Food for thought

I just completed food prep for the JMT.

I'm at 1.49 pounds, for 3000 calories, per day.

Just curious… that number of 3000 kcal/day strikes me as low..
How much do you weigh? How many miles per day are you planning on hiking? Do you find you loose a lot of weight on trail at that many kcal/day or do you maintain weight?

I usually try to eat about 5500-6000 calories per day and still lose weight on the trail but I have a mega metabolism..

I weigh 175#. Pack weight will be around 25#.
I'll average 18 to 20 miles a day. Maybe a couple of 24's if things are clicking.
I'll lose about 5 pounds over 12 days.

"Maybe a couple of 24's if things are clicking."

If I hear clicking, it is probably something in my backbone.

–B.G.–

interesting how big a difference individual metabolism makes. I'm nearly the same weight, but if I did that same hike, I'd lose probably twice (or more) that much weight.

Consider yourself lucky. I always end up carrying massive poundage in food just to keep from losing a ton of muscle every time I head out.

An issue with food is that in the early days of a hike, or on a short hike, you may not want to eat anywhere near what you need.

I have trouble eating more than 2400 cal/day in the first week. Im probably burning 5000+

I always bring too many snacks, which I like. Candy bars, fig bars, oatmeal pies, trail mix.

I have them left over. Simply not hungry enough to eat more than a certain amount.

On that last day, I like to go hungry though, and really pig out at pizza buffet and ice cream on the way home, guilt-free.

Dave,
I'm back from the JMT. (well…Shepard Pass to Toulumne Meadows – 7 miles less than over Whitney, but 2000' more feet of climbing on the first day.) I did it in eleven days.

As expected, I lost about 5 pounds, or less. I did add about 100 calories per day for the last 5 days via MTR's hiker boxes by swapping out 5 Harvest Bars for ProBars. I needed a change in taste and texture.