is that when you finish you may find that you gain weight back quickly as you are no longer burning as many calories but are still eating as if you were. I fear I am yet to solve this problem.

 

[VNwalking]

I am interested in hearing from pilgrims who have done the Camino while considerably overweight....Have you done it and lived to tell the tale? I’m guessing the key is pace - listen to your body. I have 31 days to do the first 26 stages of CF from Brierley’s book, then the final 7 days to Brierley’s stages in company.

This does not apply to me, but I met a lovely and inspiring peregrina last year on the Frances who by any definition would have been morbidly obese. She took it slowly, but was doing fine - and had more determination and sheer stamina than many of the rest of us. So yes, you're right. Find your best pace, and trust that.
Buen camino and ultreia!

 

[Dave C.]

In 2016 I walked from SJPdP to Santiago. I ate and drank a lot. I lost almost 20 pounds. I found it when I got home.

 

[Marbe2]

I met someone in 2017 who was morbidly obese on the CF. She had booked the Camino through a tour company and her accommodations included breakfast. I think abt 30days...no rest days! We met her in Melide. She explained that she was leaving her accommodation after breakfast and given her slow pace she had to keep booking cabs or get buses to catch up to her accommodations.

In your training you multiple consecutive days of training will give you a sense of how far you are capable of going...no matter what your weight. I am not morbidly obese but I find myself dropping weight in prep for Camino and usuallly lose 5-10 lbs during the experience.
I book accommodations ahead but know pretty well what we can do. Generally our max is 20 KM a day. Which means we would need abt 40 days of walking, plus a few days extra for shorter days or a rest day here and there.
BTW I never commit to breakfast at my lodgings until we arrive that evening since We want to be sure of exactly what time it would be served and what the weather will likely be the next day. (If it s going to be warm, or predicted poor weather later in the day we tend to pass on breakfast and leave very early in the morning)

Knowing ourselves and limitations, as well as preparation and planning is key for us, personally, in having a quality Camino. I respect that others like to go with the flow approach and wing it....but that does not meet our needs. That is why knowing yourself is important.

 

[debra]

Hello

On my Caminos in 2010 which were walked back to back I left and returned at the same weight but loss 25 pounds.
I am 5ft6. I left that summer at 140bl at twenty days in a friend took a picture where she could count my ribs thought my shirt so walked me to a pharmacy in order to take my weight. After that date for the rest my caminos I went on to what we jokingly referred to as the chocolate diet, add 12-24oz of chocolate a day to the diet, along with other high calorie options. Before that I had been been eating as hungry. a light breakfast, a small sandwich, and skipping dinner if not hungry. My friend had also had weight loss but starting at 5ft1 and 225bl she had plenty she could lose, she did not join me on chocolate diet.

 

[Nanc]

I lost 20 ( needed ) pounds in training and another 15-20 by the end of the CF
Most conversations from people who talk about weight gain here seem to mention alcohol and full meal pilgrim deal
My appetite “normalized” ( ie no major emotional eating). and I do not drink alcohol nor eat wheat
I did NOT. skimp on sugar in my cafe leche, nor did I avoid Kaz Narange for a pick me up. But I ate more entrees like lentil soup, pulpo, blood sausage, paella etc for a main meal and fruits nuts cheese sausage from the store for another
Have to say bloating was gone, peripheral edema gone !
I expected weight loss so I had one light weight pull up shorts for sleeping and while washing clothes and my REI pants had that side cinch ( had to throw short away as they finally fell off!)
As has been said here it’s all calories in and out, including enough calories to avoid that starvation mode shut down

 

[naplesdon]

In 2016 I walked from SJPdP to Santiago. I ate and drank a lot. I lost almost 20 pounds. I found it when I got home.

I have had the same lost and found experience on all of my Caminos. You shed a lot of water weight which you must concentrate on restoring every day while you are walking with 2.0+ litres of water but then once you are back home you will hopelessly find all of that lost weight is back within 30 days.

 

[C clearly]

I am not overweight but would be happy to see 10 pounds disappear. Typically I lose 5 pounds at most because I eat so heartily on the camino. No ribs have been seen yet.

I agree with others that you are much more likely to lose weight than to gain it!

Be sure to protect your back and knees by lightening your pack load as much as possible (e.g. 5-8 kg), and using 2 walking poles.

 

[Kurt5280]

I ate every type of real and junk food possible daily and still lost 15 pounds and came home solid muscle.

 

[Arn]

To lose, or not to lose...that is the question
(Apologies to William Shakespeare)

In youthful days with youthful ways
I burned the carbs away
What weight I gained...was muscle
But not so much today

I never drank when I was young
Not until turned twenty-one
Beer was soapy water
But whisky, that was fun

I never drank for courage
In fact, I’d fall asleep
And,once I called from jail
My dad telling me “bleep...bleep”

A solid one seventy pounds back then
Maintained till forty-three
Got bounced out of a chopper
A pitiful mess...that’s me

Retired from active duty
I spent months to convalesce
First twenty pounds...then forty
My gosh was I a mess

Determined to reclaim relevance
A first Camino was in store
My faith was never greater
It’s my fitness that was poor

From St Jean Pied de Port...I trod
More guts than common sense
My extra weight and wayward ways
I shed, in recompense

A mostly svelte two hundred pounds
And no further Way to go
I’d gained in faith...and lost in weight
On my Very first Camino

 

[Helen1]

I am interested in hearing from pilgrims who have done the Camino while considerably overweight.... like, morbidly obese according to BMI. This will be me, unless I can lose 16lb in the next 6 weeks. And then I will be nearly morbidly obese..

Totally agree with Grayland. I think your fitness matters more than your BMI. If you are unfit and have a high BMI use common sense, go slow, shorten the distances and you'll be fine. If you are fit and have a high BMI you'll probably find it easier going than many!

A bit of advice from someone who is on the large side but who can also knock out leisurely paced 20+ mile days without too many issues (I walk a lot at home). I would try to make sure your don't get any chafing between your legs. Sweaty/wet underwear can be a total nightmare and rub in all kinds of places - if it's hot/humid you'll be sweating even if you aren't doing anything. Tight fitting lycra bottoms usually work well for me. I've had the seam of a pair shorts literally rub me raw mid thigh in the past. I use a pearl of this stuff, in all the places that are likely to rub and it does quite a good job. My first aid kit now contains some of these adhesive dressings just in case the worst happens.

Not sure I've lost that much weight walking. I enjoy the food and wine too much!

 

[Juspassinthru]

May-June 2017 I lost 13 lbs. Left home at 188, arrived back at 175. On any given day, I probably lost another pound or 2 in water during the day. Remember to stay hydrated!

 

[Deleted member 67185]

The bigger problem will be how to keep from gaining once you are done with the Camino. All of a sudden your metabolism slows down, but your appetite does not. So, if one is not careful to either continue an exercise schedule to continue burning calories, or make a conscious effort to reduce caloric intake, then one could quickly weigh more than one's pre-Camino weight.

 

[Momonne]

@RevBarbara,

Extra weight means extra strain on joints and other body parts. One of which is the feet. I would suggest you visit a podiatrist to discuss proper orthotics and shoes so you don’t develop plantear fasciitis, something commonly seen in people carrying extra pounds. Also, make sure you learn to you use poles properly as that will help you distribute some weight onto them. Going up hill? Decide on 10 steps at a time, or reaching this tree or that rock, and then turn around and see how far you have come along: it helps motivate you for the next 10 steps or 50 yards. Other than that you will be just fine. Have a wonderful time.

 

[Anamya]

Hi Carpe.

I'm a 55kg person, healthy without being athletic fit. I lost 2kg in my first Camino. Lost nothing on my second camino.
I ate well - food is delicious along the camino. But I never ate because "it was time to eat". I ate because I was hungry and my body needed energy. So I also noticed that while I did not loose any weight on my second camino, my legs were quite firm

I surely would still not recommend the camino as a way to get fit. The environment is just too different and everything will change when you go back home. But it is a great opportunity to learn more about your body, its limits and necessities

 

[Deleted member 75649]

I started at 68 kg and lost 6 kg. I have put it back on after three months. The weird thing is I didn't like it when my clothes didn't fit.

 

[Victoria65]

I generally neither gain or loose anything much. Probably due to the wonders of Spanish pastries and second breakfasts.

Hey!!! I thought only my hubby and I knew about the Camino "second breakfast" LOL! In the past we think we lost a little, never really bothered to weigh ourselves. It's called the Camino diet: Always eat a second breakfast, eat all the carbs you want, don't forget the daily dose of gelato, half a bottle of red at night and then walk 20 - 25 kilometers, You probably will lose some poundage or stay the same. Regardless, it's the Camino. Enjoy!

 

[LouiseEdin]

I generally neither gain or loose anything much. Probably due to the wonders of Spanish pastries and second breakfasts.

I'm the same, although I feel trimmer. I do make an effort to choose wine over the more calorific beer, and usually cut out bread And after 4 Caminos I still come back the same weight

 

[Arn]

There I was my first Camino
Buttons bursting at the seems
Muscles toned and six pac
But only in my dreams

My goal while on Camino
Aside from grace to share
Was getting back in fighting form
And growing facial hair

The first days long and painful
The nights my muscles burned
While blisters grew in number
For every mile earned

I trudged along with others
Passed by so many more
My goals came ever closer
Witnessed by the clothes I wore

Where buttons had been popping
A looser fit was found
My legs now tanned and muscled
And my pace ate up the ground

Thirty five days I walked Camino
More alive and feeling great
Facial hair now ala Hemingway
I’d gained friends, but lost the weight

Six months later nicely rested
Truths revealed...some profound
My faith continues growing
As is my waist...with every six pac downed

 

[Former member 42123]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

As a 65 year old 'vegetarian' when I did my first Camino,I had a lot of problems with food.I found I was wary about everything,as I discovered pork in garlic soup and tuna came as a must in mixed salads.By the time I reached Santiago I had lost 31 pounds.Back home,I was unaware people were asking family members "if I was ill",but soon put the pounds back on again.Being 'wiser' after that my later Caminos resulted in neither gain nor loss.Buen Camino to you for your trip.

 

[DragonShadow]

My walking partner and I both lost 10 lbs. I love food and wine and did not hold back but I did find I ate differently. Breakfast was a cafe con leche and a small pastry or slice of tortilla. Our lunch was usually on the trail where we snacked on some cheese and bread or some other leftover from the day before. Dinner was generally a full meal or tapas with wine. I did find I filled up faster in the evening than normal. I think that was due to a certain amount of healthy fatigue.

 

[mvanert]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

On my first camino in 2014 I lost 17 pounds in two weeks. I cannot possibly imagine how you could gain weight walking 4 to 7 hours a day!

 

[gittiharre]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

The weight loss/gain thing is very scientific.
I was puzzled as I barely loose a kg or two over 750 km. In dome article I read recently it said that if you pit your body under what it perceives as too much pressure physically it responds by producing stress hormoge Cortisol and you gain weight ad a consequence. Walking less km per day would likely lead to weight loss. Then there is the business about gaining some muscle and dropping some fat at the same time....

 

[Deleted member 56069]

I lose about 10 to 15 lbs each time I walk a Camino. Not really looking to lose weight as I am in a weight range that works for my height.
I do feel much fitter after each walk and muscle tone much better and since I use poles, this includes my arms and upper body as well.
I enjoy the wine and food freely without restraint as I figure with the daily calorie burn, why not?
You have to keep well hydrated and you certainly don't want any weight loss to be simply because you are constantly dehydrated.

 

[gittiharre]

I lose about 10 to 15 lbs each time I walk a Camino. Not really looking to lose weight as I am in a weight range that works for my height.
I do feel much fitter after each walk and muscle tone much better and since I use poles, this includes my arms and upper body as well.
I enjoy the wine and food freely without restraint as I figure with the daily calorie burn, why not?
You have to keep well hydrated and you certainly don't want any weight loss to be simply because you are constantly dehydrated.

Lucky you! I guess you are a guy...for some reason you guys seem to drop all your belly fat and your belts end up several notches tighter. Unfortunately my female apple shaped body remains pretty much the same.

 

[Sailor]

Walking during September-October 2017, lost about 20 pounds. Looking forward to my next camino. Good luck with your weight loss [or gain for some] y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

 

[Walking Lover]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

Weight always depends on calories in and calories out. Neither my husband nor I have gained weight.

 

[LesR]

Walked the CF with my wife Sept/Oct 2017 - she lost only a few kilos while I lost nearly 15... but then I started at around 100 kg, having dropped my weight from ~105 kg during training. I suspect that 3-5 kg loss was basically dehyration and that came n again fairly quikly, and now the rest has returned - at least I know how to dispose of it again!

We routinely ate breakfast (coffee, orange juice and toast/croissant), sometimes lunch, and almost always a pilgrim's menu evening meal. generally with a drink at the end of the day's marching.. We took some nibblies (nuts, dried fruit and gummy bears) for while we were walking, but no high fat items like chocolate).

We did make the observation that we were probably taking in less carbs on the Camino than we would have been at home, and were doing far much more exercise, so not surprising that I dropped the weight. My wife was quite concerned that I may end up catabolizing my muscle tissue due to inadequate protein intake - however this did not become a problem.

Doing it again (here's hoping), I think I would pay more attention to getting a good breakfast, athlo options are generally quite limited, having a plate of carbs at the end of the day's walking, and be more adventurous with the evening meal and look for local cuisine rather than the generally plain pilgrim's menu.

From a quick pass through the responses, it is clear that there is no predetermined trajectory as far as weight gain/loss is concerned, altho you may be fairly safe in anticipating a loss rather than a gain, if any change at all. For what it is worth, any weight gain is likely to be muscle rather than fat.

My suggestion - do your camino, monitor how much you eat and if you can, check your weight early on (maybe in the first week) at a pharmacia. If need be you can then adjust your eating patterns.

AND relax and enjoy the journey!

 

[gittiharre]

Weight always depends on calories in and calories out. Neither my husband nor I have gained weight.

Not entirely!

 

[Oravasaari]

I am usually "careful" with my diet, eat healthily and exercise so am not overweight, but on a camino I eat and drink anything I fancy (too much vino to be sure). Despite that I still usually lose about 2-3 kilos (from 75kg). I would imagine that if I tried to only eat my normal diet (of about 2000 Cal per day) I'd lose about 11/2 kilos a week or 6kg + over a month. That's based on 30km per day average. But that would be pretty grim as the maths equates to a 500 cal net diet and I'd be weak and starving all the time.

As long you don't go totally nuts given the opportunity to eat and drink what you want then you should lose weight provided you are also covering the distance/expending the energy walking.

 

[jsalt]

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

Because I eat more on the camino (I get hungry with all the walking), if I want to lose weight I have to consciously make an effort, otherwise I will stay the same weight. I try not to eat any bread after breakfast, unless some bread comes with, say, a mixed salad at lunchtime, and then I won’t eat another meal that evening, just a few tapas.

I met a very overweight lady, who was walking a few kms, and then taking a taxi each day. I admired her for what she was doing, as she was very obese. But at one rest stop I found her eating a bar of chocolate, and she said how great it was to be able to eat anything on the camino, as you burn it off. Well, actually, NO . . . .
Jill

 

[Deleted member 73526]

I dropped about 3Kg during the first couple of days. Out of the rucksack and into the trash it went. After that, my weight was pretty stable for the rest of the camino.

 

[RJM]

Every time I walked the Camino I lost at least 5 kilos in body weight. That's eating "normally" and walking anywhere from 18 to 30 kilometers a day. Lot's of water. Lot's of stretching before and after the daily walk.

 

[Givesome]

For some of us weight is a problem due to many factors. Some will loose weight on the Camino and others will gain. Some can eat what they want and not gain or loose anything.
Three years ago my wife and I started a low cab high fat diet. We completely removed sugar from our diet as well and we lost a lot of weight. I lost 35kg in six months.
Breakfast on the Camino is normally pure carbs and sugar. We would burn it all in an hour and experienced a lack of energy. We reverted to boiling eggs in the evening for breakfast. The protein in the egg kept us energised for longer and only had to eat at lunch time again.
Being on the diet for some time I determined the food items I should not eat. Number one is beer and secondly bread and anything with sugar.
We are now preparing for our Camino in March and are very strict on what we eat. It makes a big difference if you loose some weight before the time.
Try to eat fresh products only and skip the stuff in a packet or a box.

 

[gittiharre]

For some of us weight is a problem due to many factors. Some will loose weight on the Camino and others will gain. Some can eat what they want and not gain or loose anything.
Three years ago my wife and I started a low cab high fat diet. We completely removed sugar from our diet as well and we lost a lot of weight. I lost 35kg in six months.
Breakfast on the Camino is normally pure carbs and sugar. We would burn it all in an hour and experienced a lack of energy. We reverted to boiling eggs in the evening for breakfast. The protein in the egg kept us energised for longer and only had to eat at lunch time again.
Being on the diet for some time I determined the food items I should not eat. Number one is beer and secondly bread and anything with sugar.
We are now preparing for our Camino in March and are very strict on what we eat. It makes a big difference if you loose some weight before the time.
Try to eat fresh products only and skip the stuff in a packet or a box.

So true but there is nothing like a large beer after a long walk!

 

[Sara_Dhooma]

I lose a small amount of weight each week on the Camino (maybe 1-2lbs a week).

I could lose more if I reduced my bread, dessert and beer/wine consumption. But who wants to limit themselves on holiday?

 

[LesR]

So true but there is nothing like a large beer after a long walk!

Make mine a grande San Miguel Clara (draught limon beer), please - at 2.5% alcohol, it was twice as refreshing and didn't do the diet all that much damage...

Now, if only I could find a source in Australia (bottled radler just doesn't come close!!!).

 

[Givesome]

Make mine a grande San Miguel Clara (draught limon beer), please - at 2.5% alcohol, it was twice as refreshing and didn't do the diet all that much damage...

Now, if only I could find a source in Australia (bottled radler just doesn't come close!!!).

cerveza con limon...

 

[Samantha Davies]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

It really depends on you, what you eat and how much you walk. If you just eat spanish pastries and greasy food during the Camino, no matter how much you walk you'll either put weight on or keep your own weight. But again, Spain has a lot of healthy homemade food, so if you make smart choices you'll be able to lose a couple of kgs along the way. Just think about it as a chance to do daily exercise and to make smarter food choices.

 

[Victoria65]

So true but there is nothing like a large beer after a long walk!

Sorry guys...my opinion of course, nobody has to agree....leave the diet at home. I would rather treat my Camino as a Spiritual journey, not a Jenny Craig diet experience. Make mine a red wine and I will join you.

 

[bikerkvw]

I am interested in hearing from pilgrims who have done the Camino while considerably overweight.... like, morbidly obese according to BMI. This will be me, unless I can lose 16lb in the next 6 weeks. And then I will be nearly morbidly obese...

Have you done it and lived to tell the tale? I’m guessing the key is pace - listen to your body. I have 31 days to do the first 26 stages of CF from Brierley’s book, then the final 7 days to Brierley’s stages in company.

On my first Camino, the Frances, I began overweight with my hiking pants and shorts tight in the waist and butt. I ate what was offered to me, drank beer, wine and soda, ate bread, pasta and rice and my pants continued to get loose. By the end of the Camino I had lost about 18 lbs/8 kilo, and my pants were hanging on me. The same happened for my second, third and fourth camino's . I am about to begin my 5th camino reworking the Frances in April and am loosing weight before I go. I will still be overweight (high BMI) but not as bad as last time. Walking the 10/15 miles daily works to loose weight for me as well grounds me in who I am and what I want out of life. It is like a second sight.
Karl

 

[TimH]

I eat less when I exercise. I lost 10kg on the Frances in 2016 and 9kg on the LePuy route in 2017.

 

[tomnorth]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

I lost 35 lbs in the year before my Camino and then lost another 11 on the Camino. I ate heartily on the Camino, but there was no way I was going to replace all the calories I was burning. I walk at a pretty brisk pace, averaging 6 km per hour when walking. I suppose if a person walked slowly, taking short days, and then fully enjoyed the communal meals and commaraderie, they might just gain weight on the Camino. I do know one person who lost no weight on her Camino, while her husband did lose weight. The only thing I know about her Camino that might explain this is that she had pretty significant issues with shin splints, so she was walking slowly and having her pack sent ahead by Jacotrans. I believe she also had to take a bus or cab for one of the days.

I wouldn’t worry about gaining weight though. I think you’d have to load up pretty heavy on the greasy French fries and vino tinto to have that outcome.

 

[Felicia V]

Last year, did the Porto to SdC. I am a vegetarian, and I do not drink. ( sure sound like fun, don't I? Lol) plus our budget was very frugal, so we did not go crazy eating.
I gained two pounds. The ONLY thing that got me angry on my Camino.
Every body is different.

 

[Northernlights]

By the time I arrived home I weighed in 28 pounds less then what I started at

 

[Felicia V]

By the time I arrived home I weighed in 28 pounds less then what I started at

I know envy is a sin, but yeah, I'm envious

 

[glenn buschbaum]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

Hi
I walked the Camino Frances 8 times and the via de la Plata 1 time, and I never gained.
I stayed the same, or lost between 1 and 18kg. My last trip was 7 weeks in June-July 2017 on the Camino Frances, 2 heatwaves there where buckets of sweat day and night, a lot of backpain and the last 1,5weeks I had tendenitis in my right foot, and I lost 18kg (39,7 pounds) and I was drinking a lot of coca cola and eating a lot of candy , the pounds that I lost was not normal. I guess if you eat the way you do at home you will be fine, I guess most people lose a few pounds, the one's who don't probably drink to much wine (very cheap in Spain) and have fancy dinners.
P. S: the pounds stayed of and I even lost more at home. I lost a total of 79,3 pounds or 36kg.

 

[Pilgrim9]

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

On my 2017 walk from SJPdP to Muxia & Fisterra, I lost about 20 to 25 lbs.

In the first few weeks I had a great hunger for cheese, yoghurt, etc.; i.e. anything high in calcium. In the latter half of the walk, my appetite for anything decreased substantially but I felt super-fit and healthy.

Afterwards, having reverted to a less active lifestyle, my appetite increased. I was continuously hungry for months and slowly gained all of the weight back. My weight and appetite have now stabilized at almost exactly their pre-pilgrimage levels.

This tells me that, ahem, “for health reasons”, I must go on a very long pilgrimage every year. Such a hardship! (Big smile.)

As an aside, at the beginning of the walk, I experienced numerous very sudden flashes of extreme leg bone pain. They occurred both when I was walking and at night when I was lying down. Each one lasted only a tiny fraction of a second and then everything felt fine again. That issue gradually diminished and was gone completely after about 2 1/2 weeks. I speculate that they were caused by some type of adjustments of the internal structure of my leg bones in response to the sudden vast increase in the amount of walking and the weight of my pack.

 

[kay lee]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

I walked from St. Jean P to Santiago four times in the past seven years. Each time, I lost 5 - 7 pounds while eating and drinking my way through the journey (e.g., Pilgrims menu with wine for dinner, lunch with a beer or two in the afternoon, two cafe con leches and breakfast). Overall, I gained muscle weight, so I was leaner but tighter. Even if you don't lose any weight on the scale, be sure to know that you've lost soft weight and gained hard muscles.

 

[tjb1013]

I lost 20 pounds last fall. In Carrión de Los Condes, about 20 days in, a Brazilian whom I met and had last seen in Saint Jean Pied De Port, gestured to me (because I don’t speak Portuguese) that my loss was already considerable and obvious. I had almost purchased less-snug pants before the trip, and the ones I had were falling off.

I was eating a lot.

It was almost exactly a month back in the States before I had gained it all back. But I enjoyed the brief period where all my home clothes fit the way they should rather than the way I imagine myself to be.

 

[Deleted member 37814]

thats a really interesting topic!

im going to do the via de la plata in 2 months and am currently 8 kg overweight. that means im actually carrying two backpacks up and down the mountains which is a lot!

last time i did the frances i had about 5kg + and felt that with every step. i met this american who was maybe 130 kg and ready to give up just before the last mountain range when you enter gallicia. he could only do 15 km max per day and had to rest every few days for weeks. its hard to imagine how hard it is to lug around 30+ kilos.

i wanted to motivate this guy so he doesnt give up so i told him: "you are carrying so much xtra weight up the mountains that you burn at least 8000 cal every day. there is no way you can eat so much so you lose a lot of weight every day ... so it actually gets easier every day. just keep going!"

it worked and i met the guy in santiago and he was really happy ... the true heroes of the camino are obese peregrinos that actually make it to santiago!1

btw the easiest way to lose weight is cyclic fasting. ie. only eat one meal a day. you can eat whatever you want but only once a day. that means you are fasting for 23 hours every day this works because your body has lots of time to process your food correctly ... but its not easy to do with everybody around you eating all day long.

here is proof:

 

[geraldkelly]

If I limit the beer intake (to like 1 a day) I lose weight. Otherwise no.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Dropping as much weight as possible before starting the Camino is wisest as pack weight will be added to body weight. In my case, I did not lose enough and I injured my left IT Band, still getting over it 18 months later. It is an injury, if it happens, it will stop the Camino in your tracks.

 

[suze.ross]

I am interested in hearing from pilgrims who have done the Camino while considerably overweight.... like, morbidly obese according to BMI. This will be me, unless I can lose 16lb in the next 6 weeks. And then I will be nearly morbidly obese...

Have you done it and lived to tell the tale? I’m guessing the key is pace - listen to your body. I have 31 days to do the first 26 stages of CF from Brierley’s book, then the final 7 days to Brierley’s stages in company.

RevBarbaraG, I am plenty overweight and walked the Frances last year in May/June. I took the trails slow when needed, breather breaks on the ups, and got into my own groove every single day, but I was in the same place every evening with my Camigos. Sometimes I would get in after them, at times in the middle of the pack and sometimes before them. Just go your pace and if you need to rest do it! As has been noted already, training before leaving will serve you well. Do it with your backpack on and fully loaded. Try doing as many hills as you can if possible. The Camino is all about the ups and downs, both figuratively and literally. You won't be sorry.

 

[Deleted member 37814]

Dropping as much weight as possible before starting the Camino is wisest

exactly! to put it differently, if you dont the camino will make you understand quickly how absurd it is to schlepp around wobbly lumps of lard. not a pleasant thought but thats exactly what it is - "very expensive lumps", as i remember a spanish peregrino calling them.

 

[Pilgrim9]

Several posters above mentioned weight loss during the Camino followed by weight regain afterwards. I also experienced this.

The article at the end of the link below might be of interest. It talks about the body’s weight regulation system and a Swedish research team’s hypothesis that the long bones of the legs might function as a sort of body weight sensor, and that the body uses the information so gathered to help control appetite. The interesting part is their thought that “weight is registered when someone is standing [or walking, presumably], but if an individual is regularly sitting or sedentary, such a [leg-bone-based weighing] scale wouldn’t be getting accurate measurements”. That, together with the fact that most of us wear our heavy backpacks only during the pilgrimage and almost never afterwards, might help explain the weight loss during the walk and the hunger and weight regain afterwards.

Here is the link:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d...ale-regulate-weight-loss-humans/#.WnY8k8qvChA

Disclaimer: I have no medical training and I do not assert that theory described in the article is correct.

 

[REV]

I tightened my leather belt six holes during my Camino. (See pix)

My weight did not change that much (perhaps 5#), but I lost fat, put on some muscle, and improved my posture.

 

[mvanert]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

Lost 17 pounds in four weeks...

 

[Chromatistes]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

Last May-June I walked the Camino Frances and lost 4.5kg, despite eating (and drinking) heartily.

 

[Sailor]

Walking during September-October 2017, lost about 20 pounds. Looking forward to my next camino. Good luck with your weight loss [or gain for some] y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

I need to get with the program and start using kilos . . . lost about 9 kilograms. To all caminantes, buena suerte y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

 

[Robo]

I am interested in hearing from pilgrims who have done the Camino while considerably overweight.... like, morbidly obese according to BMI. This will be me, unless I can lose 16lb in the next 6 weeks. And then I will be nearly morbidly obese...

Have you done it and lived to tell the tale? I’m guessing the key is pace - listen to your body. I have 31 days to do the first 26 stages of CF from Brierley’s book, then the final 7 days to Brierley’s stages in company.

I'm almost in that category I think.
According to all the online guides my ideal weight is about 75 KG.
Though I was last that weight when I was about 12 I think!
20 years in the Military and being really fit, I'm not sure I ever got down to that weight either......

I generally sit at about 95 kg. Yes.......Way to heavy! I got up to 99 a few months ago!
That shocked me into dieting.......
I just enjoy food and wine to much
If I can get to 80-82 kgs long term I would be delighted.

On my first Camino in 2015 (St Jean to SDC) I think I set out at about 92 kgs.
I was about 91 kgs when I got back.

I am determined to get down to at least 85 kgs before starting at the end of April this year.
Because I don't want it to hurt so much!
It will take strict diet, exercise and will power

But I know if I can shed a few kgs it will make the whole thing so much easier.

Being grossly over weight made it hard..........so much harder than it needed to be.
My feet took a lot of punishment. They just got really sore...... and my knees........and my shins.......
Whilst I avoided blisters, I developed Achilles Tendonitis in training (back in 2015) that is still with me today.

You talk about doing the Brierley stages.
Carrying an extra 15kgs+ of body weight + backpack, I simply couldn't.........

My feet and legs were OK up to about 22-25 kms a day.
On the 3 days I pushed to 28-33 kms it was just too much for my legs and feet and they never really recovered.....

During the last 100 kms, I was down to 12-15 kms a day due to injury......

So I know, deep down, that every kg of body weight I can lose pre Camino, will make my Camino more comfortable. Much more comfortable! Sure it will still hurt sometimes........I don't think any Camino is pain free. But hopefully it will hurt less.......

Most people I came across who were very overweight had problems of one kind or another. Some had terrible blisters.......

The day to day punishment on your body will wear you down.......and things start to hurt.........really hurt.
Losing some weight pre Camino is just going to reduce that impact on your body.

On the 'kind of linked' question above re weight gain or loss during the Camino, that is a very personal thing. It could go either way.

I finished about the same weight.
Possibly due to eating everything that I came across (Joust style) and knocking back a bottle of wine most days

Buy Hey, I don't go on the Camino to lose weight

I go to enjoy the journey......

 

[Thornley]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

We have no breakfast except fruit and a cake with coffee.
There are many stops for coffee and a tapas and or cakes .
We never walk after lunch time [ 1pm] and have a set menu in the best eatery we find , NOT the pilgrims menu and we have a bottle of red.
At night time omelette with salad or maybe a fruit salad .
HRH misses the vegetables in Spain compared with France.
Not many calories here so weight comes off or maybe just hardens a slack old 6 pack

 

[Deleted member 37814]

so here are some things you can try to lose weight without pain. thats what im doing at the moment (kind of

- cyclic fasting. one meal a day, pig out if you want but only once a day. if thats difficult restrict the timespan in which you eat i.e. between noon and six at night, thats still 18 hours of fasting. its not about how much but when you eat!

- cold showers. actually the fastest way to lose calories + it speeds up your metabolism. i go to the fitness center in the morning and at night and have a sauna + 3 min cold shower. just that made me lose already about 2 kg.

- walk everywhere you can, long walks are much more effective than running

- drink lots of water = faster metabolism

- green tea, coffee etc. will also speed up your metabolism but i dont recommend that because it messes with your energy system and actually burns you out in the long run.

- and the obvious: cut down on carbs, sugars and replace them with olive oil, coconut oil, animal fats etc. which will improve everything, not just your weight.

good luck!

 

[Vesselin]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

me and me wife lost 8 kgs and 9 kgs respectively for 24 days from SJPP to SdC

 

[Deleted member 37814]

me and me wife lost 8 kgs and 9 kgs respectively for 24 days from SJPP to SdC

no wonder! 24 days, you were running?

 

[Thornley]

me and me wife lost 8 kgs and 9 kgs respectively for 24 days from SJPP to SdC

34 km a day minimum [ averaging 4km a hour ] = 9 hour days.
Start @ 7am , coffee somewhere , without lunch = 2 pm earliest finish
Therefore no lunch and maybe no breakfast.
Yes you will loose 9kg on one substantial meal a day,

But now that you are home have your thoughts returned to Spain ....i should be there....why did i hurry,
Did i miss those beautiful villages /cities and the food at night...........@ 10pm with the Spanish?
And has the weight returned?

 

[blueskywa]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

I think it may be if there is excess weight to lose.... I'm 60kg and lost nothing tho did "grow" some muscle! and still the same weight 2 yrs on. My partner lost a few kilos but has put them back on. Depends on your metabolism I think. Buen Camino

 

[jungleboy]

I lost 3kgs on a slow camino (my wife had foot problems) from SJPdP to SdC (39 days).

 

[Deleted member 37814]

34 km a day minimum [ averaging 4km a hour ] = 9 hour days.

i met exactly two pilgrims who could do above 35 km. one was a tiny french girl, age 20 and the other was a danish viking, age 65 who started off in denmark and was already walking for 3 months with a heavy backpack before he came to spain. both of them didnt have an ounce of fat btw.

considering that, 24 days might be a typo - or they were on bikes?

.
.

 

[Thornley]

started off in denmark

I remember when we started in Le Puy and arrived @ StJPP , staying 5 km short the night before , had a late breakfast , over the top , and ended up in Burguette mid afternoon. The month warm up Lilak or in your case the 3 months for the Dane / French puts them in a beautiful frame of mind for anything the Camino throws at them , and there would not be an excess weight,
I envy all Europeans who commence their Camino at their front door ,
Ours is a Qantas plane

 

[Deleted member 37814]

thats one of my life plans, doing the camino the medieval way from berlin and back. you have to imagine back then it took 2 years to go to santiago and back when you were ie. swedish. you would start in early spring and be in spain by late summer. then you had to wait for the winter to pass before you did the journey back next year.

on the frances there is a chapel built for a swedish noble woman who tells such a story. she ended up staying and spain for years, started up a monastery and became a famous character in the history of the spanish catholic church. i cant remember her name but its a fascinating story ...

 

[Anamiri]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

In 2016 I traveled the CF with my friend, and I lost about 10 kgs. We had breakfast and a late lunch 2-4pm, and then just snacks.This year I traveled with my cousin as well, who loves his food, and always wanted an extra meal at night, I didn't lose a gram.

 

[Vesselin]

no wonder! 24 days, you were running?

No run, walk only We were in a hurry because we had a limited holiday

 

[Vesselin]

34 km a day minimum [ averaging 4km a hour ] = 9 hour days.
Start @ 7am , coffee somewhere , without lunch = 2 pm earliest finish
Therefore no lunch and maybe no breakfast.
Yes you will loose 9kg on one substantial meal a day,

But now that you are home have your thoughts returned to Spain ....i should be there....why did i hurry,
Did i miss those beautiful villages /cities and the food at night...........@ 10pm with the Spanish?
And has the weight returned?

Dear Thornley,
our daily program: start @ 6 - 6.30 am, coffee break 30 min (8.30 - 9.30 am), lunch and break 90 - 120 min and then 10- 15 kms more to the final destination. Earliest arrival @ 1 pm, latest @ 6.30 pm. Shortest stage 25 kms, longest - 51 kms (was a crazy day). My wife - 3 meals a day, me - 2 (no breakfast)
We are walking machines, so it was not a problem for us to walk 35 - 40 kms per day.
My wife has returned her weight, me - 2-3 kgs less.
You are exactly right - we have missed a lot of places, but I think we saw enough. Our thoughts are in Spain all the time, so we will be back and will be a little bit slower

 

[Victoria65]

34 km a day minimum [ averaging 4km a hour ] = 9 hour days.
Start @ 7am , coffee somewhere , without lunch = 2 pm earliest finish
Therefore no lunch and maybe no breakfast.
Yes you will loose 9kg on one substantial meal a day,

But now that you are home have your thoughts returned to Spain ....i should be there....why did i hurry,
Did i miss those beautiful villages /cities and the food at night...........@ 10pm with the Spanish?
And has the weight returned?

I love that you asked those questions! A couple of years ago when my hubby and I first walked there was a young man, kind of scary looking. Strong, ultra-buffed, tattoo all over the place. No judgements here just trying to paint a picture. He turned out to be the sweetest, kindest man I have ever met. Turns out it was his second Camino. He told me one day, "Victoria I just finished the Camino in 22 days, went home to Brazil and got to thinking about it. I realized I did it all wrong! So here I am again, doing it the right way. Going into cathedrals, museums, absorbing the culture, taking my time and getting to know people". Anyway, each to his own. Just wanted to share this little piece of "Camino Magic".

 

[Sailor]

Slow down, enjoy the scenery, and prevent what I will call "camino hypnosis" [related to what is known as highway hypnosis in the USA]. Buena suerte, y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

p.s. Now we return to our regularly scheduled program: "How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

 

[Deleted member 37814]

Shortest stage 25 kms, longest - 51 kms

that puts you in one class with the roman legionarios who had to walk 40 km a day, but with a pack of 35 kg and the occasional skirmish break. i rest my case!

 

[ChuckM]

Hello everyone! Just a general question:

How much weight did you gain or lose on the camino?

I will begin the camino in March. I have been trying to be more active to prepare, and I have lost 38 pounds (17kg) so far. In my recent research about the camino, I read a post that someone gained 15 pounds on the camino, and now I'm a little worried about it. xD

I would appreciate some feedback about this.

I did my first camino last September. I did the 500 miles from St. Jean to Santiago and I feel like I ate my way across Spain. I'm 63 so pounds seem to stick more than when I was young and at 220 lbs. I'm slightly heavy. I'm sure everyone is different but I never ate so much in my life not to mention 3 or 4 Grande Cervezas a day and yet I lost 14 pounds. I have a video on YouTube & one of the shots shows a Pilgrim lunch I had in Ponferrada & it's ridiculously a lot of food. Now I did do the 500 miles in 31 days which is fairly fast so maybe that helped but I really think you probably don't have to worry. Good luck & have fun!

 

[Blossom S]

For some of us weight is a problem due to many factors. Some will loose weight on the Camino and others will gain. Some can eat what they want and not gain or loose anything.
Three years ago my wife and I started a low cab high fat diet. We completely removed sugar from our diet as well and we lost a lot of weight. I lost 35kg in six months.
Breakfast on the Camino is normally pure carbs and sugar. We would burn it all in an hour and experienced a lack of energy. We reverted to boiling eggs in the evening for breakfast. The protein in the egg kept us energised for longer and only had to eat at lunch time again.
Being on the diet for some time I determined the food items I should not eat. Number one is beer and secondly bread and anything with sugar.
We are now preparing for our Camino in March and are very strict on what we eat. It makes a big difference if you loose some weight before the time.
Try to eat fresh products only and skip the stuff in a packet or a box.

Hi, you mentioned boiling eggs, do you mean you boiled egg every evening for breakfast or boiled once for a couple next breakfast, where you got the eggs? Thanks

 

[Givesome]

Hi, you mentioned boiling eggs, do you mean you boiled egg every evening for breakfast or boiled once for a couple next breakfast, where you got the eggs? Thanks

If we stay in an albergue with kitchen facilities and we can find a shop we bye 6 eggs between the two of us. The eggs are boiled in the evening and put back in the container for the next morning. For breakfast we eat 1 and a half each and if we are hungry later in the morning we eat the rest or leave it for lunch. For later in the day or lunch we will add chorizo, tomato and cheese.
Most of the time last year we could buy eggs most of the time and never had to keep the boiled eggs for long than a day.
If you cut on the carbs and sweets you need to eat much less and have more energy. Your weight will drop like a stone.

 

[Blossom S]

If we stay in an albergue with kitchen facilities and we can find a shop we bye 6 eggs between the two of us. The eggs are boiled in the evening and put back in the container for the next morning. For breakfast we eat 1 and a half each and if we are hungry later in the morning we eat the rest or leave it for lunch. For later in the day or lunch we will add chorizo, tomato and cheese.
Most of the time last year we could buy eggs most of the time and never had to keep the boiled eggs for long than a day.
If you cut on the carbs and sweets you need to eat much less and have more energy. Your weight will drop like a stone.

Thank you very much for the information. Very useful for me.

 

[Deleted member 37814]

> Three years ago my wife and I started a low cab high fat diet.

This diet is called ketogenic diet. one of the things its based on is that fats and proteins are slow burning and cut out the spikes in blood sugar that lead to a lot of problems. it very good for your nervous system and was originally developed to treat epillepsy but is nowadays used in many modified ways by a lot of elite athletes.

there is pros and cons to it especially for a heavily aerobic activitiy like hiking. here is an interesting discussion with joe rogan who has lived on keto diet for a long time and dr. galphin who is a professional dietary consultant for athletes:

its difficult to maintain on the camino but i managed to do something similar on my last camino. i mainly ate nuts, chicken, raw eggs but also simple sugars like fruit and unrefined carbs like corn which you can get everywhere as a snack for 1 euro. i also ate a lot of food i found like figs, apples, chestnuts which is always a good idea.

i met one guy who did the whole camino only on water and self-cannibalizing, he lost about a pound every day. i also met a brazilian yoga teacher with no money who did it only on found food, mainly nuts and apples, he just went out foraging in the morning ;-) the camino is a great chance to catapult yourself out of your normal habits, experiment and find out what works for you.

 

[PaulCat]

I generally neither gain or loose anything much. Probably due to the wonders of Spanish pastries and second breakfasts.

Ditto!

 

[jungleboy]

I envy all Europeans who commence their Camino at their front door ,
Ours is a Qantas plane

We are considering doing the Caminho Português from Lisbon next year, mostly for that reason! The Lisbon-Porto stretch is often not considered to be one of the best stretches, and we have already been to some of the highlight places in between such as Coimbra and Tomar, so I'm not sure if it will be worth it. But the pull of out-the-door-and-onto-the-camino is quite strong!

 

[Deleted member 37814]

We are considering doing the Caminho Português from Lisbon next year, mostly for that reason!

i started in lisboa 2 years ago with my dog and gave up after 5 days mainly because none of the albergues and hotels would let me stay with a dog, i have no clue why. the walking was rather unnerving with long stretches along roads with nonstop trucks heading for you. i was really happy when i was back in spain! im sure ill try again but definitely from porto.

 

[Katherine Radeka]

If we stay in an albergue with kitchen facilities and we can find a shop we bye 6 eggs between the two of us. The eggs are boiled in the evening and put back in the container for the next morning. For breakfast we eat 1 and a half each and if we are hungry later in the morning we eat the rest or leave it for lunch. For later in the day or lunch we will add chorizo, tomato and cheese.
Most of the time last year we could buy eggs most of the time and never had to keep the boiled eggs for long than a day.
If you cut on the carbs and sweets you need to eat much less and have more energy. Your weight will drop like a stone.

Thanks for this. I gave up sugar and most refined carbs on June 10, 2017. I've dropped four clothing sizes since then (don't weigh myself so no idea what that is in pounds or kilos). I've heard that Spanish breakfasts are mostly pastries so I was wondering what I was going to do. This is a good idea.

It's true what you say about having more energy and needing to eat less. I do find that I do better on my training days if I have some rice or other grains the night before, but on the trail itself, I want fruit, cheese and ham or sausages. The eggs sound like a nice addition.

 

[Oravasaari]

Thanks for this. I gave up sugar and most refined carbs on June 10, 2017. I've dropped four clothing sizes since then (don't weigh myself so no idea what that is in pounds or kilos). I've heard that Spanish breakfasts are mostly pastries so I was wondering what I was going to do. This is a good idea.

It's true what you say about having more energy and needing to eat less. I do find that I do better on my training days if I have some rice or other grains the night before, but on the trail itself, I want fruit, cheese and ham or sausages. The eggs sound like a nice addition.

You can ask for plates of choritzo, cheese, olives, tomatoes, bacon, eggs, omlette, etc in most bars.

 

[mousehog]

Thanks for this. I gave up sugar and most refined carbs on June 10, 2017. I've dropped four clothing sizes since then (don't weigh myself so no idea what that is in pounds or kilos). I've heard that Spanish breakfasts are mostly pastries so I was wondering what I was going to do. This is a good idea.

It's true what you say about having more energy and needing to eat less. I do find that I do better on my training days if I have some rice or other grains the night before, but on the trail itself, I want fruit, cheese and ham or sausages. The eggs sound like a nice addition.

I eat ketogenic diet too. On my Camino I boil eggs, render bacon, eat nuts, dark chocolate and cured meat. I also eat tortillas despite the carbs. I estimate I have lost 2-3 kg since 17 March at SJPdP. I only weigh 60 kg to begin with. I was curious about my weight so will try to get weighed at a a pharmacia. What am I awake for?
I do 20-22 km per day as that is what my feet and legs will cope with. I have 24 days to make Santiago de Compostela. (16 stages).

 

[Deleted member 37814]

local cheese is another keto food you can get almost everywhere in spain. actually the best cheese i ever had was on the first day of the frances from st. jean up in the mountains sold by a local farmer. i must have been very hungry!

 

[RevBarbaraG]

As a fully-fledged, compostela’d peregrina, I can now add my two pennor’th.

In 38 days of walking, 3 days of R&R in Santiago and a day’s travelling either side, I lost 22lb. Apart from occasionally thinking I wouldn’t drink the orange juice, I ate as much as I felt like of everything that appealed.

Now that I’m home, I intend to get back into low carb eating as quickly and thoroughly as possible as well as keeping up some exercise. Walking 20K+ per day is obviously the ideal ‘diet’ for me, but sadly not compatible with normal life.... or the happiness of my feet!