Macros for sustainability

[Kyle C]

Curious what others macros look like for extended backcountry hunts. Typically i hunt for 25-30 days straight in September and have always weighed my food and made sure my cals were equal to the Oz or somewhere close. Never struggled from crashing or malnourished fatigue. This year however I thought I'd look at the breakdown of everything I take for a day. This list does not include freeze dried meals and is just my snacks throughout the day. Typically take one per day for dinner and on a 5 day hunt will always throw in a couple top Ramen bags for extra. My Typical dinners vary in companies and variety but are all between 700-1100 calories.

Weight-18.25oz
Calories-2270
Protein- 88 grams
Carbs- 237 grams
Fat- 105 grams
Sugar- 110 grams

 

[LCguy]

I usually lean a little more protein heavy, especially for my last meal of the day. Carbs and fat are virtually the same but I try to eat at least 180 grams of protein. Going protein heavy at night will help keep me sated through most of the morning in case I don't have time to get a breakfast in. I also just try to keep roughly the same macros as I do at home because I've found that it helps keep everything running smoothly from a gastrointestinal point of view. If I deviate too much, my stomach let's me know.

 

[Teaman1]

I’m trying to get my food dialed in this year.
I’ve never tracked weight or macros and usually rely on freeze dried meals, even though they don’t make me feel the greatest.
I’m going to ditch the freeze dried meals this year, mostly because of cost.
I have a scouting trip planned for August, going to start high with calories and adjust based on what I eat each day during the scouting trip.

For the scouting trip I’m taking:
3,940 calories
189g fat
323 carbs
133 protein
Just under 2 pounds/day

 

[S.Clancy]

What I bring depends on the hunt. If it's a lot of glassing, no backpacking, some hiking, it's basically what I eat at home;
150g + protein
80-100g fat
300-400g or so carbs

If it's backpacking or car camping with either tons of miles or tons of vertical it's more like this;
85-100g protein
100g min fat
600g + carbs. I've eaten as much as 900-1000g in a day.

 

[nphunter]

For the last 10+ years I have been going to a strict Ketogenic diet leading up to hunting season for a couple weeks so my body becomes fat-adapted. Once I'm fat adapted I don't bonk out at all while hunting, I've gone on multiple day trips only taking a small amount of almonds, pepperoni, cheese and some electrolytes. I normally hunt 90+ days each fall and many of those are in a tent in the back country. Being fat adapted is huge for me, i can be hunting with buddies that get hypoglycemic and have to stop to eat and I'm not even hungry and have a ton of energy.

Food has become kind of a second though for me over the years and I never really get hung up on it becasue I can go without for sevearl days and be fine. I did a bunch of fasting a couple years ago, over 100 days in 2024, many 5-7 or even 10 day fasts, I completed several backcountry camping trips during fasts, sometimes 3-4 days into a fast and it was awesome and I felt great.

I still take regular freeze dry or whatever backpacking foods but by making sure I'm fat-adapted leading up to season my body easily switches over to buring fat for fuel. Before fat adaptation, I could never take enough food with me to keep from getting hypoglycemic on big days in the back country.