When Hiker Hunger Doesn’t Hit

The Un-hungry Hiker

We have all heard the term “Hiker Hunger”. It refers to that moment on trail when your body recognizes your level of exertion and revs up your appetite to keep your body fueled. But what happens when hiker hunger doesn’t hit? I have read different sources that claim the average thru-hiker burns somewhere around 4500 to 5500 calories a day. Before my hike I couldn’t stop smiling as I thought about all the excess weight I was going to lose on trail. However, I never thought of the downside or imagined that I could lose my appetite completely while on trail. Unfortunately that is exactly what happened to me on the AT.

The Best Laid Plans

I planned to cold-soak my food to save weight and time while hiking, so I bought a variety of grab and go foods such as tuna, chicken, spam, granola, and peanut butter, protein shakes, whole milk powder, oatmeal, grits, and ramen just to name a few. Variety and personal favorites, I thought I had thought of everything.

Eat a Ramen, Climb a Mountain, or Not

I didn’t eat a lot that first week, but I put that down to nerves and a lack of routine. To be honest I didn’t give it much thought at first. But soon enough I could no longer ignore the clothes that no longer fit me, the nausea I felt with every bit, and worse by far my tanking energy levels. I was shocked at how few calories I was consuming. On any given day I was eating between 300 and 800 calories while hiking double digit miles up and down mountainsides. The obvious answer was to eat more, but how do you eat when every bit makes you sick?

I’m Not Alone

I realized that others were experiencing something similar. Everyone had advice to offer. Some wasn’t very useful like “You have to eat more,” while others suggested giving my body down-time from exertion before trying to eat anything. While it has gradually gotten better I still find I need more. I had weighed myself after three weeks on trail and had lost 20 pounds. I am still losing but not as quickly and my calorie count is now closer to 2000 per day. And while I find I can eat more hot food than I can cold food I don’t really think cold-soaking was the problem.

Again, I want to stress that this was not a case of intentionally denying myself food. I wanted to eat, I knew I needed to eat, but I just couldn’t. I would love to hear from anyone else that experienced this on trail and what you did.

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Comments 14

  • Roz : Apr 15th

    I can relate! Look to backcountryfoodie.com. She is a nutritionist and has a whole meal plan for “Low appetite” days. I found a trail smoothie in there (choc peanut butter smoothie) that was like magic for me. It is easy to digest so I can sip on it even when I feel the all too to me familiar trail nausea. Good luck to you! Hang in there.

    Reply
    • Rebecca Lynn : Apr 26th

      Thanks for the resource! I found it was somewhat easier to drink my calories. Things are finally turning around and I am able to eat almost anything.

      Reply
  • TwoSips : Apr 15th

    Hi Rebecca!
    First and foremost: hike your own hike!
    That being said, I had a whisperlite and a steel >1L pot and did mostly oatmeal and spaghetti and sometimes rice. The setup did not fall into the category of ‘ultralight’ and it took a bit longer to cook the meals, but both pasta and oatmeal have a lot of options to add flavor wether you’ve just re-supplied or if you’re four days in from your last re-supply. All of the ways you can prepare tasty oatmeal and pasta on the trail are things that can be googled but the point here is that I found hot meals to really hit the spot and the ritual of setting up the stove and cooking was a pleasant way to spend my non-hiking daytime hours.
    There came a point after 2-3 months in where I was sitting around the Hiker TV, chatting it up with fellow through hikers and somebody started the conversation of how much weight they had lost so far. People chimed in with numbers like 3 or 7 or 15 or 20 pounds lost and I was surprised to find that I was the only one who had actually gained any weight (a measly 2 lbs from when I started).
    tl;dr: I’m not the arbiter of how anybody should eat on the trail but maybe try some hot meals once in a while (:

    Reply
    • Rebecca Lynn : Apr 26th

      I purchased a pot and have found a hot meal was indeed easier to keep down. Cheers.

      Reply
  • Refill : Apr 16th

    While I haven’t experienced this myself, I’d suggest to go for foods that are higher calories per volume if you struggle eating enough.
    So anything with a lot of fat (all sorts of nuts, the right kind of trail salami, that sort of thing).
    And/or try to drink more calories, through whatever drinkmix (I used Gatorade) on trail and with whatever you like while you are in town .

    Reply
  • Tim : Apr 16th

    Hi, I think it’s very common to experience a lower than normal appetite in the early stages of a long distance hike. I typically don’t feel hiker hunger coming on until 2-3 weeks have elapsed and have learned to carry less food in the early stages and only ramp up the calories well into a long trek. Carrying too much food the first few weeks is a common mistake I’ve made in the past. No longer. It’s also important to supply yourself with quality nutrition for the sake of your long term health. Just my two cents worth. I achieved the triple crown in 2016. Getting this right was very important to my success. Happy Trails to you!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Lynn : Apr 26th

      It took me a little while to get my food carries just right and every extra ounce I carried made my lack of calories that much more critical. Finally getting hungry! Thanks for the feedback. Cheers.

      Reply
  • Grandpa Hodag : Apr 16th

    Greetings, fellow wanderer. I too had a similar experience while on a LASH of NJ. I broke my reluctance to eat with some hot, greasy meatloaf and buttered mashed potatoes with gravy eaten very slowly. Just sat on the porch of the store sipping OJ and let it work. Then went over to Arebellas and grabbed some pizza for dinner and breakfast at Pochuck shelter. Ate the pizza as planned. Felt better later that second day. No problems climbing The Stairway to Heaven. I suspect it was a lack of fats. Hope you figure out what your body is signalling. Godspeed onward.

    Reply
  • Vrooom : Apr 17th

    So sorry to hear this. I had a similar experience on the John Muir Trail. I chocked it up to the altitude, but ended up focusing on high fat/high carb meals to at least get as many calories as possible in the few bites I could take. I found I could get jerky/salami down pretty well, so went through a lot of that. Dehydrated meals I couldn’t manage, excepting some sweeter things. As soon as I was off trail for just a few hours I could eat again. Weird.

    Reply
    • Rebecca Lynn : Apr 26th

      It definitely took me by surprise! I found I could drink my calories easier than I could drink them so my protein shakes saved me. Hot meals also seem to help.

      Reply
  • Angela : Apr 17th

    It is as if you were describing me on trail. Oftentimes the mention of food will have me retching. Worst was when my stomach would give me a teeny hunger signal so I’d get all excited and back to nauseous seconds later. I wasn’t usually hungry at all…but I do know the devastating consequences of too many days without adequate nutrition on the body – it is frustrating. I eventually figured out a few things that helped me. First, electrolyte drink mix. I prefer DripDrop. I ensure I get at least 2 a day…when energy flags, it is an awesome pickup. For breakfast, I found out by accident I can tolerate the freeze dried strawberries, granola, milk. Add hot water when cold out…cold when hot out. I eventually found a noodle freeze dried meal I could tolerate and ate it every.single.night (usually a half-portion). During the day I tried to think like a pregnant person – try very bland, if no go – then sweet or savory. Avoid excess water at meal times. I’d often pinch off a small piece of jerky, slim jim, or freeze dried fruit and suck on it as nausea subsided in an effort to reduce the cycle.

    The most important thing is ensure you stay plenty hydrated because waste products from the extensive exercise are not nice to the kidneys. I believe the metabolic changes going on in the body from dealing with this combined with the continuous jostling of digestive organs aggravates the nausea. Slowing down my pace helped me a bit. Instead of stressing over it, I tended to call it my “afternoon” of nature appreciation.

    Reply
    • Rebecca Lynn : Apr 26th

      Great advice! I have been able to stay hydrated and I electrolytes are vital. On the really bad days I found it was easier to drink my calories so relied on my protein shakes when nothing else worked. Eight weeks in and I am finally able to eat. Cheers

      Reply
  • Naomi Brown : Apr 17th

    Food. absolutely nothing conjures up how it’s supposed to make us feel. Something may be amiss. Have you been to a doc and had this analyzed?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Lynn : Apr 26th

      Thanks for the comment. This situation was trail related and therefore I haven’t had it analyzed. However, after speaking with a lot of my fellow hikers, it is clear I am not alone in this experience. Eight weeks in and my hunger has finally returned. Cheers

      Reply

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