Calorie intake and long workouts

I'd really love to have some advice about food intake on longer workout days.  I'm working on losing regain, and a normal day for me is 1000 - 1200 calories, under 40 grams carbs, with normal exercise burn of 400-600 calories (not eaten back).  That generally works well for me, but as the weather warms and the snow pack melts, I'm getting back into longer hiking days.  If I'm up in the mountains, with substantial elevation gain, I can burn 2000 or more calories in a long hike, I've seen numbers upwards of 3000.  (I use a heart rate monitor to estimate burn, and I know accuracy is questionable).  These longer hikes generally suppress my appetite somewhat as well, or at least distract me from a desire to eat.  So, it's not uncommon for me to end up with consumption of 1200 calories or less even on long hike days.  Though often my trail food is higher in carbs - this is about the only time it's safe for me to snack on a Quest bar.

In the first year post-op, I'd get home from a hike like that and have to have a nap.  I'd simply "bonk", and be worthless for the rest of the day.  These days I recover better, but I do struggle with binge eating from time to time, and it seems like I'm more susceptible to it in the day or two after a big burn.  I had a really bad day yesterday, after 1 day with a short hike, and two 5+ hour hike days in a row.  Maybe it's just my fat brain giving myself an excuse to overeat.  Or maybe it's a reaction to the higher carbs from a hike day.  I do find I tend to wake up ravenous the next day or two.

I'm debating whether I should be making more of an effort to eat a bit more on hiking days, even if I'm not feeling particularly hungry, or permit myself to eat a bit more the next day, but making sure to keep carbs super low, or just .  I know it's mostly going to be an experiment to see what works and what doesn't for me, but I'd really value some input from others who may be putting in long workouts.  (Jub Jub??) 

Yeah, Tom is the one to weigh in on this, but he's off biking, so he may not get back to you right away. You might think about pm'ing him. 

When I was working out hard (during my first year of post op) I found that I wanted to eat more. I honestly think that you have to fight that need. Add in more protein if you want to snack. Maybe take a snack bag with one of those little cooler bags in it to keep some cubed chicken cold or something like that. Typically, high carb intakes are done during the strenuous exercise. Recovery food is usually low carb and high protein. So, a quest bar on your hike would work, but you would want to stay with protein the day after. The other thing that you can try is going 50/50  equal carb to protein the day before a big hike. 

I would suggest that you try some different things and see what works best, but you also mentioned that you are working on losing some regain, so you are going to have to stay very aware of what is motivating you to eat. JMO of course. 

Good luck. 

Thanks - I appreciate the opinion.  My inner fat girl is pretty sneaky, so I'm very wary of eating more to compensate, definitely NOT carbs the next day.  I've finally shut down the "I can eat this [high calorie, sugary dessert] because I did a long hike today" thoughts, but it's the day after when I'm prone to weakness.  It may all be mind games, but I'm thinking it might be worth trying an extra hard boiled egg or some such protein addition early the day after.

Based on my own experience, and partly from observing the longer term experiences of some who occasionally hang out on the boards, I do want to express a word of caution. I think that intense exercise can be a double edged sword for those of us with food issues.

I don't know what role, if any, it has played in your regain, but I have fallen victim to that in the past. Increased hunger levels and a thousand excuses to eat when I'm not hungry or to have extra carbs (exercise days and rest days)  have contributed to my ongoing food issues so I am very careful now. I put my obesity issues first, which means even though I'm a runner, I only do it at a level where I can't play head games with myself.  For me that means no caloric supplementation, especially with carbs.  Some can successfully match caloric needs with intense exercise, but many can't. Personally, I can't. 

I hope others like Tom who have been more successful offer their thoughts as well, but I do see intense exercise as a barrier in my own recovery. 

Thanks Linda, that's a good point.  I got interested in running in my first year post-op, and was tempted to aim for a half-marathon, but worried about exactly that issue - getting used to higher calories to support an intense training regimen, and then having to try to cut back later.  I decided it was unwise to go that route until I was more stable in maintenance.  My regular workouts are fairly moderate, and I try to pay attention to NOT thinking of them as a way to "earn" extra calories.  (Though the fact that that I do track caloric burn suggests I'm probably deceiving myself here).

Interestingly, I haven't seen my hiking in the same light, probably because it's generally something I have time for only once a week, if that.  Now it's playing a much bigger role in my life than just my form of exercise - it's my opportunity for solitude, communing with nature, self-reflection, and soul-healing in a way I can't quite put into words.  It's almost as if the physical challenge of it is beside the point.

I've been doing a bit more reflecting on this today, and I suspect the backlash effect I'm seeing is far more connected to being back at my desk job rather than lingering caloric deficit.  I usually do my hiking on Sunday, so I'm seeing problems on Monday, but I'm not at all sure I'd see the same effects if I was hiking on Saturday and resting on Sunday.  It may be a combination of work stress, some physical depletion, and my body wanting to rebuild energy stores that together lower my resistance to my old habits - turning to food as a coping strategy.  

I'll have to give this more thought.  I do think that the hiking has become such a large factor in maintaining my mental, emotional, and spiritual health, that I can't imagine giving it up.  But often the very fact that I'm so resistant to changing something is a huge red flag.  Lots to consider...

ok, i barely exercise so my opinion is worth its price, but all i know is when in doubt eat more protein, not more carbs. lately i am eating Perky turkey Jerky and its low cal and good. an easy thing to take on a hike. diane

I never did like jerky, and after some poorly done dental work last year, I don't think I could chew it enough to get it down.  But my immediate reaction to your post was a pretty extreme resistance to giving up my protein bar... hmm.....  Dammit.  Y'all don't let a girl get away with anything, do you? 

well a protein bar is probably fine. i eat them.  get a low carb one. i like power crunch.  d

Yep, I like power crunch too.  In fact, I love power crunch, especially the peanut butter ones, or mmm.. mint chocolate (I did NOT need to know there was a new flavor!)  That's the problem ... I love power crunch bars WAY too much.  Every now and then I cave and buy one, and then once I've snarfed it down in 90 seconds in a weak moment I swear I won't ever buy them again.  Fortunately Quest bars aren't quite that good in my book! 

Well power crunch are hard to find in our area so I save them sor occasions where I canyon eat other things. Maybe just take a couple of hard boiled eggs on hikes plus a ptotein drink. Can't blow it with that. Gl. Diane