Im going to be doing what is called "The Great Walk" from Gold River to Tahsis which is in BC. Ive been getting some tips off the net and everywhere says that Im going to need high carb snacks to be able to make it! This Atkins wol is giving me major amounts of energy and if I feel this good right now,I feel like I should have no problem. Anybody have any tips for me?? What snacks to bring? Im kind of worried, cause if I have to intake high carb bars and such, I will probably be stopping at every bathroom along the way. Since Ive been doing this wol Ive had no stomach problems whatsoever, so I hope,hope,hope that I can stay on this low carb during the walk! Thanks for listening everyone!

i'd take a page from the paleo handbook on this one. For a million years, homo sapiens were a nomadic people and did a lot of walking on nothing more than nuts, raw meat, insects and foraged greens.

A trail mix that you make yourself, without the dried fruit, would be more carby than perhaps you'd normally eat, but you'd burn off the carbs and they probably wouldn't be your own "trigger carbs" so that you'd come home craving...a variety of nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, real fresh coconut. All these are also calorically dense, so for little weight you can fuel your work! Also, the recipes for homemade protein bars that include peanut butter and protein powder sound portable and fun. Since you will be burning off the carbs, a dense fruit like an apple would probably not be a problem either. HFS or homemade jerky is another possibility.

I'm impressed with what you're doing!--I love walking but never in my life tried more than 13 miles! You GO!

Thankyou so much! You've helped me more than you could know! Ive never even walked 13 miles!!lol I only have 2 months but Ive been training like crazy! Can you tell me where I can find that bar recipe? Also, what is the paleo handbook?
I would love to have all the info I can get on this.....
Well im off to run with my dog! Wish I had as much energy as him right nowThis spring ahead stuff is tiring!

well, that "paleo handbook" is something I mentally invented. First I read Audette, Cordain, Weston Price, and several others who advocate "paleolithic nutrition"...and I have an internalized voice that analyzes matters from that perspective. If you're interested in general, you could visit www.paleodiet.com and start reading the (many many) links.

In specific, I got some good hits by doing a google.com search for "carb loading paleolithic" where paleo dieters describe and debate to what extent pre-agricultural humans ate carbs.

From: http://chetday.com/vegmyths.htm

"With regards to endurance and energy levels, Dr Price traveled around the world in the 1920s and 1930s, investigating native diets. Without exception, he found a strong correlation between diets rich in animal fats, robust health and athletic ability. Special foods for Swiss athletes, for example, included bowls of fresh, raw cream. In Africa, Dr Price discovered that groups whose diets were rich in fatty meats and fish, and organ meats like liver, consistently carried off the prizes in athletic contests, and that meat-eating tribes always dominated tribes whose diets were largely vegetarian."

and

"It is popular in sports nutrition to recommend "carb loading" for athletes to increase their endurance levels. But recent studies done in New York and South Africa show that the opposite is true: athletes who "carb loaded" had significantly less endurance than those who "fat loaded" before athletic events (J Raloff. "High Fat Diets Help Athletes Perform." Science News, 1996, 149:18:287)."

glad to be of help!

Im kind of worried that I will tire easily and won't make this 42 mile walk if I only have low carbs. Does anybody have any helpful info for me?? Also any help in what snacks I can bring that are low carb? I would love to stick to this way of life, not just to lose weight but because I feel so awesome! Last week-end I screwed up big time and ate a whole bunch of cinnamon sticks from Little Ceasars Pizza. I learned a hard lesson! I was so sick and tired the next day. Yummy as it was I will stay away from white flour and sugar!!! Anyhow I read everywhere that you NEED high carbs to get through marathons and such. Im really worried! Only 2 weeks to go! Thanks alot everyone!

Hi Lilwog,
I run ultras and will be running/hiking a 100 miler this weekend after beiong on Schwarzbein for the past month. I use performance foods in training and I'm o.k. with that.
For this race I plan on using performance food and my own creations. I made an energy nut bar the other day. Try this; grind 1 TS steel cut oats (to make oat flour), 1 TS ground flax seeds, 2 TS honey and 2 TS almond butter. Mix in a bowl. Stir in 20 pecan halves (broken up), 1/3 cup cashews. Press into a glass dish and put in the freezer for awhile. Cut the bars into eating size. Total carbs in batch 53.0 If you use almonds instead of cashews the total will be lower.
I also make my own shake. 2 TS heavy cream, 1 TS flax seed oil, 1 TS ground flax seeds, 4 strawberries, 1 scoop low carb protein powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground physilium (sp?) husk, 1 cup organic non -sweetened, non-dairy soy drink. Yummy and very filling. I plan on drinking one every six hours or whenever I see my crew. Total carbs 6.5
I tried going without carbs on my long training runs and i bonked big time! I've heard others mention that you can train your body to get into a "fat only" burning mode but I have yet to so and I don't want to try during a race.
Good luck to you!

Im going to try these recipes out! They are nice and easy and sound tasty! I guess I should up my carbs a bit right now so I don't experience stomach trouble on the walk. What do you think of those packs of power gels? I cant remember what they are called but I thought it would be easy to put a couple in my fanny pack. Thanks for your info. It is sure helpful. Good luck on your hike!

Hi,
The gels are called GU or Power Gel, each one has appx 25 grams of carbs. The are easily digested and give quick energy. I have over two dozen for this weekend! You also might consider some sodium/potasium if you sweat a lot or if you drink tons of water like I do. You can drink Gatorade or take a little salt (in packets) with you. Being on Atkins you also need potasium. You can do a search to find out how much. During my race I use ThermaTabs or Succeed (they provide sodium and potasium). Good luck to you and have a great adventure! Bye, Maureen