This post is part of a series called Hiking by the Numbers. During our hike on the AT, I kept track of all kinds of statistics like calorie consumption, number of wild animals, nights spent in the tent and more. To read all of the posts in the category, click here.
The other night I was out with a few hiker friends from this past year and the topic turned to food. And as it does with any former thru-hikers, we quickly started lamenting about the days when we used to be able to eat anything we wanted and still lose weight. We weren't whining about getting older and having a slower metabolism (although I could), we were whining about not being on the trail anymore.
You see, when you are hiking 12-20 miles a day for months at a time, you tend to burn more calories than you consume. And you tend to be able to eat anything that you want, even the crappy processed food, without gaining any weight. I'd say it's a miracle, but it's not. You're just working out for 8-10 hours a day which is insane by any normal person's definition, but completely normal on the trail.
You see, when you are hiking 12-20 miles a day for months at a time, you tend to burn more calories than you consume. And you tend to be able to eat anything that you want, even the crappy processed food, without gaining any weight. I'd say it's a miracle, but it's not. You're just working out for 8-10 hours a day which is insane by any normal person's definition, but completely normal on the trail.
Being the every curious little nerd that I am, I wanted to track my calorie consumption on the trail. I've actually been tracking my calories for years now so it wasn't much of a pain to track them on the trail. I use a phone app called Lose It and it's really easy to log your food and exercise.
www.loseit.com
Below are the average calories for the days on the trail (i.e. the days we were not staying in a town). We averaged 12-16 miles of hiking a day. Some days were less and some days were more, but in general we were hiking for 8-10 hours a day. I'm a vegetarian female so these numbers may be a little lower than a male hiker, but you get an idea of how your calorie intake will change as time goes by.
It seems like during my initial days I ate a good amount while my body got over the shock of climbing mountains every day. In month two my hiker hunger hadn't fully kicked in yet, so I took in a little bit less food, probably because my body was used to hiking and no longer freaking out. Then month 3 happened. Month 3 is when my views on food shifted and I was always hungry. Even after I finished a meal, I was hungry again 20 minutes later. That, my friends, is hiker hunger.
It seems like during my initial days I ate a good amount while my body got over the shock of climbing mountains every day. In month two my hiker hunger hadn't fully kicked in yet, so I took in a little bit less food, probably because my body was used to hiking and no longer freaking out. Then month 3 happened. Month 3 is when my views on food shifted and I was always hungry. Even after I finished a meal, I was hungry again 20 minutes later. That, my friends, is hiker hunger.
| Pre-Trail Consumed (Food): 1600 Burned (Exercise): 400 | Weeks 1-3 Consumed (Food): 2227 Burned (Exercise): 3201 |
| Month 2 Consumed (Food): 1966 Burned (Exercise): 3374 | Months 3+ Consumed (Food): 3067 Burned (Exercise): 3954 |
Below are the average numbers for when were in town. As you can see, I ate like a linebacker. Zero shame. I still remember the first time that I finished my entire 16" pizza before Serial finished his. That was...special.
We typically spent one day in town before heading back to the woods so even with my non-stop cupcake and pizza party in town, I still ended each week in a deficit of about 2,000 calories. See why we still yearn for those good ole days?
We typically spent one day in town before heading back to the woods so even with my non-stop cupcake and pizza party in town, I still ended each week in a deficit of about 2,000 calories. See why we still yearn for those good ole days?
| Weeks 1-3 Consumed (Food): 3754 Burned (Exercise): 954 | Months 2+ Consumed (Food): 5051 Burned (Exercise): 1201 |
I also thought you might be interested in what I was eating. I'm a creature of habit and don't mind eating the same thing every day so it's pretty easy for me to lay out what I ate on the trail. The first few weeks were different than the rest of the time (mostly because I learned that sugar and junk made me feel terrible so I switched to nuts, dried fruit and healthier bars), but aside from that I was pretty consistent.
Once I figured out the system that worked best for me I stopped being excited about food on the trail. It was just fuel for the hiking and I definitely enjoyed eating, but it wasn't a gorge fest like it was in town. I was all about how to get the highest number of healthy calories for the least amount of weight. When I got to town though, that was a free for all.
Once I figured out the system that worked best for me I stopped being excited about food on the trail. It was just fuel for the hiking and I definitely enjoyed eating, but it wasn't a gorge fest like it was in town. I was all about how to get the highest number of healthy calories for the least amount of weight. When I got to town though, that was a free for all.
| Pre-Trail Breakfast: Oatmeal or Smoothie & Coffee Lunch: Salad & Veggie Burger or Omelet Snacks: Apples & PB or Yogurt Dinner: Couscous, Veggie Burger or Tofu | Weeks 1-3 Breakfast: Granola Bars & Coffee Lunch 1: Avocado & Cheese Sandwich Lunch 2: Granola Bars & Chocolate Snacks: Granola Bars Dinner: Lipton Side Pasta & Chocolate |
Months 2+
Breakfast: Raw Revolution Bars, Pop-Tarts and/or Donuts & Coffee
Lunch & Snacks: Huge Ziploc Bag of Nuts, Dried Fruit and PB M&Ms (I snacked on it all day long)
Dinner: Couscous, Raw Garlic and Cheese with Mama Garlic Seasoning & Riesens Chocolate Candy
(You can read more details in this post)
Breakfast: Raw Revolution Bars, Pop-Tarts and/or Donuts & Coffee
Lunch & Snacks: Huge Ziploc Bag of Nuts, Dried Fruit and PB M&Ms (I snacked on it all day long)
Dinner: Couscous, Raw Garlic and Cheese with Mama Garlic Seasoning & Riesens Chocolate Candy
(You can read more details in this post)
In Town
Breakfast: Egg and Cheese Biscuits, Yogurt, Fruit & Coffee
Lunch & Snacks: Chex Mix, Cupcakes, Cheese/Crackers, Fruit
Dinner: Pizza & More Cupcakes
Breakfast: Egg and Cheese Biscuits, Yogurt, Fruit & Coffee
Lunch & Snacks: Chex Mix, Cupcakes, Cheese/Crackers, Fruit
Dinner: Pizza & More Cupcakes
I hope this was helpful, or at the very least interesting. People are often curious what it's like to eat on the trail and my non-hiker friends are always fascinated by the sheer amount of food that I could eat at once. And to wrap this all up with a giggle... I give you a snapshot of what's like when you do get your hands on some town food. Chris Farley gets it.
