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25 January 2007

FOOD

I had a nice comment on my last post from Jim, who a few years ago spent six months walking the length of Norway. He noticed that after ten weeks he had lost 12kg in weight. That’s an astonishing 1stone and twelve and a half pounds! If I am to lose weight at the same rate as Jim, it is quite an easy mathematical task to work out that in the seventeen weeks that I shall be walking, it will be possible to lose 20.4 kg or an even more incredible 3 stone 3 lbs!

Being a tubby 12 stone at the moment that would mean a finishing weight of 8stone 11lbs!

EEEEEEK!

I then thought about this quite deeply and came to the conclusion that there cannot be many pubs in Norway, or if there are, the price of beer must be frightening. I have only to walk past the door of a pub and sniff the barmaid’s apron to put on four pounds the very next morning! Fortunately for my slender pot-bellied frame, my route is blessed with a preponderance of Pubs and so I am sure that all will be well.

But, just in case, today I put in an order for some freeze dried expedition meals:

4 x Pasta Bolognese
4 x Cod & Potato in Cream Sauce
4 x Chicken in Sweet & Sour Sauce
4 x Beef Stew with Rice
4 x Beef and Potato Casserole
4 x Wolf Fish and Arctic Prawns
2 x Chilli Casserole
2 x Chicken Curry with Rice
4 x Apple with Custard.

That’s 28 main meals for when I have to carry them some distance; otherwise I will be picking up the occasional fillet steak and mushrooms to cook later in the day, as an example if I am not eating in a nice pub or restaurant.

I am getting quite hungry just looking at that list so I will have to stop all this blogging nonsense and go and fix myself some sausage sandwiches (as Lynnie has abandoned me for two exciting days in Germany – there’s a thought – “Exciting Germany” – Is that an oxy-moron?) before nipping down the Axe & Compass to put on a few very necessary pounds to lose on the walk. After all, Thursday is ‘Boys Night’ down the pub, so at least I will be having fun while Lynnie is playing with her Germans.

No offence, Germany! And, Thank you Jim!

2 comments:

  1. Now don't go overboard with the weight gain either :-))

    I lost all that weight during the winter when I was on x-country skis in below freezing temperatures. I stayed in mountain huts and ate the tinned and dried food on sale there, but that wasn't enough.

    And as you say, beer was not on my menu during that time, not because of price, but it was simply unavailable.

    I guess the conditions you'll encounter was more like my summer and autumn conditions when I maintained my weight.

    It's a good idea to actually do some calculations about how much you eat - look at the amount of kilocarlories/kilojoules various foods give you - generally 250 kC/100 gm for grains/bread and the like, about 400 Kcal/ 100 gm for sugary foods and 700 kcal/ 100 gm for fats. Assume you'll be burning 4000 to 5000 kcal on a day after which you feel tired, less on an easy day, more on a hard day or one of high winds, cold and rain. Then try to see how much food you need. You need to acheive a balance in the long-term.

    Some foods have surprisingly high energy contents - digestive biscuits and hazelnuts are almost as rich in fat as butter! I find that musli with lots of nuts and dried fruit is better for breakfast than porridge or "flakes" of any sort.

    Again, all the best.

    Jim Chalmers

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  2. Thank you Jim

    I will bear in mind your comments about needing more to eat & drink in wild wintry weather. I can see Doctor Ashton's prescibed 28 units of alcohol limit going out of the window, just for calorific reasons, you understand.

    I have no idea how many calories I consume a day - At home, normally I have a few slices of toast for brekky, some soup bread & cheese for lunch and supper is one of Lynnie's wonderful roasts or homemade lasagne / hotpot / casserole etc. Yet still I have this problem pot belly!

    Well, the walk should clear it.

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