When I think of all the people I’ve met hiking in the last 7 years, I can’t remember anyone saying they were hiking to lose weight. Some might not feel comfortable admitting it, but I think generally speaking weight loss is not a big factor for people to trek. But honestly, why the hell not? Many of my friends are almost obsessed with losing weight and maintaining the ideal body shape. I guess it’s a mindset thing. Or maybe hiking in nature isn’t as trendy as hitting a trendy gym for a workout for an hour or two now and then. God knows… But the truth is that trekking is one of the best ways to lose weight! You do not believe me? keep reading

When you work out at the gym, do aerobics, or do some high-energy sports, you can expect to burn between 4 and 800 calories per hour. Compare that to trekking and you’ll find trekking is at the lower end of that range. During trekking, a “typical trekker” burns between 4 and 500 calories per hour. So why is trekking so good for weight loss?

The two main reasons are:

1. When you walk you do it all day. You burn calories from morning to night, not just for a couple of hours in a gym.
2. On the trekking trail you are away from the temptations of everyday life, the cookie jar, junk food restaurants, etc.

Let’s look at the math.
Let’s say you’re a bit like me, male, 30 years old, around 160lbs/72kg.

1. You go hiking and carry an extra 15-20 pounds (7-10 kg) of stuff in your pack. You do a good hike that is a bit difficult, but still enjoyable. You walk for 8 hours a day, burning 500 calories per hour. That’s 4,000 calories you burn right there. You’ll probably burn another 1,500 calories while you rest for the rest of the day.

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED: 5,500 CAL/DAY

2. You do intense sports or training, for half an hour a day. That will burn 800 calories. Besides that, you lead a normal life, with moderate activity, going to school, office or light physical work, shopping, housework, etc. To do this, your body will burn about 2,700 calories a day.

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED: 3500 CAL/DAY

Do you see my point?

While trekking you burn 2000 more calories per day, compared to intense exercise! Well, at least in this example. The precise figures are up to you. If you weigh more, carry a heavier backpack, walk longer, on harder terrain, etc., you will burn even more calories. If you are smaller and take it more calmly, you will burn less. But these numbers are pretty typical.

True, you probably eat a little more while walking. But a lot of the extra calories burned will typically come from burning body fat. Trekking is a sustained activity, so it is easier for the body to burn body fat, at a slow but steady rate.

And as well as being great for weight loss, trekking brings you closer to some spectacular natural scenery and closer to your own body as well. I don’t do walks because I want to lose weight. I do it for the pleasure and the feeling it gives me every time I have a few days of vacation or a couple of weeks off in some way. And even though I’m not overweight, I always come back much slimmer and, for some reason, with a fresher, more positive outlook on life!