Hunting Rocket Fuel and "Hangover" Cures

[treillw]

I've put hundreds of miles on running around the mountains without ever putting a ton of thought into the fuel I'm putting into my body. I usually make a sandwich or two, couple of cliff bars, snickers bar, beef jerky, whatever I can dig out of the cabinets. It works, but I might be able to perform better with better fuel and not feel as hung over the day after a 200 mph day hunt.

I'd like to actually put some thought into what my body needs, how many calories I should be eating, etc.

What are some good sources for this type of information? I'd like to figure out how many calories I should be eating, what the best types of foods are, what can reduce my "hangovers", recovery info, etc.

Thanks!

 

[mtwarden]

I've found that when you put it in is as (or more) important than what you put in. I've run ultras for several years and timely fuel (and hydration) is crucial. Same thing for high mile day hunts/hikes/backpacking. For hiking I insure that I'm taking in calories at least every other hour- roughly 200 calories is what works for me, this is very close to what I do on ultras, but every hour and half the calories. I try and take a sit down lunch and this is a much bigger calorie dump (ditto on supper, breakfast)- in the 1000 calorie range.

Everyone's stomach is different, but gels, tabs and liquid calories didn't work for me. I'm using fig newtons, mojo bars and a few other things, just eat on the move.

 

[Justenfl]

You can pretty much Google BMR calculator that will tell you what your basal metabolic rate is. BMR is how many cals your body needs to survive bodily functions, pulse, breathing, like if you were in a coma that's how many cals it would need. Once you figure that out the calculator will ask you what your normal routine is to account for other cals you need to consume. In my opinion this is where most people think they expend more energy than they really do. Be very conservative with what you think most people think they burn way more than they actually do. As far as quality of food, highly processed and convenient food is prob some of the worst quality. Lean meats, vegetables, and a fruit or so a day cant be beat in the quality department.

 

[chops24]

these dirty hippies break it down pretty well.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/outdoors/a28692327/backpacking-food/

 

[TheCougar]

A little pick me up... plus it’s Keto-friendly!

https://media1.tenor.com/images/bac1292d6e89269ddfd25464f08a68e4/tenor.gif?itemid=14219093

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mtwarden]

I can tell you with certainty that unless you’re sitting in a stand all day, you’ll always be in a calorie deficit. You can’t (shouldn’t) pack enough food to replace every calorie burned. You’re going to lose some weight on a multi/day hunt in the mountains. You do need to consume enough calories however to get the job done.

Fresh fruit, veggies and lean meat is great for eating at home on a regular basis. In my experience a week in the mountains necessitates calorie dense foods AND at regular intervals.