Jump to content

Fat Cachers - Not Models?


Ellteejak

Recommended Posts

Okay I admit that I am overweight, but I would think that active cachers would be relatively thin, like marathon folks. (I am not that active a cacher). I am not seeing thin folks. Maybe caching gets your apetite a little more active?

 

I guess this is perception. I just remember when I was younger and trying to climb all the mountains in the northeast (aka 4000 footers club), that all the folks I passed on the trails were relatively thin. Maybe these digital cameras are making us look heavy?

 

Or maybe we have all been super-sized by the evil "micky Ds". OR maybe I have been watching "model type" folks too often on the tele. Or maybe I am bored with a lame opinion on a lame issue to discuss.

Link to comment

I'm larger than I should be according to doctor's charts and not particularly happy with the sight of myself in front of the mirror. Still, I'm in decent shape and do a lot of hiking and skiing and play some soccer and softball.

 

I do notice at events that there are a lot of fairly "large" geocachers. I'm not sure if its just a representive sample of American society, or that a lot of former couch potatos have used geocaching to get away from sitting in front of the TV with a bag of potato chips.

Link to comment
I'm larger than I should be according to doctor's charts and not particularly happy with the sight of myself in front of the mirror. Still, I'm in decent shape and do a lot of hiking and skiing and play some soccer and softball.

 

I do notice at events that there are a lot of fairly "large" geocachers. I'm not sure if its just a representive sample of American society, or that a lot of former couch potatos have used geocaching to get away from sitting in front of the TV with a bag of potato chips.

That's a really good way to look at it! :anitongue:

Link to comment
Okay I admit that I am overweight, but I would think that active cachers would be relatively thin, like marathon folks. (I am not that active a cacher). I am not seeing thin folks. Maybe caching gets your apetite a little more active?

 

I guess this is perception. I just remember when I was younger and trying to climb all the mountains in the northeast (aka 4000 footers club), that all the folks I passed on the trails were relatively thin. Maybe these digital cameras are making us look heavy?

 

Or maybe we have all been super-sized by the evil "micky Ds". OR maybe I have been watching "model type" folks too often on the tele. Or maybe I am bored with a lame opinion on a lame issue to discuss.

Who you callin' thin? You're not even a relative!

Link to comment

Read my forum title!

 

Tipping the scales at around 290, I am definitely not what one would call thin, but I like getting out there to those physically hard geocaches.

 

I've been geocaching a little over a year, and with over 500 finds, I haven't noticed any change in my weight. Must be all those vienna sausages I keep in my pack!

Link to comment

I've dropped about 15 lbs caching this summer. Though I still have another 45 or so to go before I'm happy, caching has been a big help. I'm out on the trials and driking water instead of in front of the tv, watching the ball game and pounding beers :anitongue: Nancy (the team in team iceburger) has also developed some wrinkles in the bum of her pants thanks to caching or from her walking with her butt tightened up (I have a tendancy of poking her in the butt with my trekking pole as she's ahead of me) hehehehehe

Link to comment

The week before Easter, I weighed in at 260. My blood pressure, blood sugar, and Chloresterol were starting to worry my doctor and my wife.

 

I made a vow to lose some weight and get healthy and, today, I am 200 pounds. It hasn't been easy, but Geocaching has helped.

 

Keep Moving!

Link to comment

You know, I've regarded cachers as being a little edgy and even a little anti-establishment. . .I am surprised anyone would give a fat rat what anyone looks like. Being out in 110 degree heat looking for some flipping tupperware that eludes me; bleeding from thorns and scratching from bug bites I hardly care what I look like. Besides this FAT girl really needs some exercise. :laughing:

Link to comment

Pardon me while I get all riled up.... There's a big ol' misconception that all fat folks are lazy slobs. NOT TRUE! No one has ever had to knock down a wall to extract me from my house (well, yet). But geocaching is definitely the way to lure me into the woods! :laughing:

 

To me, the beauty of caching is that people of all physical abilities can participate and succeed.

Edited by Team WorldPeaceTurtle
Link to comment
Okay I admit that I am overweight, but I would think that active cachers would be relatively thin, like marathon folks. (I am not that active a cacher). I am not seeing thin folks. Maybe caching gets your apetite a little more active?

 

I guess this is perception. I just remember when I was younger and trying to climb all the mountains in the northeast (aka 4000 footers club), that all the folks I passed on the trails were relatively thin. Maybe these digital cameras are making us look heavy?

 

Or maybe we have all been super-sized by the evil "micky Ds". OR maybe I have been watching "model type" folks too often on the tele. Or maybe I am bored with a lame opinion on a lame issue to discuss.

You're not alone. Another big cacher, and generally active outdoorsman, chiming in :laughing:

Link to comment

Not that I've met all that many cachers, but the ones I have met fall into all kinds of size categories -- from overweight to "normal" to rail-thin; from tall to average height to short. I think what you're seeing is just average Americans, and "average Americans" are getting heavier.

 

Yet another report on the subject was released this week by the "Trust for America's Health", indicating that obesity rates had increased in every state except Oregon in the last few years.

link to one of many summary articles

link to Trust for America's Health website, with full report

 

Ellteejak, you might find this interesting, since you cache in Conneticut: according to the report, three of the four "least overweight" states are Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Is it in CT where you are seeing the overweight cachers you mentioned? If so, it might be interesting to take a caching trip to other parts of the country :laughing: .

Link to comment
Read my forum title!

 

Tipping the scales at around 290, I am definitely not what one would call thin, but I like getting out there to those physically hard geocaches.

 

That's one of the things I like about finding caches after Pork King, he usually leaves a trail to it. :lol:

 

Instead of calling myself fat, I like to use the more politically correct term of having a low height to width ratio. :laughing:

 

My theory is that if I can get as big out as I am tall, then I will be round. That way I can roll everywhere and save a lot of wear on my knees.

Link to comment

I've lost weight while geocaching...I've gained weight while geocaching. I don't think that caching has much effect on my weight either way.

 

As for my current weight, let me simply point out that in Nature, the fat animal is the successful animal--the dominant animal. While the skinny animal ain't gonna make it through the winter. :laughing:

Link to comment

I am in a situation very much similar to Briansnat. At 15 years old, I am much larger and a bit heavier than the growth charts suggest I should be at my age. I'm not too pleased at my appearance, but I am in no way out of shape. I am not in nearly as good a shape as many of my friends, but I seem to have built up endurance.

 

Big ole fat me managed to hike 15 miles in a major race this summer, whereas I doubt many of my friends could have matched that.

 

 

I agree with what someone else said. I don't know if I've lost any weight or become in any better shape because of geocaching, but I know for sure that if I didn't geocache, I probably wouldn't be in as good a shape as I am in..

Link to comment

I've attained my considerable bulk by eating all the food I find in geocaches, especially any popcorn or quiescently frozen shaved ice treats. Because the food items are placed there vis-a-vis a violation of the rules, I don't feel bad about consuming the food and not leaving an equivalent trade item, or as you may call it, "swag."

 

All told, I have gained about two hundred and forty pounds since the early days, and despite my attempts to exercise each day, every pound of it has come from eating food that I found by one means or another, sometimes in trade, sometimes freely given to me.'

 

Fortunately despite my Hugh Jazz size, my wife Lara Jazz loves me just the way I am. We are alike in that she gained every pound of her bulk by eating food too. We both acknowledge that it's an addiction. When we try to stop (and we have tried many times) we end up getting faint and weak, our hands tremble, and then we always break down and go to find more food. It's some kind of chemical imbalance I think.

 

There is no known cure. Not even Scientology.

 

-Hugh Jazz

Link to comment
I am in a situation very much similar to Briansnat. At 15 years old....

Wow, I never knew that Brian was only 15. Like Team K-9, Snat's posts demonstrate a remarkable level of maturity. Well, usually, anyways.

 

As for me, I was persuaded recently by a friend to pull my scale out of storage, dust it off, put in batteries, and check my weight. She worried I was losing weight because I haven't been eating well lately.

 

Much to my surprise, I weighed in at 162... the exact same weight as when I started geocaching 3 years ago. If some physical exercise helps me from putting on pounds, that's a good thing. Also, I suspect that those pounds have been redistributed. The waistline on my pants always seems too loose, but my legs are stronger and bulkier than at any time since I used to be a distance runner 25 years ago.

Link to comment
Okay I admit that I am overweight, but I would think that active cachers would be relatively thin, like marathon folks. (I am not that active a cacher). I am not seeing thin folks. Maybe caching gets your apetite a little more active?

 

I guess this is perception. I just remember when I was younger and trying to climb all the mountains in the northeast (aka 4000 footers club), that all the folks I passed on the trails were relatively thin. Maybe these digital cameras are making us look heavy?

 

Or maybe we have all been super-sized by the evil "micky Ds". OR maybe I have been watching "model type" folks too often on the tele. Or maybe I am bored with a lame opinion on a lame issue to discuss.

:laughing: How did you know that we are " fat " although I do admit a few pounds. :lol:

Link to comment
You know, I've regarded cachers as being a little edgy and even a little anti-establishment. . .I am surprised anyone would give a fat rat what anyone looks like. Being out in 110 degree heat looking for some flipping tupperware that eludes me; bleeding from thorns and scratching from bug bites I hardly care what I look like. Besides this FAT girl really needs some exercise. :rolleyes:

It seems pretty consistent with the other flotsam on this board.

Link to comment

Oh cool, a topic using non-PC (politically correct) wording and no flames! Personally I found "horizontally-challenged" to be more offensive than "fat." :P

 

Having more muscle instead of fat does not necessarily reduce your weight. Being big doesn't mean you are overweight either.

 

Geocaching has allowed my body to carry more functional weight than before. My heart doesn't pound as much and my legs aren't as sore after a hike. With the mass media and Hollywood promoting skeleton as "beautiful", I believe most normal people are considered "fat" these days. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Okay I admit that I am overweight, but I would think that active cachers would be relatively thin, like marathon folks. (I am not that active a cacher). I am not seeing thin folks. Maybe caching gets your apetite a little more active?

 

I guess this is perception. I just remember when I was younger and trying to climb all the mountains in the northeast (aka 4000 footers club), that all the folks I passed on the trails were relatively thin. Maybe these digital cameras are making us look heavy?

 

Or maybe we have all been super-sized by the evil "micky Ds". OR maybe I have been watching "model type" folks too often on the tele. Or maybe I am bored with a lame opinion on a lame issue to discuss.

When I finished my first round of the ADK 46 I weighed in at about 155. Now I am around 215.. but one 4000+ ft Adrirondack is about 20 ***/*** caches.

Link to comment
I've lost weight while geocaching...I've gained weight while geocaching. I don't think that caching has much effect on my weight either way.

Same here. But I know it has to be healthier for me to be out walking around instead of sitting inside watching TV, or playing computer and video games. During the week I try to hit caches near my office at lunch instead of eating or reading.

Link to comment

All the people I know who geocache--or are aware of it, even if they don't do it--are tech geeks, and we're all undertall for our weights, some more than others. It seems to me there are 2 groups of people: those who already spent time outdoors and adding geocaching to the things they do outdoors, and those of us who like the gadgetry and geocache so we can play with another toy. There's probably some overlap, but that's how it seems to me.

Link to comment

I've noticed the same thing at events. I think it's largely a function of age - folks in our society tend to pack on the pounds in their mid 30s - into their 60s. I see the same fairly heavy group when I go to Habitat for Humanity functions, which around here are dominated by the newly retired. Of course, there are a lot of newly retired cachers in Florida too. Also beer and caching have a natural affinity, which can lead to beer-gutitis as a subset of Geo-addiction.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...