Stomach upset and appetite issues while backpacking.

[Matthew / BPL]

Honey Stinger Waffles and cherry or lemon Larabars are both quite easy for me to get down. Both are sweet which then triggers my desire for salty Fritos or nuts.

[Ken Thompson]

“They call it “exercise induced vomiting”. Couldn’t eat anything I brought.  Felt like I could eat ice cream and fruit.  Perhaps a sugar craving.”

Suffered this a few times. Always crave an orange after.

[Ben C]

I have hiked with others who had this problem.  One of them felt fine as soon as we got off the trail and ordered a pizza. He was a new hiker and I wonder if maybe the stress of a new situation caused it.  The other felt bad as soon as we hit the trail but felt bad even when he got off the trail.  I suspect his was more about the sustained walking.  I don’t know if either fit your situation.

[Bruce Tolley]

What Jerry said

“fiber – fruits and vegetables – dried fruit like raisins, dried onions, tomatoes, peppers – packitgourmet has these.  Bring some real fruits and veges, like carrots are pretty good.”

Also stay hydrated.

[Tipi Walter]

If you backpack all the time and live outdoors—and if you don’t get the occasional squirts or sharts or severe indigestion (often bean-induced), then you’re not doing something right.

[Diane Pinkers]

I think that electrolytes and hydration play a big role in this, at least for me.  My appetite while hiking used to be abysmal, and later on during the day, my hiking would really get tough.  Paying attention to my hydration, and drinking a Nuun infused drink around midday has really improved my ability to hike.  Eating frequent small snacks of whole foods (trail mix instead of bars–favorite combo is pecans, raisins, and home dehydrated bananas, homemade beef jerky with no chemicals) has helped a lot, too.  I make my own meals at home, and may not have much salt in them, so that may increase the necessity for the electrolyte beverage.  But, I think that potassium is more important than sodium, hence the raisins and bananas.

It takes gut microbes 3 days to adapt to new foods.  Take foods that you are already adapted to, or start incorporating some of your trail diet 3 days before leaving.  As for constipation on the trail, see comments about hydration. As one of my vet school professors was fond of saying, “You need water in the river to float the boat.”

Tipi, that’s really appalling. We don’t have to put up with indigestion on the trail, it is a danger signal that something we are doing is WRONG.  We need to pay attention to our bodies when we are making demands on them.

[James Marco]

Yes, it is a combination of all those things mentioned: Altitude, exertion, electrolyte loss, improper physical preparation, different foods, etc. All can play a part in upset stomach, diarrhea, loss of appetite, lack of energy, etc.

Physical training is really necessary over age 35-40. If you go from your day job to a hiking routine for a week, you will find you are generally just not prepared for the 15-20mi days of hiking. It will take most of a week to come up to speed. Just like hiking for two days on a flatter trail will ill prepare you for climbing a 10k peak. I try to walk 5-7 miles, 5 out of 7 days, with a 35-40pound pack. This is a bit extreme, but if you can do 5mi, 3 times a week with a 20pound pack, it will help a lot.

Electrolyte loss is usually overcome with a little salt. I use about 1/4 Salt substitute and 3/4 table salt in a small shaker. A dash in each 1/2L bottle works pretty well.

Different foods can also cause problems. Changing from an all fresh food diet to all dehydrated food diet can cause problems. Changing from a more normal 90C/oz meal to a trail diet of 150C/oz can cause problems. Drinking more will only partially help. As was said, you might try easing into it with snacks prepared from your camping menu.

Body fat is storage. The trick is to stay in good enough shape to utilize it. While most of us can use carbs rather effectively (especialy simple carbs and sugars) complex carbs takes longer. Protein breakdown occurs more rapidly on the trail, eat more proteins. Fats can boost your caloric intake, but too much can interfere with your body breaking down your own storage, be careful. Vitamins/minerals can be had from a simple supplement pill that will cover 95% of your needs. All four components are really needed: Carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins/minerals.

You want to encourage your body to produce energy on demand, not so much when it is convenient. This is usually easy, since in periods of heavy use, your digestive system slows down a LOT. But, this can lead to problems, gas, diarrhea, at first, constipation after, before settling down into your new “normal.” Transitioning to this is difficult and can take a week. Many people will simply not have the time on trail to settle in.

I spend many weeks out. In the spring, I often spend a week of being semi-irregular to start, though. Then it goes away for the rest of the year.

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