40km+ a day burgos to leon diet?

[Oztrekker]

I just did the 40km a day challenge and did it easily.

However i gained weight. I found i just ate garbage like chocolate, ice creams and crisps and haribo. Then gorged on bread and beef steak.

The last day i got better orange and pomello start.

What do you think is a good diet for an athletic camino?

I thought the albergue saint jacques de molay does great food. I really need a good kick along at about thirty three km.

Got some hard days to do out of leon so dietry advice with availability is welcome.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

I just did the 40km a day challenge and did it easily.

However i gained weight. I found i just ate garbage like chocolate, ice creams and crisps and haribo. Then gorged on bread and beef steak.

The last day i got better orange and pomello start.

What do you think is a good diet for an athletic camino?

I thought the albergue saint jacques de molay does great food. I really need a good kick along at about thirty three km.

Got some hard days to do out of leon so dietry advice with availability is welcome.

Hi , why do you make it yourself so difficult . About the40 km.+ . Its not a race and it is no diet .
Enjoy yourself and try not too eat the carbage as you name it .
I walked for 37 day's from sjpdp and lost about 4 kg. , it has nothing to do with the distance you walk every day.
Wish you well and a Buen Camino , Peter .

 

[ManyMiles2Go]

I think the chocolate and ice cream is OK in SMALL quantities. Eat more than three times/day, but cut back on your portions. This will help you build up your metabolism which will burn more fat. Eat some eggs for breakfast, good protein. Eat more salads. Drink more water and less vino Cut back on salt a little. Just a couple of ideas, hope they will help you. Sorry, I only walked the Camino once, and do not have a good guide as far as better places to eat.

 

[nathanael]

I just did the 40km a day challenge and did it easily.

However i gained weight. I found i just ate garbage like chocolate, ice creams and crisps and haribo. Then gorged on bread and beef steak.

The last day i got better orange and pomello start.

What do you think is a good diet for an athletic camino?

I thought the albergue saint jacques de molay does great food. I really need a good kick along at about thirty three km.

Got some hard days to do out of leon so dietry advice with availability is welcome.

first and foremost and I read once when someone like did all those kls in one day, " did you see anything" ? so did you so busy walking a marathon...man enjoy the Camino. sit and relax and have a glass of vino tinto..look around and enjoy the scenery. on the diet ask for a salad or veggies instead of potatoes. enjoy man.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

I think the chocolate and ice cream is OK in SMALL quantities. Eat more than three times/day, but cut back on your portions. This will help you build up your metabolism which will burn more fat. Eat some eggs for breakfast, good protein. Eat more salads. Drink more water and less vino Cut back on salt a little. Just a couple of ideas, hope they will help you. Sorry, I only walked the Camino once, and do not have a good guide as far as better places to eat.

Hi, don't be sorry. There are lots of places where you can have a decent meal. That will be no problem. I wish you well, Peter.

 

[Oztrekker]

I have a tight time schedule. So i have no choice but to do the long kilometers.

Oz

 

[Urban Trekker]

40 K days! Your selection of food is in response to your bodies demands for calories. Everything you selected while walking was full of now calories the bread and beef steak when you were done were the catch up and later calories. I would try to load up on carbs at night and in the morning. Think Pasta Pasta Pasta or similar foods. A bocadillo with extra ham and cheese for lunch and snacking would also provide protein and cards while walking. Carbs are full of slow release calories, just what you need for 40 k days. Buen Camino

Happy Trails

 

[november_moon]

Yes, you need to focus on nutritious food that has the calories you need. Empty calories (like those found in junk food) will not carry you through. You'll get energy at first, but your body won't be able to keep this pace up without nutrition. Carbs are important for fuel - complex carbs are better than sugary carbs because you need long-lasting energy. Bread is fine as a filler, but definitely try to find pasta and whole grains. Protein is important for feeding your muscles - Spanish tortilla, which is basically a egg and potato omelet is practically the perfect Camino food. And you've got to get a good supply of fruits and veggies for the vitamins. OJ is ubiquitous and delicious - drink it regularly. Buy fruit in the markets and stands, munch on it through out the day. Eat salad and other veggies where ever you can find them. Consider getting some hydration tablets for your water also, so that you can replenish salts and minerals lost through sweat. If you like beer, have one (or 2 if you want) at the end of each day of walking. It will help your muscles relax and be ready for the next day. And of course, you can still eat junk food if you want to - just make sure that is a treat, after you've had the nutritious food.

 

[Bajaracer]

Stop by the supermercados and in the refrigerated section, pick up the entire tortilla de patata, usually less than €5 for the whole wheel, a good combo of protein and carbs.

 

[holmesmd]

I ran the Camino back in May, averaging 45 to 60km a day. Food choices were based on what I enjoyed eating, I needed for energy, was easily available, and what I could digest with ease and still run a little while later. Not saying this is a good diet, just what worked for me.

B - huge bowl of oatmeal and coffee
On the road - I usually stopped three times for a cafe and to eat one third of the bocadillos I made the night before (one full size baguette and about 200g of cured meat, presliced and wrapped for easy consumption the next day). if the bar had fruit, I always ate a piece of fruit. On an average day I would start snacking on prunes or other dried fruit with about 10k to go. Enough sugar to get me to my destination with plenty of energy but not so much that I would be unable to eat lunch when I got in.
Lunch (2-3pm) - usually had a picnic with some of the pilgrims from my albergue. Often fruit, a tortilla or any leftover bocadillo, ormaybe a bean salad (can of precooked beans, jar of roasted red peppers, plus whatever else seemed tasty at the time). Basically anything that could be quickly bought at the store before siesta started and eaten without much prep work.
Dinner - I usually cooked because my caloric needs were so high that I would need two pilgrims menus to have the energy for the next day. A large fresh protein (beans or meat from the butcher), veggies, more fruit, and yogurt for dessert.

I guess overall, the things that worked for me were small meals of quick carbs plus a protein source early in the day. Small meals so that my stomach wouldn't get overwhelmed, and protein/white bread mix to get quick and long term energy in one go. All my nutrient dense foods were in the afternoon/evening because they can be harder to digest and to get high quality food in my system for the next day. Personally my biggest issue was eating enough... even with plenty of wine and chocolate in between meals.

I brought hydration tablets but never used them despite having a chronic electrolyte imbalance. there was plenty of salt in the cured meat and plenty of other nutrients in my evening meals.

you could probably just swap out one or two junk food items for quality food and have some fruit or something on hand for those last 7km and be fine. Just getting some extra nutrient dense foods in your system can go a long way.

 

[Robo]

I have a tight time schedule. So i have no choice but to do the long kilometers.

Oz

Fair enough. But you'll be missing so much of the Camino experience. If you go back again.....and have a limited time. maybe just walk a shorter section.

I just walked the CF from St Jean, but on reflection 40 days on the road was too long. It became a chore. All the great stuff happened for me in weeks 2 and 3. If I did it again I would probably walk for 3 weeks only. Start in St Jean. And just see how far I get.

Sure this is very personal and subjective, but for me it was nothing to with the destination or how many kms I walked. It was all about the journey. And for the journey to be rewarding and enriching, I needed to spend time 'on the road'. Unrushed. So whether I walked 15 kms or 25 kms a day, it really didn't matter. 5-8 hours on the road each day, at a relaxed pace, was what I needed.

I did manage a couple of 32 km days, but it wasn't much fun.

Regarding diet. I munched nuts and raisons as I walked. Great to maintain energy levels. Also bananas. Also sports drinks (Aquarius is the local one)

I know some people like to rush along the Camino. Maybe it's the appeal of the Physical challenge? And that's fine. But if walking a Pilgrimage and wanting time out to reflect, I don't think it works.

It would be like proclaiming that you have just managed to live to the ripe old age of 95, but you managed to pack it all into just 45 years! What was the point......

 

[NicoZ]

I just did the 40km a day challenge and did it easily.

However i gained weight. I found i just ate garbage like chocolate, ice creams and crisps and haribo. Then gorged on bread and beef steak.

What do you think is a good diet for an athletic camino?

I'm not sure if you're asking about food choices or calorie count. In the end the first almost ends up a function of the second. Ten hours of walking is going to require a fairly large calorie intake. You need that "garbage". Chocolate,ice cream. I'd avoid the crisps because the bags are mostly air.

Think about it. Lets assume you're burning 5000 calories. (You don't say how big or athletic you are so the numbers could be higher). 5000 calories would mean 1.5kg of oatmeal or pasta. I love both but those are some pretty big bowls.

You basically need to be on the see food diet. If you see food and it's not moving eat it. Calorie dense foods like chocolate are your friend.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

I have a tight time schedule. So i have no choice but to do the long kilometers.

Oz

Do a part of the Camino this year and the rest next year. Try to enjoy yourself and don't race to Santiago. That has nothing to do whit the Camino spirit.

 

[Oztrekker]

The problem is i get super hungry, get to the final town and will then eat several blocks of chocolate.

Five kit kats, two bags of tex mex chili doritos, haribo. Then i sort out dinner.

It is like i am a hungry lion in a confectionary store and have no self control

 

[Robo]

The problem is i get super hungry, get to the final town and will then eat several blocks of chocolate.

Five kit kats, two bags of tex mex chili doritos, haribo. Then i sort out dinner.

It is like i am a hungry lion in a confectionary store and have no self control

So self control seems to be the issue. Not diet

Are you eating at regular intervals?

Sounds to me like you might be 'head down' walking all day and not eating enough, so feeling starved by the end of the day and eating whatever comes to hand first...

I was eating frequently.

Provided Breakfast. Coffee and toast.
'Proper' Breakfast. a couple of hours later. Maybe tortilla.
Lunch. maybe Bocadillo
Afternoon snack. Banana, sports drink or something.
Dinner. Pilgrims menu.

I never arrived 'famished'.

And I would nibble a few nuts if I felt peckish at any time.

 

[Robo]

I have a tight time schedule. So i have no choice but to do the long kilometers.

Oz

We all have choices Oz..... You 'chose' to walk long days....

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I'm not sure if you're asking about food choices or calorie count.

I'm not sure if we are describing Herculean exploits or sharing nutrition advice.

 

[marbuck]

Got some hard days to do out of leon so dietry advice with availability is welcome.

I think you are more interested in seeing your comments on the internet than receiving any advice on this forum.

 

[Oztrekker]

Robo you are correct i just go head down and then grab whatever is most convenient. This is the problem. The chocolate home brand blocks are super cheap which is not helping my cause.

I dont take rest stops either.

I need a better diet. The tiendas have been my first stop. I need wholemeal low gi style of foods.

Maybe some trail mix would help, or something to suppress apetite.

So my diet is a not well adjusted at all to the treking task.

Nepal was different i did not have this ravenous end of day problem.

I was eating momo, fried rice, no bread. The altitude makes you nauseas as well. Maybe i should change out the white bread.

 

[waveprof]

I dont take rest stops either.

Walking 40KM a day with no rest stops = very unhealthy

That's your choice.

But then looking for advice on how to fix that is very difficult. If I walked 40km a day with no rest stops, I'd gorge on the cheapest junk food I could find quickly upon arrival too. That's human nature.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Nepal was different i did not have this ravenous end of day problem.

I was eating momo, fried rice, no bread. The altitude makes you nauseas as well. Maybe i should change out the white bread.


Luckily for me I have avoided these rip offs and have cooked with my mountain stove.

I found dehydrated mash potato, salad bags, charal vaccum sealed steaks among other stuff and baguettesand cakes.

There isno need to get riped off, you just need to carry some extra weight.

Budget 25 euro a day and eat like a king.

To those pilgrims that blindly agree to hand over your money to a gite without asking what you get for your dinner you are creating and encouraging the rip offs.

Remember to work your schedule into the opening times of the supermarchets and you will save allot of money.

Can you reconcile changing from self-catering to junk food? Why the transformation after leaving France?

 

[supersullivan]

The problem is i get super hungry, get to the final town and will then eat several blocks of chocolate.

Five kit kats, two bags of tex mex chili doritos, haribo. Then i sort out dinner.

It is like i am a hungry lion in a confectionary store and have no self control

Oztrekker, walked St Jean to Santiago in 21 days in 2013 and in 20 days this year ( lost 7 kgs on camino this year ) , type 2 diabetic so am a little careful with what I eat but obviously daily long distances give a fair bit of leeway. As a former competition cyclist in my teens and 20's, I try to broadly replicate the type of meals professional cyclists would have, as already mentioned, complex carbs should form the bulk of your calorie intake during the day ( rice, pasta, potatoes ) and your evening meal should include protein to help allow your body repair micro trauma to muscle tissue overnight. Imho, you're overindulging in junk calories and in simple terms every time you eat a lot of high sugar food, your body pumps insulin into your bloodstream to metabolise the sugars into glycogen which can be stored as an energy source in your muscles but that causes a drop in sugar levels which then leaves you craving a quick sugar fix and the cycle repeats and really should try limiting yourself to a daily treat ( perhaps with your evening meal ), having said that, ultimately it's your camino to walk as you feel suits your needs and requirements and the best judge of that is you.

 

[Robo]

Snacking through the day worked well for me. Frequent breaks, about every two hours for a coffee and whatever snack was available. It was also to take my boots and socks off to air my feet (avoided blisters). And to get ice to put on my Tendonitis. (brought that with me). And of course.......a chance to chat with other Pilgrims. It was always interesting when coming to another 'stop' to cast around to see who I knew.

But then again, I was walking a Pilgrimage, not undertaking a hiking marathon challenge

 

[Oztrekker]

Falcon - France i just followed the guide book so doing 30's and some double stages.

Plus the tiendas are cheap and more availabe than france.

Plus the heat has been spoiling food, for example my salad bag from dias often gets a black liquid in the bag, it sweats out i spose.

40's are a different. You got to have the better diet. Plus i am lightweight treking.

I think it is the white bread that is the problem for me it feels like empty food that makes me tired, also oily stuff like fried calamari slows me down. I get most power out of fruit, and a good steak and salad. I purchased nuts and dried fruit today so i will see.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

So both self-catering or eating in restaurants will work, if you have the self-discipline to shop in open tiendas and avoid the fried foods?

 

[Oztrekker]

Falcin, I manage to scrounge this up in mansilla. It was the best meal i made so far. The bread is truly amazing for me. But it is not available everywhere. I had to ditch the bag of salad i purchased from sahagun dias it went bad in the sun.




Fried foods are tasty, the hamburger at albergue molay beat the burger king, and i am a tough food critic.



The burger on whole meal bun would be perfect long k food.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

i am a tough food critic.

I have noticed.

If that was the best meal I had, I would slit my wrists.

 

[naplesdon]

And all this time I thought OZ was espousing the sanctity of the food he was getting at the supermercados. Live and learn, as they say.
That thing on his plate looks like "shit on shingle" or in Aussie parlance a "dog breakfast on a baguette."

 

[Robo]

Falcin, I manage to scrounge this up in mansilla. It was the best meal i made so far. The bread is truly amazing for me. But it is not available everywhere. I had to ditch the bag of salad i purchased from sahagun dias it went bad in the sun.

Fried foods are tasty, the hamburger at albergue molay beat the burger king, and i am a tough food critic.

The burger on whole meal bun would be perfect long k food.

You need to start eating 'proper' food my friend....

There's plenty available.....

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Falcin, I manage to scrounge this up in mansilla. It was the best meal i made so far. The bread is truly amazing for me. But it is not available everywhere. I had to ditch the bag of salad i purchased from sahagun dias it went bad in the sun.

View attachment 19623 View attachment 19623


Fried foods are tasty, the hamburger at albergue molay beat the burger king, and i am a tough food critic.



The burger on whole meal bun would be perfect long k food.

As some people stated already you need to start eating proper food. And I think you better can stop this discussing, you don’t listens to all the advice people give you. It's for everyone a waist of time.

 

[waveprof]

And I think you better can stop this discussing, you don’t listens to all the advice people give you. It's for everyone a waist of time.

What do you mean Peter? This thread is my daily morning entertainment!!! It's become part of my breakfast routine to read it.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It's become part of my breakfast routine to read it.

For the protein or the carbs?

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

What do you mean Peter? This thread is my daily morning entertainment!!! It's become part of my breakfast routine to read it.

Sorry, I mean that everyone gifs him good advise and the only thing he does is talking about the wrong kind of food he eats and is proud off it , that's how I think about it. Wish you well.

 

[Oztrekker]

40 K days! Your selection of food is in response to your bodies demands for calories. Everything you selected while walking was full of now calories the bread and beef steak when you were done were the catch up and later calories. I would try to load up on carbs at night and in the morning. Think Pasta Pasta Pasta or similar foods. A bocadillo with extra ham and cheese for lunch and snacking would also provide protein and cards while walking. Carbs are full of slow release calories, just what you need for 40 k days. Buen Camino

Happy Trails

Yes i want to walk jerusalem, vatican, santiago, give me that visa!

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Yes i want to walk jerusalem, vatican, santiago, give me that visa!

When you do that you have to change your eating habbits , Peter.

 

[reih1515]

I just did the 40km a day challenge and did it easily.

However i gained weight. I found i just ate garbage like chocolate, ice creams and crisps and haribo. Then gorged on bread and beef steak.

The last day i got better orange and pomello start.

What do you think is a good diet for an athletic camino?

I thought the albergue saint jacques de molay does great food. I really need a good kick along at about thirty three km.

Got some hard days to do out of leon so dietry advice with availability is welcome.

Eat once a day a dinner. No breakfast and a little bit hungry to bed. You'll see you get in a sort of trance and loose weight. And the walking goes perfect.

 

[november_moon]

Eat once a day a dinner. No breakfast and a little bit hungry to bed. You'll see you get in a sort of trance and loose weight. And the walking goes perfect.

40km on an empty stomach, then trying to ingest all of the calories and nutrients that you need for the day in 1 meal? I can't see this working well at all.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

40km on an empty stomach, then trying to ingest all of the calories and nutrients that you need for the day in 1 meal? I can't see this working well at all.

You are so wright, Peter