View Full Version : a question for any big eaters...
The Phoenix
03-19-2009, 23:29
Hi,
I'm looking for some rough ideas of what big eater put down a day/week on the trail. Both calories and dollars are I guess the best way I could figure this all out... kind of a vague question. I am 6'3 215 and eat a lot... in the past when I've done hiking on any long term (6-8 week trips) I have lost 10-20 lbs while eating 3500+ calories a day. I'm not lookin to loose too much weight, but at the same time need to know a decent budget to stick to when it comes to food. Anyone who loves eating and does a good job with it get at me with any rough answers... I'd appreciate it.
Thanks a lot and God Bless
The Phoenix
I have always taken my skillet 6-8" on backpacking trips. Pancakes are easy to make these days. That always fills me up.
I had a friend who would add cut up peppers, onions and cheese to the bisquick container before adding water and would make pancakes of that for dinner. That was some quick, easy, filling, dinner. I love my mini-skillet.
I had a friend who would add cut up peppers, onions and cheese to the bisquick container before adding water and would make pancakes of that for dinner. That was some quick, easy, filling, dinner. I love my mini-skillet.
You cannot go wrong with that! :) Pan fry them in lots of olive oil for extra fat and calories.....
garlic08
03-20-2009, 00:13
3500 calories per day sounds about right, depending on how much you're working. How many miles, how much weight you're carrying, what good a shape you're in are major variables. You'll loose weight in the tough sections, hopefully gain it back in the easy sections (middle 1000 miles).
Last year I spent about $700 on trail food and about $600 on town food (I ate very well in towns), practically none on drinking, none on tobacco. Hope that's what you're looking for.
Many Walks
03-20-2009, 12:03
I'm about your size and I ate everything that couldn't get away and still lost 40 lbs. I don't know your activity level now, but you'll be working hard out there so plan on a pretty big food bag or frequent town stops. AYCE buffets will be your best friend!
Stay hydrated. Wish you the best!
I'm a big eater myself (just look at my food bag!) and do "big" mileage days by some standards. I'm on the short side (5'6"), but tend to have a stocky/muscular frame so I am not exactly small. I burn through the food and my appetite goes through the roof quickly on any hikes.
Long story short? I try to pack in the calories. Little Debbie is my friend! Grab those Snickers! In town? Pig out!
You WILL lose weight. But that does not mean you will get anemic. :)
3500 calories a day while hiking? What are you doing? I guess I am a big eater, I eat almost that much when I am not hiking. While hiking I eat between 5000 and 6000 calories a day on the trail and more when I get to town. Even with that I lost about 30 pounds in the first 500 miles of my thru-hike, and about 35-40 pounds altogether by the end. I guess it helps that when you eat that much you need to carry a lot more weight, but I still cannot imagine trying to hike a significant distance while only eating 3500 calories a day, but maybe that is just me.
beakerman
03-20-2009, 19:46
you can hork down 3500+ calories when off trail and still loose weight?!
You are a god! Enjpy that metabolism while you can I guess...if i stand in a room with 3500 calories I gain 5 pounds regardless of what I'm doing.
kayak karl
03-20-2009, 20:22
3500 calories a day while hiking? What are you doing? I guess I am a big eater, I eat almost that much when I am not hiking. While hiking I eat between 5000 and 6000 calories a day on the trail and more when I get to town. Even with that I lost about 30 pounds in the first 500 miles of my thru-hike, and about 35-40 pounds altogether by the end. I guess it helps that when you eat that much you need to carry a lot more weight, but I still cannot imagine trying to hike a significant distance while only eating 3500 calories a day, but maybe that is just me.
what did you eat to get 5-6k calories? what did it weigh? i just left the trail for major weight loss. your right 3500 won't do it. your advice would be appreciated. TY KK
kayak karl
03-20-2009, 20:35
You WILL lose weight. But that does not mean you will get anemic. :)
i lost 45 # 50 days. dizzy spells, falls and bad decisions. i was told by my doc that i was trying to make up calories with items with sugar (bad move). didn't work for me. i am still trying to find a 4500 cal+ diet to finish trail. you may not get anemic. just get dizzy, fall and figure out where the the blood is from, and move on. not a problem :)
what did you eat to get 5-6k calories? what did it weigh? i just left the trail for major weight loss. your right 3500 won't do it. your advice would be appreciated. TY KK
Lots of Peanut butter. Peanut Butter is probably the best food for a hiker, it has a calorie to weight ratio which is better than anything other then pure fat, and it goes well with everything. In the morning try some oatmeal with peanut butter, for lunch have peanut butter on crackers, for dinner Ramen, and mix some Peanut butter in, it tastes better then it sounds.
Other then Peanut Butter my advice is simply carry a lot if you want to eat a lot. My food weighed at least 3 pounds per day (I am not exactly sure because I never weighed it, but adding up net weights from packaging it was at least this much).
Blissful
03-20-2009, 23:49
Diet must be by way of overall nutritional balance of fat, protein and carbs. The best way to make sure you get what you need is to supplement with mail drops of certain foods (like nutritional dinners, etc) and vitamins (I know heaven forbid anyone does mail drops on WB!). But it worked for us. We lost a ton of weight in ME the last two weeks when we didn't receive our drops. I maintained the same weight (once I lost the initial 20 lbs) all the way to ME when I dropped 10 lbs in 2 weeks. We supplemented our drops with grocery items like tortillas, cheese etc in stores.
I think too the UL mentality has made people forfeit nutrition also. Everyone prepares with footwear, packs, bag, etc but skip the importance of eating the right foods if you expect your body to do what it normally doesn't do. You need to be willing to carry the weight of adequate nutrition and prepare for it while on the trail.
Eat bacon wrapped sticks of deep fried, batter dipped, sugar glazed butter.:D
Don't worry. You'll have much better luck finding food than it will getting away from you. Don't worry and don't hurry.;)
drastic_quench
03-21-2009, 00:37
It's worth splitting a bottle of olive oil with another hiker and carrying 8 ounces of it. It's chock full of good fats and plenty of calories for your engine to burn. Nalgene makes handy 8 ounce bottles with good lids that won't leak. A dose of olive oil goes well with lots of stuff - tortillas, noodles, mashed potato flakes, etc.
I also find that I end up eating more when I pack along some basic spices. A little black pepper and garlic will ensure that I wolf down the last of my Ramen mashed potato mix.
The Phoenix
03-21-2009, 18:26
I appreciate all the words of wisdom. Can you find powdered milk and stuff on the trail or is that something to get before hand? Any ideas on what power/protein/energy bars are the best and more importantly cheapest (Taste usually comes with large bucks... I'm okay with eating the bars that don't taste all that good... I don't need to pay 50 bucks for 20 bars.)
These are my ideas : Grits, oatmeal, and the occasional cereal for breakfast usually b. sugar raisins/cheese and butter for variety...
A bar or 2 for a mid AM snack
Jerky Tuna Torts Peanut Butter for lunch with whatever species and condiments I got for lunch
Gorp bars for another snack
Then B & R, Mac and Cheese, Ramen and other easily made dinners with a little gorp or whatever...
This is just a rough idea so I can plan more realistically.
Thanks for all the help
garlic08
03-21-2009, 20:50
Can you find powdered milk and stuff on the trail or is that something to get before hand?
I did OK buying it along the way, but don't count on it all the time. You need a pretty good-sized grocery to find powdered milk, and then you're lucky if you find a smaller (3 qt) box. Sometimes all that's there is a large (8 qt) box. You won't find it at most of the smaller markets and C-stores. You can try hot chocolate or instant breakfast mix if that's all there is. I haven't, but some have. The powder is light enough that sometimes I'd buy a large box and that might have to last over 2-300 miles.
UnkaJesse
03-21-2009, 21:11
The two serving freeze dried meals ae perfect for me.
UnkaJesse
03-21-2009, 21:24
I once went through the trouble to put in my average day into one of those online calorie calculators and determined that my daily calorie burn is 3,500 per day. I'm 6'4' and 225 lbs. You'll need a lot more, but probably not double that on the trail. Here's another statistic you might find useful. I run with a heart rate monitor that estimates calorie burn and all sorts of other data. My last half marathon -- that's a 13.1 mile run for the uninitiated -- was just over 2,500 calories. I figure that's pretty close to the equivalent output of carrying a full pack over mountains. It seems to me that running for two hours and hiking for eight to ten are about equal.
So for me, that would be about 6,000 calories per day to start. Chop off 1,000 just because of the physical challenge of carrying that much food. Chop off another 500 by way of accepting that you'll lose weight over your thru. And finally, I'd say take off another 500 since I'm a just bit bigger. That puts you at 4,000 per day. You should be able to take that much in.
Or chunk all this out the window and just eat anything doesn't eat you first.
Bulldawg
03-21-2009, 21:55
you can hork down 3500+ calories when off trail and still loose weight?!
You are a god! Enjpy that metabolism while you can I guess...if i stand in a room with 3500 calories I gain 5 pounds regardless of what I'm doing.
Heck, I bet I don't eat 2000 calories a day around home and work and I can't seem to get rid of my oversized belly. I usually lose my appetite on the trail but do well with 2500-3000 calories. But I've never thru hiked, so not sure what would happen were I to try that.
I will 2nd olive oil put it in most everything you cook oatmeal, noodles, potatoes, rice 8oz may not be enough because you need at least a small grocery for olive oil, gas station/convenience store or outfitter usually will not carry it. at 1oz per use it will go fast 4 servings a day gives close to an extra 1000 calories
mweinstone
03-22-2009, 06:15
my name is matthewski. i am the worlds largest human being. i have eating. you will follow my food for it is good. come here and sit by the warm glow of the blue bulb of the computoe and i will spin a calorie of tails and meats o organs and bacon and salads and cookies and my o so to die for trail biscuts with bacon and gravy and pancakes with bacon and coffie and all mannor of coosecoose with stuffing and sugar for all. amen.
UnkaJesse
03-22-2009, 08:47
my Name Is Matthewski. I Am The Worlds Largest Human Being. I Have Eating. You Will Follow My Food For It Is Good. Come Here And Sit By The Warm Glow Of The Blue Bulb Of The Computoe And I Will Spin A Calorie Of Tails And Meats O Organs And Bacon And Salads And Cookies And My O So To Die For Trail Biscuts With Bacon And Gravy And Pancakes With Bacon And Coffie And All Mannor Of Coosecoose With Stuffing And Sugar For All. Amen.
Rofl!
beakerman
03-22-2009, 22:13
Heck, I bet I don't eat 2000 calories a day around home and work and I can't seem to get rid of my oversized belly. I usually lose my appetite on the trail but do well with 2500-3000 calories. But I've never thru hiked, so not sure what would happen were I to try that.
Well I'm glag to see I'mnot the only human on this forum...or at least not the only one that has to watch what I eat.
I haven't done a thru either but I do tend to eat tons more protein when I hike...I eat what I crave under the theory that my body will tell me what to eat and what it needs. When I hike I tend to neither loose nor gain weight but I'm not exactly counting calories on the trail either. The only thing I try to keep an eye on is my water and salts intaketo make sure I'm getting enough of each.
This was a major problem for me...I lost almost 50 pounds between Springer and Damascus...about 35 pounds of that was in the first 30 days. I finally realized I was wasting away when I rolled into town and ate a large pizza (3000+ calories), 2 pounds of chicken, a pound of bacon, 8 kaiser rolls and a whole box of ice cream sandwiches in a matter of a few hours...I went to bed so full I could hardly move and still woke up the next morning starving.
From then on I said to hell with the weight and carried REAL FOOD on the trail. Sorry, you just can't survive on ramens and mashed potatoes.
Cheese: will last you a few days without refrigeration.
Tie a loaf of bread to the outside of your pack...you can eat about half of it before it gets smashed too bad...put chunks of smashed pieces in your ramens...peanut butter sandwiches...make grilled cheese sandwiches...put some of that pre-cooked bacon in them...carry a tiny can of tomato sauce and some pepperoni (doesn't need refrigeration) and you can make toasted pizza sandwiches...I used the lid of my pot as a frying pan...your pot may not be designed for that, but mine worked well.
Mac & Cheese: buy the shell's and cheese with the foil pack of real cheese, not the powdered stuff...eat the whole box=1000 calories.
Canned ham...canned chicken...canned turkey...canned roast beef...its all in the same section of the grocery store next to the tuna and vienna sausages. The Kroger in Hiawassee and also in Daleville used to sell salt cured pork that didn't need refrigeration. Combine one of the above with a pack of ramens and a cup of instant rice and some butter=1000 calories.
Two 1000 calorie meals a day plus 4 or 5 bars and some gorp, cheese and peanut butter throughout the day plus a good breakfast ought to get you where you need to go. If you are not eating ten times a day you won't be able to get that many calories in.
The Solemates
03-23-2009, 10:35
Im 6'4" 220. Before my hike I was doing amateur bodybuilding, 9% body fat. I ate over 5000 calories a day. When I started the trail I kept this about the same, around 5000 calories a day. I ate. and ate. and ate. and ate. it was nothing for me to eat 2 large pizzas by myself why on the trail. When I reached VT/NH I had lost 45 lbs, all of it muscle. By the time I reached Katahdin, I had gained about 10 back somehow. So, my total loss for the trail was around 35 lbs. It took me all of 2 months to gain all 35 lbs back when I returned back home after my hike.
Ox97GaMe
03-23-2009, 14:56
That is the beauty of All You Can Eat locations. They say the average thru hiker is burning between 5,000 and 6,000 calories per day. You might be able to find hiker friendly foods that will get you to about 4,000 calories per day. When you get into town, you just gorge yourself.
On my thru hike, there was more than one occassion when I would hit the buffet for 6 or 7 heaping plate loads. One place, I had 21 plate size pancakes for breakfast. The half-gallon challenge was no challenge for me.
I would also have to add that I wasnt an 'average' hiker at that point of the hike. I was still carrying about 45 lbs and kicking out 25-30 mile days regularly. One stretch, I did a little over 200 miles in 6 days.
Hey Ox, I never got a chance to thank you for that roast beef sandwich you gave me at the Fontana Hilton in March of 2002. Thanks! I needed it.