Drum Corps and Weight Loss

[DaveBari]

i lost 25 lbs marching cadets baritone. i worked at pizza hut at the time so i gained it all back within a week of coming home and working :-( i loose the same amount around each marching season, when im home my diet goes to hell so i get fatter again.

[BozzlyB]

I lost weight every summer I marched, sometimes as much as 40 -50 lbs, and I gained it all back every fall. Marching can be a nice way to get a head start on a weight loss goal, but it isn't a lifestyle change, which is what you'll need to keep it off.

[kansasDC]

My son lost about 53 lbs last summer marching mello. And he gained about 3" in height at the same time.

[soccerguy315]

Does this person march Regiment? Did they give away that Phantom is having more deaths this summer? Was this a slip of info or am I out of the "show story" loop?

I don't know if you were serious or joking, but just incase: that person's signature specifically says that they do not march at Phantom.

[Dir_en_X]

Last summer I marched euph for the first time and lost a whopping 5 pounds at a height of 5'11" and hovering around 140lbs. I probably gained a lot of muscle but by New Year's I gained that weight back. Granted I've always been slow to gain weight and had never lost weight before marching.

[byline]

I have struggled with weight all of my teen and adult life. I'm now 15 lbs from my goal weight and my next fitness challenge is a triathlon in June. It's been a 4+ year journey and when I'm done I'll have lost about 100 lbs. When I aged out of corps I was seriously overweight, but I had lost weight on tour. After I aged out I crept up into the obese range and stayed there. (just wanted to give some context so ya'll know where I'm coming from)

My first year of corps was the first year of grounded pits. I lost weight that year and every year I marched thereafter, usually 20-30 lbs. And every off season I gained it back rapidly. Even as a pitster you do a lot more walking all summer, you are on a more regulated and balanced diet (usually), there's equipment truck duty, and even just standing and playing for hours a day is a different caloric output than most people's summer activities, in total.

But here's the thing: losing weight doesn't magically fix the problem that causes the extra pounds in the first place. A lot of people think "I'll diet and exercise to lose some weight and then I can get back to normal." The problem with that is "normal" (meaning typical or average) food intake in America is excessive, unbalanced, and overly processed. "Normal" (or average) physical activity is largely sendentary. We aren't built for that kind of "normal." But the world around us constantly sends us messages to over-consume, and our lives have become so convenience-based that long-term commitment to exercise is a difficult road for many. (in other words, there is no instant gratification possibility when you change your diet and exercise.)

My point is this: yes, you'll likely lose some weight on tour, but as you can see from the posts so far, a regain is highly likely because most of us who lost weight didn't change out relationship to food and exercise in the off season. Most go back to our old lifestyle (often swearing we'll do it differently every time) and the weight comes back. One thing to note: yo-yo weight gain/loss makes it harder to lose weight and keep it off later in life, statistically speaking. (and from experience.)

Hear, hear! (from someone who's learned pretty much the same lessons)

By the way, not only does yo-yo dieting create metabolic problems which make weight loss more difficult, but it also increases the risk of certain health problems even more so than if a person had kept the weight on and not gone through that cycle of up-and-down weight loss/gain. Something to consider. . . .

[JohnDonovanDotBiz]

with pioneer i lost nearly 30lbs in 96 from doing a full tour... ive been able to keep it mostly off by remaining active as a full time performer ever since.. as a tradtional pro drum set player from 97 to jan 08, i would gain about fifteen in the winter and loose it in the summer.. now with doing my new stand up rudimental act with djs.. i didnt gain anything these past 2 winters, and ive actually stayed consistent, more toned and feel much better.

[Piper]

Hear, hear! (from someone who's learned pretty much the same lessons)

By the way, not only does yo-yo dieting create metabolic problems which make weight loss more difficult, but it also increases the risk of certain health problems even more so than if a person had kept the weight on and not gone through that cycle of up-and-down weight loss/gain. Something to consider. . . .

I agree with Sue. If you're lucky and born with the right metabolism your weight probably isn't going to fluctuate that much. I was one of the fortunate few who could eat 2 pounds of ice cream and not gain an ounce, while others would gain 5 pounds just by looking at the stuff. My doc told me that the main thing is consistancy and stability. At one time at West Point some football players would bulk up to get to "playing" weight. After they graduated they were given one year to trim down to "Army" weight, but the docs argued that it was too short and dangerous a time to lose that much weight that fast and suggested a two year period. Not sure how it turned out, but weight flux is a medical concern.

Edited May 7, 2009 by Piper

[contra love]

I usually have a problem of losing too much weight on tour.

Came home last summer 55 pounds lighter, but probably 40 pounds of that was muscle. Knowing I'm going to get beat on for four hours immediately after eating did not do a lot to encourage me to eat more (enough) at each meal.

Been trying to gain weight this year before everdays. Don't know if it will actually help, but I've always come home way scawnier than I leave.