100k walk - carbs or no carbs?

katcunock

Hey all!

So i'm in training to do a 100k walk next may for charity. Part of that is looking at my nutrition. I know protein is essential for building muscle, but carbs are apparantly good for sustainable energy. But - i'[ve been told carbs are not good for losing weight. *confused face*

So i'm thinking about the snacks i'll be carrying with me - what should i take???? ANY advice would be appreciated!

Thanks

melaniecheeks

Carbs are fuel. You'll need them for something like a serious walk of 100k. How many days is that over?

Snacks during a long walk - nuts, cereal bars, banana, raisins, and plenty of water!

darrensurrey

Is that 100km in one go? If it's a 20 hour non-stop walk, then eat well on that day and have fuel on the go, too!

If it's 3km a day, then that's a 30-45 minute walk. You could do it in a fasted state.

HMVOL7409

Carbs are not evil and are not to be ignored. You can still eat carbs and lose weight plus you will most definitely need them to fuel to walk a 100K. People will tell you thousands of things when trying to lose weight; find what works for you in the end but if someone is telling you that you won't lose weight by eating carbs, I would not listen to them again as they are clearly wrong.

BrianSharpe

Hey all!

So i'm in training to do a 100k walk next may for charity. Part of that is looking at my nutrition. I know protein is essential for building muscle, but carbs are apparantly good for sustainable energy. But - i'[ve been told carbs are not good for losing weight. *confused face*

So i'm thinking about the snacks i'll be carrying with me - what should i take???? ANY advice would be appreciated!

Thanks

Losing weight = caloric deficit

and going low carb is just a caloric deficit in a different wrapper.

I'm not surprised that anyone would be confused with the extraordinary amount of conflicting advice floating around. (Much of it of not backed up by solid science - unsurprisingly many authors mold their research to support a conclusion rather than starting with a hypothesis and drawing a conclusion based on the evidence)

Your macro ratio (carbs/fat/protein) is largely premised on what your goals are. Runners, triathletes and other endurance athletes tend to rely on diets fairly heavy in carbs - often up to 60% or so of their calories as aerobic activity is fueld by stored glycogen and fat. If you were bodybuilding you would aim for lower carbs and higher protein to support muscle repair (and you wouldn't be eating at a caloric deficit except when cutting)

If your goal is to be able to comfortably complete a 100km walk then carbs are your friend.

As far as snacks to be eaten en-route base your choices on your eating preferences. You have lots of great choices (assuming no nut allergies) with things like trail mix, GORP, granola/energy bars, PB&J sandwiches (one of my favourites), bananas etc.

Good luck with your training.

yarwell

Depends in part how fit you are and how fast you go. You probably have max 2000 calories available from carbs without eating but if you're fit and going at a pace where fats are providing some of your energy you have 10s of thousands of calories on board to use.