I crossed 47 pounds down today, which happens to match my 12-foot kayak, paddle, and the dry bag I always overpack. I didn’t plan the comparison; I was loading the car for a lake loop and realized I used to get winded just strapping it to the roof.
This time I carried it solo, paddled for an hour, and still had energy for dinner. The scale number is nice, but the ease of that afternoon is what feels real.
For those further along, what non-scale moment made your loss feel concrete?
What a lovely realization. I use weekly averages too, mostly because daily fluctuations from sodium or a hard workout can be misleading.
One thing that helped me: I keep a note of non-scale equivalents—a 40-pound bag of birdseed, a case of water, my old backpack—and revisit it on weeks when the average barely moves. It keeps the trend in perspective.
I’m curious, did you notice a difference in your balance or core while paddling, or was it more about endurance? I’ve been thinking about renting a kayak before buying one, so your lake loop sounds like a great test.
Love this. I had a similar moment last fall with my bike rack—used to brace it against my hip, now I can lift it overhead without thinking. There was a spring thread about gear fitting differently; my PFD straps definitely needed re-adjusting after ~40 down, and a loose PFD on open water is sketch
Okay, but did you actually weigh the kayak or just trust the brochure? My 12-ft sit-in with paddle and dry bag is 58.4 lb on the luggage scale, so your 47 is suspiciously tidy.
My spreadsheet says I’m down 39.8, which is my boat minus the dry bag. More useful: I log paddle distance and average HR.
First lake loop was 2.9 miles at 138 bpm; last week the same effort was 3.6 at 124. The scale is a lagging indicator.
What’s your one-hour distance now versus when strapping it on used to wind you?
Honestly, the kayak-plus-paddle unit is a great NSV — roof rack must feel lighter too.
Ha, I love gear-based units. I weighed my 12' rec kayak at 44.6 lb, paddle 1.9, dry bag with towel/snacks 2.3 — so your 47 is scarily accurate.
The roof-rack test is the real win: I used to need two trips up the ladder, now it’s one clean lift. Do you log carry-weight stuff separately?
I added a “non-scale wins” column next to my weight trend, and it’s the only reason I notice this kind of progress. Also, does a paddle day change your usual meal timing?
Lake loops always make me want a huge late lunch.
This is the kind of NSV that sneaks up on you — remember the roof rack thread last summer? You’re living the sequel.
Sorry to hijack — did you weigh the paddle too? Either way, tat lake loop must've felt huge.
The kayak is a nice functional load, but what I’d nerd out on is HR drift: same pace, same lake loop, does your HR stay flatter or recover faster? For me, a chest strap showed that before the scale moved much—1-min recovery after a brisk hill went from ~20 beats to ~35.
In the trials, the meds do appetite/weight stuff, but the endurance adaptation is still from the paddling. Did you notice less HR drift over that hour, or just less perceived effort?
There was an “energy after errands” thread a while back—this feels like the next level. I had a similar moment a couple springs ago with a bike rack: the win wasn’t lifting it, it was not needing a recovery nap afterward.
I’ve started noting a “post-activity reserve” in my log—did I have anything left for the rest of the day? That’s been more motivating than the scale lately.
Did the surplus hit you right away, or only at dinner when you realized you weren’t wrecked? Also, dry bag overpacking is a universal law.
the overpacked dry bag being part of the official kayak weight is very funny. was it in full emotional-support-snacks mode or the responsible version?
i’m also curious about the roof strap part—after my bike+lock weight came off, my weird win was stepping onto the rear tire without the little hop-and-pray. you notice anything like that loading solo?
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