• gmtom@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    Losing 8 pounds in 5 days would require a daily deficit of 5,600 calories, so if you ate nothing you would still need to burn 3,600 calories to hit that, and if you’re hiking with a moderate load at a relaxed pace you’d be burning around 500-600 calories and hour, so would need to be hiking for like 7 hours a day AND not eating anything to lose that much weight in that much time…

    • NannerBanner@literature.cafe
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      10 hours ago

      Yes, sure, but don’t forget all the fun wiggly numbers that go into things like this. Was it actually 8 pounds, or 7.5? Was he flush with water when he weighed beforehand and dehydrated afterwards? Who knows.

    • Elting@piefed.social
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      10 hours ago

      Yeah that checks out. I looked up that 3500 calorie number after I said that and realised I had underestimated. But hiking 10-15 miles in appalachia with a thirty pound pack on a 1500 calorie diet (yeah I just brought nuts and a freeze dried meal for each day) would actually be closer to a 4k calorie deficit a day. It might have been less than 8 pounds too, depending on conditions when I weighed before and after. Your body weight can change a few pounds in a day just based on how much you’ve consumed and haven’t ejected yet.