[at-l] Hiking & Low Carb Diets

[rjturbot@xxxxxxxxxx (Jackie Turbot)]

Thanks Bushwacker!  Great place to start...I emailed her about my concerns
about transitioning from low carbs to a carb rich diet.  By the time I start
the AT (Mar 2004), my weight loss should be significant (70 lbs!--I am a big
girl!).  I do not plan on hauling that from GA to ME!!!
Jackie


----- Original Message -----
From: "Bushwacker" <bushwackerfish@mindspring.com>
To: "Jackie Turbot" <rjturbot@cfl.rr.com>; <at-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2003 9:49 AM
Subject: Re: [at-l] Hiking & Low Carb Diets


> I would urge you to think twice about the low carb route.  Where are you
> intending to get the needed calories from? All from fat?  It won't be from
> protein.
>
> If you are thru-hiking you won't have too much of a problem of losing
> weight.  By the end of the trip your main concern will be in halting the
> process to prevent body damage.
>
> You should check out the work done by Brenda Braaten - Pack Light, Eat
> Right - http://www.frc.mass.edu/bbraate/packlite/
>
> She recommends a 50:35:15 ratio diet (%Carbs/%Fat/%Protein) as a light
> weight combination.  For the Ultralight combo she recommends 45:40:15.
> There have been other nutritional studies:  the Navy recommends
> 55-60:<30:15 diet for SEALs, the American Dietary Assn. recommends
> 60-65:20-30:12-15 for high intensity athletes, and an author for a high
> performance nutrition book recommends 65:20:15 but he considers marathons
a
> long distance event and has no indication of knowledge of the thru-hiking
> world.
>
> Likewise there is the consideration of cold wet environment the thru-hiker
> is likely to encounter.  The overall concern is preventing
> hypothermia.  One of the more recommended ways to do this is to stay
> hydrated and eat a high carbohydrate diet to have quickly available energy
> stores for generating heat inside the body.
>
> I don't think that concerns of cutting pounds before the hike would be
> major unless you were severly overweight.  Barring that - you shouldn't
> worry so much about cutting pounds but more like helping your body adjust
> to the new diet plan and working out before your trek.
>
> Take a good look at Braaten's work and it should help.
>
> Bushwacker
>
>
> At 12:51 AM 1/30/2003 -0500, Jackie Turbot wrote:
> >This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
> >--
> >[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> >Is anyone doing a low carb diet?  Anyone trying to do it on a thru
> >hike.  I am thinking that while I am preparing, it is fine to
> >continue--more important to shed excess pounds.  But, once the thru hike
> >starts, I will need the complex carbs to keep going.  Any nutrition gurus
> >out there???
> >Jackie
> >--
> >
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