I’ve been hiking for a couple of years now and have hiked in many states. Hiking is great for sound health. During my hike time, the most common questions I have faced if you can fasting while hiking.
The answer is yes. You can do fasting while hiking. But while you are fasting and hiking, you have to keep in mind that you have proper energy in your body to do fasting while hiking. Otherwise, it will not be good for your hiking trip.
In this article, we will discuss how you can do proper fasting while hiking and lose your body weight.
Types of Fasting
The first thing you have to know about doing fasting while hiking is that you can do three types of fasting.
- Water Fast
- S-Cafe (Snack-Cafe) Fast
- Total Energy Restricted Fast (T.E.R.) Fast
Let’s see what they mean:
A water fast is when you drink only water for a certain period of time. You should only drink water or other liquids like Gatorade and the like. Normally, you should drink a lot of water to flush out toxins from your body. But during a water fast, toxins will accumulate in your body and you will start to get sick. This is why it is important to have a proper diet while on a water fast. When I am doing a long hike, I usually do a water fast for 3 to 5 days before I start eating solid foods again.
This type of fast involves eating only Snack-Cafe. These are those little portable snacks with calories such as beef jerky, protein bars, energy drinks, etc. This type of fast is the most convenient one because you can easily carry Snack-Cafe with you when you are hiking. During my hiking trip, I usually do a Snack-Cafe fast for 2 to 3 days.
The third type of fasting is Total Energy Restricted Fast or T.E.R. Fast. This type of fast is the most difficult one because it involves cutting out all kinds of foods that have calories. Normally, people who do T.E.R. fasts need to take a lot of supplements such as vitamins, minerals, electrolytes. Hiking during a T.E.R. fast is very hard. Most people who do a T.E.R. fast will lose lots of their hiking stamina.
How Can You Do Fasting While Hiking?
Water Fasting While Hiking
If you are going to hike for a day or two, you can easily do water fasting while hiking. But if you are planning to hike 4-5 days in a row, I recommend not to do water fasting.
Your body can run with water fasting for 3-4 days properly. So, hiking after 2-3 days of fasting is not recommended by me.
It’s best to stop hiking after 3-days of fasting. Your body will be burning fat for energy and protein as fuel. That means your body is in repair mode and needs all the energy it can get to mend the damage done by fasting. This gives your immune system a chance to kick in and give your body the protection it needs against different types of infections and illnesses and control your body weight.
S-Cafe (Snack-Cafe) Fasting While Hiking
If you are going to do Snack-Cafe fasting while hiking, you should take only high-calorie healthy food with you, such as beef jerky, peanut butter, honey, chocolate chips, raisins, dates, etc. These foods have more than twice as many calories as water. That means your body will get all the fuel it needs to repair itself. Your hiking trip will be much more fun and much less hard when you are not feeling hungry and weak all the time.
Total Energy Restricted Fast (T.E.R.) Fast While Hiking
The T.E.R. fast is a great way to get in shape while hiking, camping or backpacking. It’s also an excellent method for bodyweight loss and fat burning during the summer months when you are not able to do any other form of exercise. The T.E.R fast can be done anywhere as long as there is access to water.
But this kind of extended fasting may cause you to lose your energy level. So you can not hike that much normally as you can do without fasting.
Common Misconceptions About Fasting And Hiking in a Fasted State
Some People think skipping a meal is the end of the world. It is actually not true. In a day hike while fasting has some health benefits. If you do a long-distance hike for a couple of days, you can lose some body fat, which is actually good for your health.
Benefits of Fasting While Hiking
By doing hiking with the combination of fasting, you will enhance your immune system, improve your mood and increase your energy levels. By controlling your calorie intake properly, you can also prevent various types of illnesses and diseases such as High blood pressure and stroke, heart attacks, Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, cancer, lupus, and many others.
Suppose you are fat and want to lose weight. Fasting while hiking is a must for you. It will burn your fat for energy. This fat stores energy, which will help you to do a long hike.
Can you through-hike while intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting can be practiced on long-distance hikes of up to 8-9 days. You will need plenty of food to fuel your body. If you’re doing a shorter hike but you’re putting in very long days, fasting gives you energy. It will also save time if you skip breakfast in the morning—you can go straight to packing up your tent and getting on the trail. Ultimately, you need to find what works for you. Experiment to find what works for you.
Should I Fast Before a Hike?
That entirely depends upon what you consider a “hike.” If you are hiking to the top of Mount Everest, then by all means, eat a small bag of potato chips and drink a large cup of coffee while fasting.
On the other hand, if your hike is simply to the store to get a bottle of aspirin, then by all means, eat a hearty meal and drink plenty of water before starting out.
What Should You Not do While Fasting?
Do not think about eating. Seriously, that is what you should not do at all. As a matter of fact, if you are really serious about fasting, it would be better if you did not think about anything at all except your prayers.
Conclusion
I hope you get help with this article about fasting while hiking. I tried to cover the topic which you might want to know about fasting and hiking from my experience.
Also, let me know in the comments below any questions or concerns that you may have had while reading. Thanks for taking time out of your day to read my blog post today! Have an awesome rest of your week!
Read WHAT TO EAT BEFORE HIKING
I’ve been hiking for a couple of years now and have hiked in many states. Hiking is great for sound health. During my hike time, the most common questions I have faced if you can fasting while hiking.
The answer is yes. You can do fasting while hiking. But while you are fasting and hiking, you have to keep in mind that you have proper energy in your body to do fasting while hiking. Otherwise, it will not be good for your hiking trip.
In this article, we will discuss how you can do proper fasting while hiking and lose your body weight.
Types of Fasting
The first thing you have to know about doing fasting while hiking is that you can do three types of fasting.
- Water Fast
- S-Cafe (Snack-Cafe) Fast
- Total Energy Restricted Fast (T.E.R.) Fast
Let’s see what they mean:
A water fast is when you drink only water for a certain period of time. You should only drink water or other liquids like Gatorade and the like. Normally, you should drink a lot of water to flush out toxins from your body. But during a water fast, toxins will accumulate in your body and you will start to get sick. This is why it is important to have a proper diet while on a water fast. When I am doing a long hike, I usually do a water fast for 3 to 5 days before I start eating solid foods again.
This type of fast involves eating only Snack-Cafe. These are those little portable snacks with calories such as beef jerky, protein bars, energy drinks, etc. This type of fast is the most convenient one because you can easily carry Snack-Cafe with you when you are hiking. During my hiking trip, I usually do a Snack-Cafe fast for 2 to 3 days.
The third type of fasting is Total Energy Restricted Fast or T.E.R. Fast. This type of fast is the most difficult one because it involves cutting out all kinds of foods that have calories. Normally, people who do T.E.R. fasts need to take a lot of supplements such as vitamins, minerals, electrolytes. Hiking during a T.E.R. fast is very hard. Most people who do a T.E.R. fast will lose lots of their hiking stamina.
How Can You Do Fasting While Hiking?
Water Fasting While Hiking
If you are going to hike for a day or two, you can easily do water fasting while hiking. But if you are planning to hike 4-5 days in a row, I recommend not to do water fasting.
Your body can run with water fasting for 3-4 days properly. So, hiking after 2-3 days of fasting is not recommended by me.
It’s best to stop hiking after 3-days of fasting. Your body will be burning fat for energy and protein as fuel. That means your body is in repair mode and needs all the energy it can get to mend the damage done by fasting. This gives your immune system a chance to kick in and give your body the protection it needs against different types of infections and illnesses and control your body weight.
S-Cafe (Snack-Cafe) Fasting While Hiking
If you are going to do Snack-Cafe fasting while hiking, you should take only high-calorie healthy food with you, such as beef jerky, peanut butter, honey, chocolate chips, raisins, dates, etc. These foods have more than twice as many calories as water. That means your body will get all the fuel it needs to repair itself. Your hiking trip will be much more fun and much less hard when you are not feeling hungry and weak all the time.
Total Energy Restricted Fast (T.E.R.) Fast While Hiking
The T.E.R. fast is a great way to get in shape while hiking, camping or backpacking. It’s also an excellent method for bodyweight loss and fat burning during the summer months when you are not able to do any other form of exercise. The T.E.R fast can be done anywhere as long as there is access to water.
But this kind of extended fasting may cause you to lose your energy level. So you can not hike that much normally as you can do without fasting.
Common Misconceptions About Fasting And Hiking in a Fasted State
Some People think skipping a meal is the end of the world. It is actually not true. In a day hike while fasting has some health benefits. If you do a long-distance hike for a couple of days, you can lose some body fat, which is actually good for your health.
Benefits of Fasting While Hiking
By doing hiking with the combination of fasting, you will enhance your immune system, improve your mood and increase your energy levels. By controlling your calorie intake properly, you can also prevent various types of illnesses and diseases such as High blood pressure and stroke, heart attacks, Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, cancer, lupus, and many others.
Suppose you are fat and want to lose weight. Fasting while hiking is a must for you. It will burn your fat for energy. This fat stores energy, which will help you to do a long hike.
Can you through-hike while intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting can be practiced on long-distance hikes of up to 8-9 days. You will need plenty of food to fuel your body. If you’re doing a shorter hike but you’re putting in very long days, fasting gives you energy. It will also save time if you skip breakfast in the morning—you can go straight to packing up your tent and getting on the trail. Ultimately, you need to find what works for you. Experiment to find what works for you.
Should I Fast Before a Hike?
That entirely depends upon what you consider a “hike.” If you are hiking to the top of Mount Everest, then by all means, eat a small bag of potato chips and drink a large cup of coffee while fasting.
On the other hand, if your hike is simply to the store to get a bottle of aspirin, then by all means, eat a hearty meal and drink plenty of water before starting out.
What Should You Not do While Fasting?
Do not think about eating. Seriously, that is what you should not do at all. As a matter of fact, if you are really serious about fasting, it would be better if you did not think about anything at all except your prayers.
Conclusion
I hope you get help with this article about fasting while hiking. I tried to cover the topic which you might want to know about fasting and hiking from my experience.
Also, let me know in the comments below any questions or concerns that you may have had while reading. Thanks for taking time out of your day to read my blog post today! Have an awesome rest of your week!
