Fuelling during a 40 mile hike

[nuttyneary]

I am starting training for a 40 mile walk to raise money for charity and I have just been diagnosed type 2 . I am not on any medication and am controlling by exercise and diet. How do I maintain energy during the distance as I'm worried if I start using gels etc. . Is it small and often with snack bars , nuts and fruit etc.?Any advice would be welcome.

 

[bulkbiker]

Do you carry some spare pounds?

if so try an ultra low carb keto diet to gain access to your stored body fat and use that to fuel you for the walk.

These guys ran 100 mils over a week fasted..

UK Team Completes a 100-mile, five-day Run with no Food - Diet Doctor

Eight runners ran 100 miles in five days without food. They aimed to dispel myths surrounding daily carbs and energy needs.

www.dietdoctor.com

 

[nuttyneary]

Do you carry some spare pounds?

if so try an ultra low carb keto diet to gain access to your stored body fat and use that to fuel you for the walk.

These guys ran 100 mils over a week fasted..

UK Team Completes a 100-mile, five-day Run with no Food - Diet Doctor

Eight runners ran 100 miles in five days without food. They aimed to dispel myths surrounding daily carbs and energy needs.

www.dietdoctor.com

Thanks for that , yes I need to lose some excess and am currently lowering my carbs. I'll certainly look at these guys.

 

[bulkbiker]

Thanks for that , yes I need to lose some excess and am currently lowering my carbs. I'll certainly look at these guys.

How long do you have before the walk?

 

[Chris Hobson]

I did little and often when doing a 140.6 triathlon. On the bike I had a clif block and a serial bar every ten miles. I alternated between energy drinks and zero sugar drinks. On the run, the feed stations had mainly jaffa cakes and bananas. By that point I couldn't choke down the jaffa cakes so I did the run mostly fueled by bananas. I wasn't carrying any extra weight at the time. I prefer clif blocks to energy gels, less messy.

 

[nuttyneary]

How long do you have before the walk?

Sept 10th , not rushing my preparation and I'm increasing mileage sensibly working towards it.

 

[nuttyneary]

I did little and often when doing a 140.6 triathlon. On the bike I had a clif block and a serial bar every ten miles. I alternated between energy drinks and zero sugar drinks. On the run, the feed stations had mainly jaffa cakes and bananas. By that point I couldn't choke down the jaffa cakes so I did the run mostly fueled by bananas. I wasn't carrying any extra weight at the time. I prefer clif blocks to energy gels, less messy.

Thanks. I won't have feed stations as it's a walk just for me , but I will be supported by family along the way.

 

[bulkbiker]

Sept 10th , not rushing my preparation and I'm increasing mileage sensibly working towards it.

OK should be plenty of time to get fat adapted so you can access your energy stores.

 

[Spathiphyllum]

I am starting training for a 40 mile walk to raise money for charity and I have just been diagnosed type 2 . I am not on any medication and am controlling by exercise and diet. How do I maintain energy during the distance

Once you have been walking for a little while-- I mean a little way into a long walk-- your body will start burning fat, and that will give you all the energy you need. And you definitely do not want to undo the good, weight-reducing and BG-reducing, effects of walking by taking in extra carbs that you don't need.

Non-diabetics or T2s who have very low body fat and/or who are doing a competitive event involving high-intensity exercise will need extra carbohydrates at frequent intervals to maintain enough energy. (See for example Chris Hobson's answer: he was doing a triathlon-- a race involving running, cycling, and swimming-- and he wasn't overweight.)

But-- if you are overweight, and it's just a walk, even if a long one-- your fat stores will be enough to keep you going. You may not feel very chirpy for the first 15 minutes or so, but then your body will switch to fat-burning mode, and you'll feel fine. (We were just discussing this the other day on another thread.)

I've never walked 40 miles in a day, but I've walked 20 miles in a day (before developing T1, which introduces very different considerations). And I was/am fairly low-fat! But still-- had a normal breakfast, walked 10 miles out, had a normal light lunch, walked 10 miles back, no problem, felt great.

Try this out in your training, and I think you'll find it works! Best wishes, and let us know how you get on.

 

[Callista]

What about taking a BG monitor with you, and checking your levels every hour/half hour.

If they drop too much, eat something. If not, then assume that you are eating your own fat (hurrah!)

Surely, though, eating high GI/sugar is never a good idea??

40 miles is amazing!

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks. I won't have feed stations as it's a walk just for me , but I will be supported by family along the way.

How about taking protein nut bars, apple, cheese. As well as plenty of fluids.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hope your preparations go well for your sponsored walk @nuttyneary

I think in your shoes I’d be looking for a more moderate middle-ground than aiming for an unfuelled ketogenic approach.

I suspect you will not want to be eating anything too heavy, but light meals during the day and perhaps things like nuts, apple, protein bars (nakd or kind seem to get mentioned here) along with ensuring you stay well hydrated would be my approach.

You may not feel the need to nibble much at all, but the effect of the activity should help increase your insulin sensitivity and help deal with any carbs you may be including in your meals/snacks.

As you aren’t on medication, the risk of hypoglycaemia is low, but it may help to have a BG meter to check that your levels are not too high, as exercise with high BG can feel like wading through treacle!

 

[Deleted member 21371]

I am starting training for a 40 mile walk to raise money for charity and I have just been diagnosed type 2 . I am not on any medication and am controlling by exercise and diet. How do I maintain energy during the distance as I'm worried if I start using gels etc. . Is it small and often with snack bars , nuts and fruit etc.?Any advice would be welcome.

Personally, I'd do what you normally would do.
Any carbs you'll eat will be burnt off by walking, so I'd just eat the snack bars when you feel you want to.
I wouldn't bother checking your BG, you're not going to hypo, and the exercise will keep it low enough.

Just enjoy the day, and don't let diabetes get in the way.

 

[bulkbiker]

more moderate middle-ground than aiming for an unfuelled ketogenic approach

With the greatest respect the problem with your statement is that the walk would not be "unfuelled" the fuel would come from body fat stores.
The stores are there so we don't need to constantly eat to keep us going.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

With the greatest respect the problem with your statement is that the walk would not be "unfuelled" the fuel would come from body fat stores.
The stores are there so we don't need to constantly eat to keep us going.

But only if nuttyneary chooses to opt for an ultra low carb keto diet, and becomes fat adapted by the time of the event. And while you clearly thrive on it, and it suits you - keto is not an option that suits, works for, or even simply has appeal for everyone.

Non-keto non-D athletes (well trained) can trigger hypoglycaemia in endurance events if their systems are geared to burning carbs and insufficient are available, so I’m not sure I’d suggest someone just launches into a 40 mile hike and hoped their own ‘reserves’ will be used without adapting first - which I think is what you suggested.

But longer term nuttyneary may not want to, or need to go keto.

All about options, and alternatives 🙂

 

[Deleted member 21371]

But only if nuttyneary chooses to opt for an ultra low carb keto diet, and becomes fat adapted by the time of the event. And while you clearly thrive on it, and it suits you - keto is not an option that suits, works for, or even simply has appeal for everyone.

Non-keto non-D athletes (well trained) can trigger hypoglycaemia in endurance events if their systems are geared to burning carbs and insufficient are available, so I’m not sure I’d suggest someone just launches into a 40 mile hike and hoped their own ‘reserves’ will be used without adapting first - which I think is what you suggested.

But longer term nuttyneary may not want to, or need to go keto.

All about options, and alternatives 🙂

Does anyone "need" to go keto?
Would anyone go keto if they didn't have a meat counter at the local butchers, meat wasn't reared for food nowadays, and they couldn't drive there to collect it?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Does anyone "need" to go keto?
Would anyone go keto if they didn't have a meat counter at the local butchers, meat wasn't reared for food nowadays, and they couldn't drive there to collect it?

Well based on what I’ve seen over the years, it is often discovered as an option by people who have had a really hard time following standard approaches (and in some cases had negative health outcomes as a result), who find keto, or very low carb, or even just low carb, a complete revelation and never look back.

So I can understand people’s enthusiasm, once they have found something they find effortless to stick to, and which seems to suit their diabetes better than other options.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Well based on what I’ve seen over the years, it is often discovered as an option by people who have had a really hard time following standard approaches (and in some cases had negative health outcomes as a result), who find keto, or very low carb, or even just low carb, a complete revelation and never look back.

So I can understand people’s enthusiasm, once they have found something they find effortless to stick to, and which seems to suit their diabetes better than other options.

True, I guess a "true" keto diet would be an option, so I'll take that back. 🙂

"Foods you can eat on the keto diet include fish and seafood, meat and poultry, non-starchy vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, and zucchini, avocados, berries, nuts and seeds, eggs, high-fat dairy products, olive oil and other oils, and high-cocoa chocolate"

I would say others people's enthusiasm isn't anyone else's need though.

 

[bulkbiker]

hoped their own ‘reserves’ will be used without adapting first - which I think is what you suggested.

I refer you to post number 8 .

 

[Deleted member 21371]

I refer you to post number 8 .

Wasn't that a Simon Pegg film?
A bit harsh.