View Full Version : Percentage of Calories From Fat
I'm planning an '08 thru-hike, and am currently trying to build the contents of my food resupply boxes.
I'm curious how much fat you all typically depend on in a daily diet when on a thru-hike?
The temptation to try surviving on a diet super high in fat is tempting, but I don't want to go overboard and die of of a heart attack 2 months into the hike ;-)
Here's an example of a questionable diet with 50% of calories from fat assuming a 5 day trip...
1 lb PB = 2800 cal or 560 cal per day
1.5 lb oil = 5760 cal or 1152 per per day
... so far 2.5 lb and 1712 cal per day
To get roughly 3400 calories per day, add another 1600 calories of carbs and healthier foods, and assume each 100 calories weighs 1 oz.
This is roughly another 1 lb total.
So one could travel for 5 days with 3.5 lb of food which is "ultralight" and still get 3400 calories, but 50+ percent of calories from fat seems extreme.
Just wondering what folks feel is "normal" while thru-hiking.
The Old Fhart
01-29-2008, 23:33
mrburns-"...The temptation to try surviving on a diet super high in fat is tempting, but I don't want to go overboard and die of of a heart attack 2 months into the hike ;-)"You'd probably have such violent diarrhea that you'd wish for a heart attack to end it all!:eek:
Sorry... One calculation error in my previous post....
Should have said:
One could travel for 5 days with 8.5 lb of food which is "ultralight" etc....
(not 3.5 lb of food)
Frolicking Dinosaurs
01-29-2008, 23:37
Higher than normal fat content is normal among hikers. However, I suggest you be sure you get enough fiber and protein as well. Your muscles will need the protein and your digestive track will need the fiber. This article may help you fill your food box with appropriate items: Nutritional content of common hiker foods (http://www.whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=nutrition)
Hit a salad bar sometime during those 5 days :).
warraghiyagey
01-29-2008, 23:40
Higher than normal fat content is normal among hikers. However, I suggest you be sure you get enough fiber and protein as well. Your muscles will need the protein and your digestive track will need the fiber. This article may help you fill your food box with appropriate items: Nutritional content of common hiker foods (http://www.whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=nutrition)
I definitely key on the protein as I know I'll get plenty of fat from my higher calorie food (pasta, liptons etc.)
Higher fat content is good in cold weather, but you'll suffer far more adverse effects during your hike from having a high-fat diet than you will from carrying a few extra ounces a day.
Man...I'm advocating carrying more weight. Might be one of the first times I've ever said that...
One hiker I know did about half the Trail eating peanut butter mixed with honey. Seriously. He'd start with an empty jar so he could take pb out of one jar and honey out of the other, then mix them. Repeat in one of the now half-empty jars.
In town he'd eat a lot of restaurant food, sometimes steathing on the outskirts of town so he could have two town meals.
I'm planning an '08 thru-hike, and am currently trying to build the contents of my food resupply boxes.
I'm curious how much fat you all typically depend on in a daily diet when on a thru-hike?
The temptation to try surviving on a diet super high in fat is tempting, but I don't want to go overboard and die of of a heart attack 2 months into the hike ;-)
Here's an example of a questionable diet with 50% of calories from fat assuming a 5 day trip...
1 lb PB = 2800 cal or 560 cal per day
1.5 lb oil = 5760 cal or 1152 per per day
... so far 2.5 lb and 1712 cal per day
To get roughly 3400 calories per day, add another 1600 calories of carbs and healthier foods, and assume each 100 calories weighs 1 oz.
This is roughly another 1 lb total.
So one could travel for 5 days with 3.5 lb of food which is "ultralight" and still get 3400 calories, but 50+ percent of calories from fat seems extreme.
Just wondering what folks feel is "normal" while thru-hiking.
I don't think 50% fat is extreme while thru-hiking, or even a long day hike. The important thing is to distinguish between calories burned and calories consumed. If you are overweight and burning body fat, then you should replace the carbs and protien that you burn or otherwise destory, but you don't really need to replace the fat. You should still consume at leat 20g of fat though, as you need it for digestion and other processes.
If you are already lean enough, then I think you should consume a diet that is close to what you are burning. If you are a runner and running an hour a day, two hours on sunday, then you need a diet higher in carbs. Perhaps as high as 70% carbs. If you are a thru-hiker hiking 8-12 hours a day you are probably burning equal amounts of carbs and fats, perhaps more fats than carbs depending on how efficient you are. For such a person 50% fat and 40% carbs seems about right, perhaps as high as 60%-30% but I wouldn't go higher. 10% protien is enough as long as it is at least 100g. When you are dieting without exercising much the percent protien needs to go up, even though the amount of protien actually goes down a bit.
In summary, figure out what your body is actually burning or destroying, and replace it, unless you want to lose some fat. Your body has some capacity to convert some things to others but you don't want to push the limits of that because it can be hard on the liver and kidneys and so forth. Unlike your muscles which can cruise on fat, your brain needs carbs, and your body can convert protien to carbs when neccessary, but its hard on the kidneys. I think the greatest danger for thru-hikers eating diets too low in carbs is that they might be more likely to bonk.
I should be clear also that 60% fat calories means about 45% fat by weight.
Let's look at the range of what might still be healthy for hiking.
Lets assume 5000 kcal per day.
Upper Fats Limit for Healthy Hiking
60% fat = 3000kcal / 9kcal/g = 333g
30% carbs = 1500kcal / 4kcal/g = 375g
10% protien = 500kcal / 4kcal/g = 125g
Throw in another 67g for moisture and fibre. Don't forget some fibre.
Total = 900g or about 2.0 pounds/day
Upper Carbs Limit for Healthy Hiking
30% fat = 1500kcal / 9kcal/g = 67g
60% carbs = 3000kcal / 4kcal/g = 750g
10% protien = 500kcal / 4kcal/g = 125g
Throw in another 67g for moisture and fibre.
Total = 1042g or about 2.3 pounds/day
So you might save about 0.3 pounds per day by eating a high fat diet, but I would be careful if there was a lot of hills where you have periods of high carb burning. Even a lean hiker has lots of fat to fall back on, but when we run low on carbs we tend to burn muscle, or bonk, or worse.
If we are overweight and want to keep some of that fat off that we are burning we can use the upper limit fats diet above, but take out some of the fat. They say you shouldn't lose more than a pound a week, but this doesn't apply to hikers. I think you can burn all the fat you want, as long as you still consume at least 20g per day, lets say 33g to be on the safe side.
Overweight hiker burning 5000kcal/day but only eating 2200kcal/day
9% fat = 200kcal / 9kcal/g = 33g
68% carbs = 1500kcal / 4kcal/g = 375g
23% protien = 500kcal / 4kcal/g = 125g
Throw in another 67g for moisture and fibre.
Thus this hiker only needs to carry 533g/day = 1.2 pounds/day
So he carried 6 pounds less food on a 5 day hike, but is probably at least 10 or 20 pounds heavier to begin with.
In this scenario you would lose 300g fat per day (600g body weight)
Give 6 hiking days per week and 1 rest day you could lose 1200g = 4 pounds/week.
I'm planning an '08 thru-hike, and am currently trying to build the contents of my food resupply boxes.
I'm curious how much fat you all typically depend on in a daily diet when on a thru-hike?
The temptation to try surviving on a diet super high in fat is tempting, but I don't want to go overboard and die of of a heart attack 2 months into the hike ;-)
Here's an example of a questionable diet with 50% of calories from fat assuming a 5 day trip...
1 lb PB = 2800 cal or 560 cal per day
1.5 lb oil = 5760 cal or 1152 per per day
... so far 2.5 lb and 1712 cal per day
To get roughly 3400 calories per day, add another 1600 calories of carbs and healthier foods, and assume each 100 calories weighs 1 oz.
This is roughly another 1 lb total.
So one could travel for 5 days with 3.5 lb of food which is "ultralight" and still get 3400 calories, but 50+ percent of calories from fat seems extreme.
Just wondering what folks feel is "normal" while thru-hiking.
You could check out this fellows menu; some might say he knows what he is doing.:D
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=207105
I'm sure you could do a "search", and find others menus here or on trail journals, or maybe google it?:-?
I would imagine that once the Rock burns off the rest of that Christmas turkey he will need to add some fat to his diet,
or else resupply some of that body fat at frequent BBQ stops along the way. ;)
I've calculated that I have enough excess body fat to run the AT in 28.4 days without resupply. :D
"Theory and practice are the same in theory, but different in practice". - Yogi Berra
JAK, thanks for the excellent write ups, that will help me a lot in the planning process.
I found good info in the other posts and links as well, thanks everybody!
I would think in terms of complete nutrition. Healthy eating and fueling your body while hiking isn't just about eating enormous amts. of calories. If calories were the only issue, particularly when you're looking at in the context of low trail food wt., than U would choose foods high in fat, or only fat, because a gram of fat has about 9 calories versuses about 4 cal. for either a gram of carbohydrates or protein. But, healthy nutrition, whether it be on the trail or off it, is also about micro and macro nutrients, fiber, enzymes, anti-oxidants, vitamins, preservatives, coloring agents, etc. Get my point? Find low wt. high calorie healthy foods(there are a lot out there). Of course, consuming a diet higher in "GOOD" fats(Good fats-nuts, seeds, salmon, avocados, olive oil) while on the trail is not necessarily a bad thing but a diet where 50-60 % or more of the calories are coming from fat, particularly when a high % of the fat is in the form of "BAD" fats(hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, pork chops, vegetable oil) just isn't very healthy in the long run, or in your case, the long walk! Think total health and for the long haul! Do U think a Snickers bar or an equvalent wt. of a trail mix consisting of raw slivered almonds, shredded coconut, raw sunflower seeds, and raw pumpkin seeds(pepitas) is more nutritious and healthier?
In a strenuous 14 hr hiking day I can burn upwards of 7000 cals. Unless I'm carrying absurd amts. of food and/or guzzling olive oil I'm not going to get the calories I need over the long haul. That's why no matter how much they are carrying and how nutritious their trail food is virtually all thru-hikers lose wt. My thru-hike strategy on the AT was to eat the lowest wt. healthiest foods I could find and resupply, at the most, every 6 days(lots of opportunity for healthy resupplies on the AT, this helps lower pack wt. but it means more traveling to and from the AT). This might work for U. When U get into town to eat don't eat the first candy bar U see; Opt for healthier choices. Garbage In Garbage Out!
Appalachian Tater
01-30-2008, 13:15
Let your appetite be your guide.
Why? Your diet may well vary according to the season and your physical condition. An overweight, out-of-shape hiker at Springer in the tail end of winter may eat differently from a thin, in-shape hiker in middle of the summer in Connecticut, even if it's the same person.
...."Theory and practice are the same in theory, but different in practice". - Yogi Berra
Yes, and get AFLAC, "...they give you money, which is just as good as cash!":D
I would think in terms of complete nutrition. Healthy eating and fueling your body while hiking isn't just about eating enormous amts. of calories. If calories were the only issue, particularly when you're looking at in the context of low trail food wt., than U would choose foods high in fat, or only fat, because a gram of fat has about 9 calories versuses about 4 cal. for either a gram of carbohydrates or protein. But, healthy nutrition, whether it be on the trail or off it, is also about micro and macro nutrients, fiber, enzymes, anti-oxidants, vitamins, preservatives, coloring agents, etc. Get my point? Find low wt. high calorie healthy foods(there are a lot out there). Of course, consuming a diet higher in "GOOD" fats(Good fats-nuts, seeds, salmon, avocados, olive oil) while on the trail is not necessarily a bad thing but a diet where 50-60 % or more of the calories are coming from fat, particularly when a high % of the fat is in the form of "BAD" fats(hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, pork chops, vegetable oil) just isn't very healthy in the long run, or in your case, the long walk! Think total health and for the long haul! Do U think a Snickers bar or an equvalent wt. of a trail mix consisting of raw slivered almonds, shredded coconut, raw sunflower seeds, and raw pumpkin seeds(pepitas) is more nutritious and healthier?
In a strenuous 14 hr hiking day I can burn upwards of 7000 cals. Unless I'm carrying absurd amts. of food and/or guzzling olive oil I'm not going to get the calories I need over the long haul. That's why no matter how much they are carrying and how nutritious their trail food is virtually all thru-hikers lose wt. My thru-hike strategy on the AT was to eat the lowest wt. healthiest foods I could find and resupply, at the most, every 6 days(lots of opportunity for healthy resupplies on the AT, this helps lower pack wt. but it means more traveling to and from the AT). This might work for U. When U get into town to eat don't eat the first candy bar U see; Opt for healthier choices. Garbage In Garbage Out!Two excellent points there.
1. There is so little difference in weight between empty calories and wholesome food that is low in moisture, go for a wholesome and balanced diet that matches what you are consuming.
2. Once your fit enough to really burn the calories, and lean enough that you can't afford to burn too much body fat, at some point you become limited by how much you can eat and digest.
At 5000 kcal per day or whatever it is that I can burn #2 is not so much an issue for me, especially when I have plenty of fat to burn, but I would like to get fit enough and lean enough for it to become an issue. That is one of my major goals in life, to get that fit and lean again. Best way I know is by hiking.
Going for another short hike now. I talk to much and walk to little.