Nutrition and obesity on the AT

[Connie]

Fats can't be in a dehydrated product. Fats are added, when prepared to eat.

EVOO is extra virgin olive oil. It is an abbreviation often seen in the forum.

It is common enough, for people to carry add-ons: EVOO, nuts, nut butters all add fat.

There are some adding coconut oil. Online Search. I am staying away from it.

I am considering Packit Gourmet Coconut Cream Powder that, apparently, has fat included instead. I expect it to be more perishable than other commercially prepared backpacking food.

I like from Packit Gourmet Nature's First Full Cream Milk Powder, and, NIDO (not in grocery stores near me).

I am trying coconut milk, at home. I am trying "creamers" if I have to put together the ingredients myself to get away from corn syrup. I have tried peanut butter in a Pad Thai recipe. It is, surprisingly, satisfying in small quantity, that makes for easy backpacking. I have started looking up recipes for couscous online. I like Moroccan recipes.

I like more flavorful foods when outdoors.

I like to make scones, I consider ideal for an easy day in a campsite, setting up early, or, getting off the a late start. Think of it as flavorful pan bread.

This winter, I am placing orders each month to add to FD freeze-dried and dehydrated ingredients to add-in recipes.

I am also ordering a few prepared FD freeze-dried and dehydrated entrees, like Gumbo.

I am also trying out different ways to have instant grits.

I am thinking couscous, grits, and making muesli with variations of taste will be backpack friendly.

If I find FD freeze-dried, or, dehydrated meat I like, I will carry that. I like tge prepared and packaged Mountain House ProPak Lasagna with Meat Sauce. I like FD freeze-dried turkey, sausage crunbles, and nothing else so far.

There are more ingredients, for me to try. I have already found some prepared packaged meals are not for me.

I have known I cannot have a prepared packaged meal every day. It's too much dry food.

Reconstituting prepared packaged food doen't put enough moisture back into the food, apparently, for good digestion.

Those entrees, however, can be a good change from my own spartan food preparation on the trail.

That is "why" and "how" I discovered "add-ons".

Foil-pack Tyson chicken, vacume-pak Mountain House smoked salmon, and, single serving Spam have flavor.

Flour tortillas pack well in the backpack.

I like "fruit powders" from Just Tomato's for flavored water, that actually has food-added.

These are some of the things I have found out to put in my backpack: few prepared prepackaged, more prepackaged at home, quite a few add-on ingredients carried separately to add, for variety, and prepackaged or packaged at home fats I need I know I will like. I also carry Bear Creek dehydrated soups. I have favorities. I am trying other brands and other flavors, including Knorr. I am looking. I use them, in small quantity, to flavor couscous entrees.

Here is a webpage of links: http://www.ultralightbackpackingonli...izedfood1.html
These food items are "backpacking food" I have found.

If you haven't guessed, for me, backpacking is a lifestyle choice.

I have found the balance of not appearing rich (I am not) and being reasonably well turned out, so I do not appear to be a vagabond. I rent home, I wish I owned on my own property, in the mountains. I have designed a small home.

I am a Section Hiker and a "Blue Blaze" hiker where there are no blazes, because I am very good at not getting lost in the mountains, the mountains around here, anyway. Different mountain ranges are different.

See: I like good food and I am "obese". I am strong.

I see thru-hikers have planning skills. I think thru-hikers could have good food, especially, by adding dehydrated prepared meals prepared in advance from home.

[Wise Old Owl]

I believe your own physiology dictates how much you will eat. In my experience it is not possible to get all of the calories you need while actually hiking, which is why we come back having lost signifcant weight. It is also why thru-hikers gorge themselves in town. The key is to fuel your hike while on trail and unstarve yourself in town. Because you will have to ration food while you hike, your stomach will shrink and although you'll feel starved you'll feel that double cheeseburger when you hit town. If you can dehydrate foods and maildrop them that would certainly help your nutrition. However, it isn't uncommon for people to pass up on their maildrops due to being ahead of schedule / arriving in town after PO closing hours, etc. I'd suggest learning how to get nutrition on trail when your maildrops are unavailable. It is also a challenge to eat healthy once you reach town. A good practice is to gorge on fruits/vegetables/whole proteins the minute you get to town, then treat yourself to your fancy. Otherwise, you'll start cramming pizzas and donuts and all of those high calorie / zero nutrition foods in and you'll regret it both weight-wise and performance-wise. Be aware that some areas, particularly through northern NC/TN/Central VA (Bland, Pearisburg, and Atkins come to mind,) nutritious foods can be hard to find in town and fast food will beckon you as you step off the whiteblaze. Consider maildrops there. From central PA onward you'll have pretty solid access to real grocery stores again (New England's got a pretty healthy attitude.) Here's basically what I ate, and I'm definitely going back to the drawing board.

On trail:

Tuna Tuna Tuna (Amazing nutrition. HIGH Protein/selenium/B12/muscle building blocks. Omega 3's for cardio health. Great in sunflower oil.)
Beef Jerky (Protein, salt; alternated in my food bag with Tuna)
Tyson chicken (If I could find it)
Clif Bars (Protein, Vitamin support)
Peanut Butter (Fat, protein, vitamin support)
Oatmeal (Fiber, need to keep regular. Constipation on trail is not cool.)
Nutella (when I'd get sick of PB and want to treat myself. Not very nutritious.)
Nuts (See peanut butter)
Raisins / Apricots (Fiber, sweettooth)
Lipton Cup-A-Soup (sodium, pretty good with tuna / jerky / chicken, could probably just carry broth or boullion)
Candy bars (carbs)
Chili powders (sodium, flavoring, good with fritos and noodles, etc.)

Town:

Yogurt (gut health)
Salad (nutrients)
Fruit
Cheese
Trash!

What I stopped carrying:

Ramen: bulky, not nutritious.
Instant Mashed potates: filling but not nutritious, fooled me into feeling fueled, and one time very dangerously.

I'd consider not worrying about your weight or obesity on or after trail. No judgement out there. I'm not a doctor but I'd think if you stuck to proper nutrition and see the hike through, your body will transform. Remember you'll be out there for a really long time, hiking every day. Your body will learn to be something new.

Oh yeah, take care of your teeth out there, esp if you're eating lots of bars. I brushed an flossed and still came back with cavities.

I can share with you your meal plan is very dry- tuna on the third day regardless of water intake is hard to swallow. Salmon is a little easier, Dried fruits for example Apricots. Jerky presents issues, I make my own very low sodium Jerky, but I make soft jerk not hard .. it needs to keep some moisture, for maximum flavor.

[Nooga]

Not sure I understand the point about tuna being hard to swallow. I added it to my Knorr side. Hydration is key. I subscribe to the theory that no matter what your problem (too hot, too cold, sore muscles, etc), drink more water. I had issues with not getting enough protein, so I added protein bars in the morning, jerky for snacks, and tuna with evening meals (usually every other day). As to obesity, I hiked with two guys that each lost over 100 lbs during their thru hike, so as previously stated, just make sure to get good nutrition, your body will adapt.

[MuddyWaters]

Fats can't be in a dehydrated product. Fats are added, when prepared to eat.

my bacon jerky and precooked bacon begs to differ.
These items cannot be expose to oxygen though, must be kept sealed and them consumed in short period.

[Connie]

It doesn't spoil?

It never gets a chance to spoil, because you eat it all up right away!

[QHShowoman]

I can share with you your meal plan is very dry- tuna on the third day regardless of water intake is hard to swallow. Salmon is a little easier, Dried fruits for example Apricots. Jerky presents issues, I make my own very low sodium Jerky, but I make soft jerk not hard .. it needs to keep some moisture, for maximum flavor.

Tuna salad and PB&J sandwiches are often the only things I find palatable on the first couple of days of a hiking trip.

[Nooga]

Tuna salad and PB&J sandwiches are often the only things I find palatable on the first couple of days of a hiking trip.

I like PB and honey sandwiches.

[evyck da fleet]

Hiker appetite kicks in at different points for different people. I'm a slim guy and it took me two weeks to burn off my excess fat and which point the appetite kicked in. After that I ate about 3000 calories a day and burned 5000 which required me to binge in town and put more weight back on so I'd be burning fat and not muscle between resupplies. However, I had trained myself to eat at least 3000-5000 calories a day on the trail so once I finished my hike I still continued to eat a lot of calories and put back whatever I lost and more on. Luckily, I'm active and lost the weight but for those who start the trail overweight they'll need to remain active after their hike or retrain their eating habits. As stated above, if you are overweight its probably easier if you work on that before you hit the trail if you want to keep the weight off afterwards.

[ninebeans]

You didn't say what the duration of your hikes were. A hiker appetite won't kick in for several weeks. If you've only section hiked, you probably haven't had that experience.

Two A.T. thrus, Long Trail thru, Pinhoti thru, Benton MacKaye thru, Camino de Santiago from the border with France to Santiago de Compostela; sections of the PCT, CDT and Colorado Trail.

[map man]

Is it really necessary to eat like a pig while on the trail?

No, it is not. In fact, I am convinced that the feast and famine cycles that most thru-hikers put themselves through -- eating less while on the trail then gorging when in trail towns -- is an inefficient way to manage your energy and food requirements while on a long hike and also sets yourself up for a lot of weight gain once you finish hiking. Gorging yourself is a hard habit to break.

I'll mention an example of what I mean. Let's say "Hiker A," in a five day trail segment, eats 3000 calories a day for the first four days of the segment, then gorges 8000 calories on that last day after arriving at a trail town, consuming 20,000 calories over five days. Let's say "Hiker B" eats a steady 4000 calories a day over the five days for that same 20,000 total calories. I'm convinced Hiker B will have more energy while hiking and will make more efficient use of those calories than Hiker A, and that Hiker B will lose less weight and have fewer instances of "intestinal distress" than Hiker A. (The drawback to this method is that you have to carry more food, adding more weight to your backpack, and I think this is the big reason why many hikers don't follow this practice.)

I also believe that how the food is consumed over the course of a hiking day matters as well. It's more efficient to use the "slow drip" method. Snack in smaller amounts but more frequently (every hour to hour-and-a-half while hiking) instead of eating a couple big meals and snacking sparingly. I find in early days on the trail when lack of appetite is a problem that it is easier to make myself eat an ounce or two of nuts at a time, or a bar of some kind, than it is to try to make myself eat a 1000-1500 calorie meal at the end of a tough hiking day. I find when I do the slow drip method I have steady energy while hiking and don't tend to "bonk."

As far as nutrition goes, everyone has different tastes so I'm not going to recommend particular foods. I do think your concern with getting enough protein while on the trail, while at the same time aiming to lose significant weight, is a valid one. Shoot for 100 to 150 grams of protein a day (this is significantly more protein than is needed for everyday life, but backpacking requires more). It's easy these days to find on food packaging how much protein is present.

[Siestita]

"...next year I may decide to hike the AT starting February/March 2016..."

biloute--There are some people here on WB who enjoy winter camping and do that frequently. Tipi Walter comes to mind. Perhaps you're also an avid winter camper, someone who sleeps outside there in Kansas in January and February.


But if by chance you're not already an experienced winter backpacking enthusiast, consider possibly starting your AT hike somewhat later. In contrast to your previous walk on the Camino, on the AT you'll need to carry food and overnight shelter with you, making the hiking a bit more arduous. And, for a winter start (February or early March) you'll need to carry more warm clothing than would be needed to begin your AT hike later. It's important that you enjoy your hike and not become overly discouraged by cold, rain, excessive pack weight, or unwisely attempting to cover too many miles during the initial days.

Also, even if you start in late March or early April, you will still experience some cold nights on the trail. In addition to having appropriate equipment, on those nights you'll also benefit if you have consumed some calories to burn off for warmth. Fat, because it digests slowly, is ideal for this purpose. Personally, consuming some fat (olive oil for example, or nuts) during the evening meal helps me get comfortably through cold nights.

[Siestita]

"It is what it is..... a fat burning machine like no other i have seen, I dropped 22lbs in the first 17 days and had zero desire for food, I would have to force myself to eat. Most of the early days I was only taking in 1500 to 1800 cal a day, not good. That changed slowly over time but total weight lost was 54 lbs between the pre trip training and the trail itself. I have added some lbs back on in preparation for a return to the trail in April, but try as I may I still shed when on the trails due to my poor appetite. One thing I will do differently is keep a better eye on hydration, I screwed that up BIG time on several occasions last year and paid a stiff price for it." Busky2

One way raise your calorie count while perhaps simultaneously combating dehydration is to add sugary drink mixes (for example lemonade, mango flavor, or Gatoraide) to your water bottles. I find that when I do that I'm motivated to consume more fluid than I otherwise would.

[Siestita]

"...next year I may decide to hike the AT starting February/March 2016..."

biloute--There are some people here on WB who enjoy winter camping and do that frequently. Tipi Walter comes to mind. Perhaps you're also an avid winter camper, someone who sleeps outside there in Kansas in January and February.


But if by chance you're not already an experienced winter backpacking enthusiast, consider possibly starting your AT hike somewhat later. In contrast to your previous walk on the Camino, on the AT you'll need to carry food and overnight shelter with you, making the hiking a bit more arduous. And, for a winter start (February or early March) you'll need to carry more warm clothing than would be needed to begin your AT hike later. It's important that you enjoy your hike and not become overly discouraged by cold, rain, excessive pack weight, or unwisely attempting to cover too many miles during the initial days.

Also, even if you start in late March or early April, you will still experience some cold nights on the trail. In addition to having appropriate equipment, on those nights you'll also benefit if you have consumed some calories to burn off for warmth. Fat, because it digests slowly, is ideal for this purpose. Personally, consuming some fat (olive oil for example, or nuts) during the evening meal helps me get comfortably through cold nights.

[biloute]

"if by chance you're not already an experienced winter backpacking enthusiast, consider possibly starting your AT hike somewhat later.

I'm thinking of starting that early in order to be sure to have enough time to reach Katahdin by early October. I kn that probably sounds like a lot to many people, but I'd want to leave some room for shorter days if necessary. I generally averaged 10-12 miles/day on the Camino. That wouldn't get me all the way through the AT in four or even five months, especially given the terrain.

[Siestita]

"...If you read, here, you will find "flip-flops" and "section hikers" looking for beauty and balance on the trail.

If you read, here, thru-hikers are goal oriented achievers.

From reading, here, you sound like you want beauty and balance...." Quote from Connie's wise post above.


Billute -- The AT will still be there to "finish off" the following year even if by chance you do not manage to hike all of it during a single season.

Also, every year many "early starters" abort their hikes before going very far, sometimes doing so because they're not accustomed to winter hiking and camping. It's great that you completed the Camino, spending two enjoyable summer months walking in France and Spain. But that wonderful experience may not necessarily have given you a realistic preview of what backpacking is like in the southern Appalachians during late winter, when hikers sometimes endure stormy snow, wind, and hail, and/or days or weeks of unrelenting cold, steady, rain.

In her post above Connie contrasted 'goal oriented' hiking with "looking for beauty and balance" along the trail. But, perhaps those purposes can be combined. I believe a person can potentially be 'achievement oriented' and 'goal oriented' without necessarily attempting, come 'hell or high water' (or snow, or injury, etc.) to complete the entire AT during a single year. After starting from Springer in late March, in April, or even in May some hikers' goal is simply to walk as far north as possible, remaining on the Trail until either they reach Katadin or are deterred from doing so by winter's approach.

[Siestita]

You live in Dodge City, Kansas. Hopefully, between now and early 2016 you'll manage do some backpacking in that general region, perhaps in Arkansas or the Colorado Rockies. In addition to potentially helping you to lose a few pounds, doing some hikes of a few days each (or even better a few weeks each, with resupply) could accustom you to carrying your backpacking gear and camping with it. And, doing summer walks in Colorado's high country, and/or spring/fall ones in Arkansas, would be fun. Doing long distance hikes on trails such as the Camino de Santiago and the AT is not the only way to enjoyably backpack.

[bamboo bob]

I always start 20+ pounds overweight. I also always have trail legs from the git go. I lose the excess. On the AT and PCT I lost 40 pounds. But on section hikes by the time I get hungry I'm on the way home. Section hiking is much harder than thru-hiking. Fun though.

[GummiBear]

When I hike I tend not to eat that much despite knowing that I should. Going by BMI, I am considered obese but I am 20 lbs lighter than when I successfully completed my first Ironman race. I would suggest you research nutrition for endurance sports. The key is no matter what you eat or not eat you need to make sure your body is properly fueled so you don't bonk. Once you understand fueling for endurance, you can get away with not taking in a ton of calories.

[Connie]

Going by BMI, I am obese. But I am strong.

One of my strengths is endurance. Is eating for endurance, eating Highly Beneficial foods AKA D'Adamo and selecting food items and recipes highly satisfying for you. I do that. I also notice I have smaller portions, and, drink more fluids.

Is that what you are speaking of?