I prefer the diet recommended by Dr. McDougall which is a vegan, starch-based diet.

One hole I see in your diet is a lack of insoluble carbohydrates. There are some in the oats, but those are the only insoluble carbohydrates I see. A person needs about 28 to 35 grams of insoluble carbohydrates a day to stay regular. I wouldn't add things like psyllium to your diet to get them as I've heard horror stories from people who have done that on the Appalachian Trail.

What I find works well for when I'm active is about 55% carbohydrates, 30% fats and 15% protein. For the long term, fats should be about 15%. I'm vegan, so the extra amount of fats comes from nuts.

The other hole I see in your diet is vegetables. "Just Vegetables" sells a mixture of vegetables that are easy to make. Let them soak in water for about a half hour, and then heat them. You can also eat them raw as a snack. Fruits and vegetables give needed nutrients even though they don't have many calories per gram.

I burn about 3,000 calories a day since I walk a lot. Sometimes I go for stretches of burning 4,000 calories a day. I've found that if I reduce my calories more than about 800 calories than I burn I become ravenously hungry.

For an overnight trip, people can get away with eating most anything, and I often toss whatever is in the house into my pack. If I'm going out for three nights or more, I plan things carefully so I have enough calories and the proper balance of calories. I put each day's ration into a gallon baggie, and each meal is measured. I plan to return with no extra food.

You can add to calories and nutrients by adding things like sunflower seeds, rice bran and wheat germ to almost anything. You won't taste them.

If you want to be somewhat scientific, try the diet you are planning for a week at home while exercising enough to burn an extra 1,500 calories or so. Track your calories carefully during this week so you can compare the number of calories consumed with how you feel. There are many programs online which will track calories and the balance of carbs, fats and proteins. Some will also track other needed nutrients.

You will know you are doing it right if you have good volume in your bowel movement each day, and preferably, there should be two or three bowel movements a day. There shouldn't be any loose stools. Loose stools which are close to liquid would indicate too much processed food, and too much meat or dairy in your diet. This is especially true if the loose stool occurs within an hour or so after eating. This means your last meal is being rejected by your body and it's pushing out what you ate about 12 hours ago to make room for the bad stuff to get out.

Maybe this is too much information, but it's what I've learned from studying the matter.




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