[pct-l] Eating on the trail

[Tom Bache]

Donna and Alden,

Thanks for the posts about lack of appetite on the trail.  I was wondering
if I was the only one with this "problem."  I posted about it some time ago,
and the best advice I got was from a guy who said ³don¹t worry, you¹ll get
hungry before you die of malnutrition.²  I haven't tested this yet -- my
longest hikes are only 6-7 days.

I used to worry about being unable to eat even 1000 calories per day on my
strenuous weeklong hikes (my preference is to hike as many miles as my aging
body can stand). There are days, common in hot weather, when I can eat
nothing at all.  But it seems to do no harm, and maybe even does some good
(my wife seems to appreciate my post-hike waistline).

Donna¹s lament that Jeff ate more food, but lost more weight is a common
lament among  athletes.  Spend some time with elite athletes in endurance
sports where low-weight is an advantage (e.g., distance running).  You¹ll
find that it is a truism that all the men eat whenever they are hungry,  and
all the women diet constantly.   The y-chromosome in action!

Tom Bache
San Diego

> Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:48:20 -0500 (EST)
> From: "Donna \"L-Rod\" Saufley" <dsaufley at sprynet.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Question about food
> 
> As a section hiker, I find that my need for calories is not that high when I
> start out, but steadily increases.  At best, I can choke down 2,500 calories
> when starting out, but I have to force myself.  After 300 miles in the
> Sierras, I still could not eat and did not want the 3,500 calories I
> originally planned and packed for, and dumped a whole lot of food in hiker
> boxes (much to the happiness of others) along the way.  Granted, YMMV, but
> 6,000 calories sounds like a lot of food to eat and carry if your body isn't
> asking for it yet.  Many hikers find that the monster appetite doesn't kick in
> until after a month or so.
> 
> For this year's stretch continuing in the Sierras, I planned on 2,500
> calories, but found that I couldn't stomach the same foods I'd enjoyed the
> year before, and really lost my appetite at altitude. I would up eating about
> 1700 a day.  My husband, who planned a 3,000 calorie diet, found that what he
> planned wasn't enough for him and subsequently became the beneficiary of my
> discards.  He thanked me for carrying his food . . . but the final insult was
> that he lost weight and I didn't!
> 
> ------------------------
> 
> Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:12:51 -0800
> From: Alden Dale <alden at cedar-creek.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Question about food
> 
> I agree with Donna. I started out this last summer, and I had to
> force myself to eat even 1000-1500 calories per day. I just wasn't
> hungry. But for me, about a week or two into it, I really started
> picking up momentum, and after about a month I was taking about 5,000
> per day, doing 30's.

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