appetite and calories

[sleeping bear]

How long does it take you to adjust to the increased diet of a camping trip?

I experience this on most trips I go on: The first few days I stuff my face and am super full. Then on about the 4th or 5th day something happens and I get super hungry and can't eat enough.

Does this happen to anyone else?

I'm curious if there is some metabolic change that happens causing the increased appetite. Is there a lag there in the body recognizing that it needs that extra fuel?


I tried a few quick searches of the internet and got nothing

 

[onestep]

On an AT section hike from Arden NY to Boiling Springs PA I started out with 4 days worth of food and then had 2 food drops each located 4 days apart. For the first 4 days the food I had was "more than enough". The next 4 days worth of food was "just right", but by the last 4 days I was eating everything in sight... hey-hey-hey Yogi. The food consumed on each 4 day segment was essentially the same with only slight variation.

Man, once the hunger horrors set in watch out!

 

[percious]

My problem is usually adjusting back to a normal diet AFTER a big hike. That monday after weekend-warrioring has me hankoring for just about anything. Hard to sit in my cube when my stomach is growling....

-percious

 

[weatherman]

Agree with all that has been said. It takes me 48-72 hours to adjust. On a 5 day Baxter SP traverse this fall in variable temps, I brought 15 lbs of food. On day 2, I said to myself "Why on earth did I bring SO MUCH FOOD???" On day 5 when I got back to the car, I had 8 ounces of cheese and a day's supply of GORP left. Nothing else. My wife is embarrassed at my eating habits the day after I return from a trip. Must be something to do with the caveman-like noises, and failure to use utensils or napkins...

This is one of those conditions that only backpackers are likely to experience, so you're unlikely to see many studies of the issue. I always wondered what happened to levels of insulin and lipids after a week or ten of snarfing up all the sausage and carbs one can find, too.

Weatherman

 

[Ed Poyer]

We cannot be alone in this

I would expect that the military would have deep experience with this, as would commercial fishermen, explorers, and others enduring similar high calorie, long duration expedition environments.

 

[hikrgrl]

Are you talking about trips in which you must carry all your own food? Or are you allowed access to as much food as you can get your hands on?

When I rode my bicycle across the country in 2006, I think I tried the "traditional" three squares a day for about two days, with a big dinner at night. By about Wednesday, I was eating my first lunch at about 9:30/10 am, with a second lunch at noon, and a decent sized snack when I got into camp, with a big dinner at night. That seemed to work pretty well for me...

Oh yeah, and there was also the daily dose (or two) of ice cream

I agree - the hardest adjustment was coming back to the "real" world and having to eat like a "normal" person.

 

[Snowflea]

Since I run/hike almost every day, I don't need to adjust -- I stuff my face each and every day. However, if exerting myself more than usual, i.e. very long, multi-day hikes/runs, I will start to lose fat because I find it hard to increase my caloric intake by much more than my norm.


Stinkyfeet

www.runsuerun.blogspot.com

 

[trailbiscuit]

I had 8 ounces of cheese and a day's supply of GORP left. Nothing else.

That means you were carrying too much food!

My hiker hunger sets in usually around the middle to end of day 2 of any length trip. I just can't get enough down. I need second breakfast, an afternoon snack, and something before dinner. Although, at dinner I usually end up being pretty full. Small doses (and a lot of them) work best for me.

That being said, I can usually adjust "back to normal" fairly easily once I've ended my trip and returned to civilization to down a huge dinner consisting of nearly raw meat and beer afterwards. (I eat mostly veggie normally.)