Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

Hunting/Hiking Calories Burned

My friend wore a heart monitor all day for a couple days when were hunting and adding in the 30# pack, we were cranking 4000 calorie days. From what I understand, a marathon is around 2600 calories.

There some sites that focus on foods that are best calories per oz and obviously the focus on those that don't take up much room. I normally pack nuts, peanut butter, cheese, salami, cooked bacon, peanut m&ms, etc

Hunting one day burns more calories than running 26 miles? NO.
 
Hunting one day burns more calories than running 26 miles? NO.

Actually it's true, it's about 100 calories per mile for a marathoner and about 500-600 calories per hour for backpacking. Add on #30lbs and I'm sure after walking for 8 hours or more you get to 4000+.
 
Actually it's true, it's about 100 calories per mile for a marathoner and about 500-600 calories per hour for backpacking. Add on #30lbs and I'm sure after walking for 8 hours or more you get to 4000+.

Pure applesauce. It's 263 kCal to move 160 lbs 1 mile, and that doesn't account for any inefficiencies. A calorie is a unit of work, with the generic units of mass*distance. It's physically impossible to burn fewer than 263 kCal (assuming 160 lb man) walking/running a mile.
 
Pure applesauce. It's 263 kCal to move 160 lbs 1 mile, and that doesn't account for any inefficiencies. A calorie is a unit of work, with the generic units of mass*distance. It's physically impossible to burn fewer than 263 kCal (assuming 160 lb man) walking/running a mile.

You're right, I was reading the wrong thing...it's actually about even based on weight. I little more if you are fatter on either side :)
 
When I'm running trail races I'll tend towards things like pretzels, potato chips, fig Newton, gummy bears, M&Ms (especially peanut ones), and PBJ sandwiches.

For hunting, it usually isn't as hot, so the salts aren't as important. It also depends on whether I'm backpacking and space/weight is a premium, or am I hunting out of a base camp. I like hard salami and cheeses, almonds (especially smoked and Wasabi flavors), chocolate covered nuts, dried fruits, etc.

I try to make sure I'm getting a good mix of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
 
A big factor is how many days in a row you are doing this. On backpack hunts it can add up and wear on you so even taking one day off, or making it a light day really can help. The older I get the more recovery time i need it seems. And for the record, I tend to eat way more than I need if I have that available, I am a pig, and damn proud of it. Going hunting or mountain biking is an excuse to eat too much and poorly....
 
I don't know that I can ever eat enough to break even on the calories I burn. I've lost 5 lbs in a weekend when hunting. I'll usually pack some kind of gorp, an energy bar (I like Bear Valley Pemmican and Bobo's Oat Bars). Butthole sandwiches are also pretty good for lunch (toasted bagel, peanut butter, honey and bacon) and a good mix of carbs and fat for longer lasting energy. I'm also a runner and can burn fat pretty efficiently. My bottom line for hiking food is the calorie count. More=better.
 
The other consideration is palatability, i.e. can you eat it after five days. After four days of GORP, it's all I can do to gag it down.

I don't mind spending a little more on some items that are easier to eat. On my hunt in the Rubies I went pretty Spartan and cheap on food, and by the fifth day I was having trouble eating all of it. I lost a lot of weight in a very few days as a result.
 
The other consideration is palatability, i.e. can you eat it after five days. After four days of GORP, it's all I can do to gag it down.

Yeh, I've hunted with people that just pack bars and trailmix. That is like eating candy all day, I couldn't handle that. I like some sweets, but I'd much rather have some regularish food in there, like sandwiches or something. I normally pack tortillas.

I normally pack at least one food item that isn't efficient at all, but just nice to have like carrots or a piece of chicken. I don't like to get in that gag it down mode.
 
Pure applesauce. It's 263 kCal to move 160 lbs 1 mile, and that doesn't account for any inefficiencies. A calorie is a unit of work, with the generic units of mass*distance. It's physically impossible to burn fewer than 263 kCal (assuming 160 lb man) walking/running a mile.

100 Calories/mile pretty much the accepted norm for a mile of running. We are talking large calories or the energy required to raise 1 kg of water 1 degree kelvin or 4184 joules.

I'm guess you meant 160 lbs*5280ft= 844800 ft*lbs=273 kCal which means you confused pounds mass and pounds force. 160 lbs has to be divided by 32.2 ft/s^2. The minimum ideal kCal should be 8.5 kCal given your assumption there is a lot of working going on lifting 160 lbs 6" off the ground over 1760 strides. 1760*.5 ft*160 lbs (32.2/32.2)=45 kCal. Metabolic efficiency is about 1/3 to 1/4 of produced energy.
 
The speed that you cover that mile does have some influence on how many calories you burn as well.

Not a huge difference, but my runkeeper app will vary between 150 calories per mile and 170 calories per mile depending on how fast I am running. (I'm 210 pounds so I burn a little more than the 160 pound generic dude).

Walking does burn a little less calories per mile than running with all else being equal.

Now load up a pack and start going straight up and down and you can probably make some of that up, but if you are covering 3 miles walking in an hour and 7 miles running in the same hour you are probably burning nearly twice as many calories per hour running even accounting for some weight in your pack and some elevation gain and loss while you are hiking.
 
Big fan of just the basic snacks such as granola bars or jerky. I can, like others have stated, go almost all day without NEEDING to eat. As for hydration, Pedialyte and water. Pedialyte if you guys haven't tried it, is like Gatorade on steroids. It's also a miracle for hangovers.
 
I'm guess you meant 160 lbs*5280ft= 844800 ft*lbs=273 kCal which means you confused pounds mass and pounds force. 160 lbs has to be divided by 32.2 ft/s^2. The minimum ideal kCal should be 8.5 kCal given your assumption there is a lot of working going on lifting 160 lbs 6" off the ground over 1760 strides. 1760*.5 ft*160 lbs (32.2/32.2)=45 kCal. Metabolic efficiency is about 1/3 to 1/4 of produced energy.

False. lbm=lbf at 32.174 ft/s^2.

Besides, I did my math in N-m anyway, then double checked it in SI units and got the same answer.
 
I eat a couple nutrition bars before I head out,and just bring a snickers bar or 2 when I'm hunting.A drink is more important to me.When I get back to camp I have mountain house and trailmix.I just try and make sure I'm getting the necessary vitamins/nutrition while I'm at hunting camp.I never get hungry while hunting,but need a lot of fluids
I've always wanted to try pb and honey sandwich.I heard adding banana to it is even better.Maybe this season I'll make some to bring along.I have enough to carry when hunting without having a bunch of snacks to weigh me down.My body is use to one meal a day though
 

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