So Aidan, Mike and I are leaving for our 7 day backpacking trip to the Absaroka Wilderness Area about 46 miles south of Big Timber, Montana. Among the time planning for this trip more than half of it was dedicated to coming up with a way to get enough palatable calories each day. While we decided that our meals would be individual this year instead of sharing a pot – forcing us to all eat the same suppers – we ended up packing very similar food. Here is a run down a daily ration of the food I’m taking on this trip:

Breakfast
Instant Oatmeal – 360 cal
Myoplex Protein Shake – 280 cal

On The Trail
PowerBar ProteinPlus – 300 cal
(2) Clif Bar – 500 cal
King Sized Snickers – 520 cal
Nature Valley Granola Bar – 220 cal
Sun-Rype Fruit Bar – 120 cal
2L Gatorade – 520 cal

At Camp
Endurox R4 Recovery Drink – 270 cal
(2) Ichiban Noodles – 780 cal
Lipton Pasta or Rice Dish – 560 cal
Hot Chocolate – 200 cal

Total Daily Caloric Intake: 4,630

Now according the various online caloric calculators someone my size, age, and height should need between 6,000 – 7,000 calories per day for 6 hours of backpacking. Taking an average of 6,500 calories burned each day that means there will be a 1,870 calorie deficit each day. Over 6 days that works out to a total deficit of 11,220 and since 1 lb. of body fat is 3,500 calories it is a good estimate that I will need to burn 3.2 lbs of fat over the coarse of the week. We’ll see….