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Happy
02-03-2004, 01:24
I just lost 30 pounds on the South Beach Diet and I have investigated it in detail, as it is written by a cardiologist...I realize on a long distance hike, I need to increase calories after a couple of weeks but wonder about protein, carbs, fats, etc.?? anyone with views on this?

bearbait2k4
02-03-2004, 03:45
I have a view on it.

Don't try to cut anything you have mentioned out of your diet.

Realize that you are going to burn 3500+ calories per day, even if you are stopping in town for a day or two. Don't eat as if you are watching your caloric/fat/protein/carb intake. Eat as if you're going out into the woods to hike for 8-10 hours a day, because that's what you're doing.

I wouldn't count on increasing calories after a couple of weeks. You need to start increasing calories immediately, so your body can keep up. It is hard to keep your body going strong after about 1200-1500 miles, so you shouldn't skimp on anything if you want to go the long haul.

Blue Jay
02-03-2004, 08:42
Dieting and long distance hiking is like driving cross country and deciding to spend $3 per day on gas. You can do it but a thru will take a few years or decades. You could try it though. I think that unless you take some type of extreme diet pill, your ravenous hunger will drive that diet out.

Peaks
02-03-2004, 09:24
While doing a long distance hike, your body needs 3500 to 4000 calories per day, or more. It's hard, if not impossible, to do this without lots of fat and carbs. Diets aren't needed when doing that much exercise consistently.

smokymtnsteve
02-03-2004, 09:30
good quality nutrition is ALWAYS advisable

gravityman
02-03-2004, 13:48
I just lost 30 pounds on the South Beach Diet and I have investigated it in detail, as it is written by a cardiologist...I realize on a long distance hike, I need to increase calories after a couple of weeks but wonder about protein, carbs, fats, etc.?? anyone with views on this?

Oh, and by the way, cardiologist don't study nutrition. Nutritionists do. They are the ones you should be turning to for diet advice.


Just a thought...

Gravity Man

Happy
02-03-2004, 17:37
[QUOTE=gravityman]Oh, and by the way, cardiologist don't study nutrition. Nutritionists do. They are the ones you should be turning to for diet advice.


The South Beach Diet is a best seller, written by a Miami cardiologist who was not having weight loss results with his heart attack victums, while recommending the food pyrmid and the American Heart Association diet. He designed this diet years ago and has had amazing results.

It works sort of like the Adkins, but is healthy...you just eliminate the bad carbs, bad fats and eat all the healthy ones.

I guess my question should have been, was there anyone who thought those were needed? I just answered my own question...with this diet you are eating the healthy carbs, fats, protein and getting plenty calories to hike...just eliminating the bad (empty carbs & fats that make you hungry 1 to 2 hours later) there will be plenty of that from the hike alone!!

mswaine
02-16-2004, 12:48
For medical reasons, I too lost weight (close to 60# in 6 mo.) with a low carb diet and in the process met with numerous dietitians. Never saw a more closed minded group of people in my life. They were of little help on trail advice because they were stuck on the traditional food pyramid.

Now that I've changed my hiking diet I've found that proteins weigh more than carbs, so my pack weight has increased some. I use foods like nuts, cheese, salami, and no sugars as my staple trail mix in keeping calories up. Because a low carb diet allow large consumptions of zero carb foods, calorie counting is not a factor (eat as much as you want or need to maintain energy levels). "No cook" hikes are common now that I've ditched the pasta & rice. Dietitians will tell you, you need carbs for energy, but I have not seen a drop in energy, to the contrary.

Of course, I have to consider that the extra weight I left behind has contributed more to my increased energy than the trail food, so it's too soon to tell. I'll have to get more mile under me with my new body to evaluate the personal difference.

Those who say forget about dieting on the trail, I'm sure are not considering medical reasons to diet, but they could be right about the average person burning more calories & energy than a typical "low-calorie" diet would allow. Now that my weight is under control I have been amazed at how a little regular exercise keeps blood sugars in check and energy levels high without bulking up on carbs.

My recent, nine month, unscientific study has shown me that larger amounts of protein have allowed me to cut carbs without sacrificing energy levels.

Connie
06-28-2004, 20:02
I have the viewpoint, that weightloss is not a good idea for an endurance event.

If you like that way you feel now, weight loss and well being, I suggest finding out really healthy food items, for you, and make your food choices.

I am a heart patient.

I had a Hindu vegetarian monk look me over, with a critical eye, after a brief visit to the high mountains and having several times eaten outdoor grilled elk steaks, and deer liver and heart. I didn't tell him anything. He said, "You need wild meat !"

That monk gave me "Eat Right for Your Blood Type" !

I do select food items off the "highly beneficial" list, and off the "neutral" list. I avoid food items on the "Avoid" list. I also use recommended food supplements, avoiding some, as recommended.

It is amazing how much energy and endurance I have.

I do use CYTOMAX, as directed, to aid oxygen uptake and prevent lactic acid build-up in my legs.

BTW, my "dry meat" is buffalo.

However, I have more vegetables, and fruit, than most.

The Scribe
06-29-2004, 21:57
I too have stopped eating carbs and have lost 35 pounds to date. No bread, no milk, rice, potatos, beer :mad: , etc.

Except when I hike.

Did a 10-mile day-hike yesterday in the whites. Had a bagel for breakfast and all the trail mix i could eat during the day. Carbs as part of dinner last night.

Today, back to the normal routine, back to no carbs.

Bear Magnet
06-30-2004, 11:10
One of the best parts of long distance hiking is you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight.

You want to eat three pancakes, a bagel, two poached eggs, a side of bacon, juice, and coffee for breakfast when in town? Go ahead. (That was my standard breakfast fare)

You like Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream-have two or three pints a week if you want.

Trail mix? Candy Bars? Pasta dinners? All o.k.

A big burger, beer, and fries at the Doyle? Of course.

I lost 25 pounds while hiking last year while eating a lot.

Can't do that now, of course, but it was fun while it lasted. :clap

Bear Magnet
Jonathan Amato

Grimace
06-30-2004, 12:35
of the low carb thing. If you can deal with it though, than all the power to you. I'm not convinced that it is necessarily healthy. INMO, a little of everyting is better than a lot of one thing. In relating to the trail...

Be sure to "listen" to your cravings. Both my wife and I craved milk when we were hiking. I'm guessing our bodies told us calcium was deficient. I'd always crave salty foods like chips and fried chicken. I know I was not eating a lot of salt and sweating like a pig. Again, another deficiency. I didn't drink that much soda before I left, but man did I crave it approaching town. Lack of sugar? I never really did crave steak, but I always ate tons of protein on the trail like tuna, nut butter, jerky, etc.

I guess food for thought :)