Hey Cliff, recently discovered the channel. I subscribed and have watched probably 30 videos in the last month. I have elk hunted for over 20 years and I can say your content has more useful information than ANY other channel I've ever watched. Including the big name hunters with throngs of subscribers, podcasts and employees on their payroll. This video is no exception. That said, the only thing I disagree with is the calorie deficit thing. I live in Central Minnesota and the weather isn't conducive to training in the Winter for many reasons. So I usually put on a considerable amount of weight in the winter. I'm 6'4" and used to powerlift(lots of residual muscle and a huge appetite). So I hit roughly 250 to 260lbs by March. I start training in April once the snow clears. Training means: I transition to a mostly Carnivore diet with some salads, some dairy, nuts and minimal amounts of anything else. I also transition to eating 1 feeding per day(around 6pm). That meal is between 2 and 3,000 calories. I also start hiking 5 miles per day in a fasted state right after I wake up in the morning. I come home and shower as normal but spend the last 5 minutes adjusting the water until its as cold as it goes. Then I go to work and pound a gallon of water or more per day. I slowly escalate training intensity and add a pack with weight as my body weight decreases. So I'm always hiking at 260+ lbs. By the time October rolls around I'm down to 220ish. And have been training fasted, in a calorie deficit for over 6 months. We rent a cabin, drive to the trailhead and start hiking before the outfitters are up prepping horses. And we don't pack up to head back to the truck until after shooting light. I don't eat anything but dinner, the whole hunt. Dinner is a 24 to 30oz ribeye, loaded baked potato and huge Italian sald( to help bowel regularity). With that I lose over 1 pound of body weight per day. I started doing this 5 years ago and I have never felt better on those hard, cold, rifle hunts, where you're hiking ridges and glassing. My buddy and I adopted this together. We are BY FAR the two biggest guys(6'4" @ 260 off season and 220 at season. My buddy is 6"2 at 290 off season and 240 at season) and we hike over double what the rest of the guys in the party hike. We feel amazing the whole time and we're not saddled to a food bag. We train and prep our bodies for that condition, we go in heavy and we go out there and crush it. Once your body becomes "fat adapted" after months of using its own body fat for fuel, there's no crash, no nausea, no cortisol spike, no NOTHING but endless, stable energy. It's a big commitment all summer but it's been life changing for us. Keep up the great content Cliff. If you actually took the time to read this whole novel, you truly are one of the class acts in your field. Thanks again for everything you do. P.S. the Pemmican video is killer, glad you got the kids involved. Tim
Tim, my man! great comment. I love it. Really appreciate the support for the videos and channel. I actually had a similar comment from Bernard and a related one from Bill Dickson. One thing I noticed from you guys is that you are talking about practicing the fasting component as a preparation tactic. I don't have experience with this... alternatively my experience is guiding folks that "accidently" fast on their trip, hence my strong opinion on calorie deficits in the video. Now, your story makes sense and is intriguing because there is so much less dependence on X amount of calories while you are trying to hunt. Perhaps there are actually 4 stages... and I yet to get to STAGE 4! I'm willing to give this a try. I am already on a close to carnivore diet - 85-90% of my calories from red meat. Something in the realm of 55-75% calories from fat... so I am sure my body is fat adapted already. I really appreciate the comment and in-depth explanation of what is working for you. Thanks!
Right. If you are already fat adapted, go into a hunt heavier than normal. Bring your pemmican and all your goodies. But then, try not eating all day, then eat all your daily calories at camp that night and see how you feel. Do it for a day or two, what could it hurt? Yeah, "accidentally fasting" and trying to crash into "fat adaptation" while on a tough mountain hunt is a recipe for ultimate physical and mental suffering. Thanks for taking the time to respond. Try it. 😉
Practice fasting, I've been many miles in the wilderness with heavy loads and heavy weather, practicing fasting is the key. Everything you said is true but practice makes perfect and your body can overcome. As humans we didn't always have ready food stores and fasting is healthy
Hi Bernard - I believe there is probably something to that. I can't speak to it for myself as I have never consistently fasted. Tried intermittent fasting for a couple months once... but out of practice now. I am sure you are correct, as with most things, exposure therapy mitigates most the negative consequences. The added bonus here would not being so reliant on calorie intake, all of the time. This might be something I need to test out. I just know that most folks go full train wreck mode when they get in a deep calorie deficit up in the mountains... I appreciate the comment and suggestion. thanks
When you fast regularly, you will not experience any " bonking", your body will be used to burning body fat for fuel, and the transition will be smooth. Fasting is a muscle that should be exercised.
If you go through Ranger school in the Army you are forced to fast for days with little chance for food. Developing the mental toughness to still get through despite hormone imbalance or withdrawals is part of the test.
I haven't hunted yet, but I do backpack for flyfishing. I eat mostly meat and fruit at home and train quite a bit; vacuum packed meat was a plus. You can usually find a way to keep it somewhat cool but in a vacuum pack it'll stay good and you get a fresh BBQ dinner
Yeah, I grew up at an elevation of 1500 ft. But in the summer, my family ran cattle at 6300 ft. We went up there every wknd in the summer. That always messed me up -head aches mainly. It was the oxygen and some bit of the heat, at least in the sun. As it was cold or cool, very cool in the shade. I would also breathe deerer and slower. But, mainly, I increases my camp food in take just a little, and that really helped. I felt a lot better (normal) and go a lot longer and harder. Great video Cliff.
Don’t forget about caffeine. Suddenly, going cold turkey on caffeine because you’re hunting is a recipe for disaster. If you think it’s gonna be difficult to caffeinate on your trip, then detox way before you go, because caffeine withdrawals are no joke in town let alone hunting. Tobacco? Guessing it’s the same, except physical exertion and nicotine don’t mix well, probably having to do with keeping the blood and vessels free to transport limited oxygen. I’d also recommend adding swimming as a training component (thirty minutes straight 2x a week). I felt quick recovery time on a recent hunt at 7,000 ft., which I’m blaming on one hour of exercise per week while intermittently holding my breath.
I just got off the mountain from a 6 day hunt. I planned MRE’s and snacks and I don’t feel right. Hiking 50 miles in 6 days while not matching my normal diet has me all messed up. That being said, everything was a failure. Going home for 2 days to regroup then going back Saturday for the last 4 days with a much better food selection. Thank you for the advice
Great stuff As always. This year elk hunting I did a bunch of “next mile”meals designed for keto folks. They worked great. My problem is like you say in video you can only eat so many of them. Steak and eggs meal in the morning Added ghee and some other high Calorie things to the breakfast. Then lunch was buffalo wings meal. And some added nuts. On and on. You get the idea. Got my elk at 7 yards. Color blind so no blood trail is very helpful. Eating right is so critical for me at 60. Solo hunting.
Great video Cliff. I wish you came out with your video 20 years ago. It would have saved me from learning the hard way. Guy’s, listen to Cliff, study your food consumption, eat quality foods, hunt and eat every day food. There’s some tricks because of weight but it can be done. Your hunts will be more enjoyable. Happy hunting!
Great this advice a roll this elk season as I tend to eat whatever and comfort/bad food. This vid along with Cliff’s other on calories and daily bags of food was great. Result - I felt 10x better, didn’t struggle with as many down days or issues with being regular which suck hunting. It was a bit boring to eat what I tend to eat at home, but that far outweighed what I used to experience. I’ll be doing this next year.
Cliff! You need to write books man. Seriously! I want to backpack hunt so bad. You have got me thinking about a lot of things. Your videos are unrivaled. A true pro! Folks would pay the swim in your wake sir. One of these days I want to have you guide an elk hunt for me. Until then, safe bro! For everyone else, pay attention, Cliff is an authority on the matter.
@@CliffGray ya. Covid part sucks. I’m feeling much better but no energy. Opener is this weekend. I can’t hunt til next anyhow so hopefully I’ll be back to 80% by then.
Agreed! Match your diet at home and add more calories. Heck, when we don’t hunt and go on vacation I don’t feel right when my diet goes upside down for 2-3 days. Thanks Cliff!
I agree with a lot of what Cliff is saying. I try my best to not go into a calorie deficit. I'd like to add one additional perspective that's worked for me for 5-7 day long hunts. As Cliff mentions, most of the backpacking foods are really just high in carbs and low protein. I try to stick to a 40% protein, 40% carb and 20% fat ratio, but this can sometimes be difficult due to weight constrains. One easy way to up your protein is to mix whey protein with oatmeal in the morning and mix salmon/tuna packets with standard mountain house meals. Secondly, rather than trying to match my at-home nutrition on the hunt. A week or so prior to the hunt, I'll eat the exact same foods as I would on a hunt for 2-3 days while doing hard cardio and lifting. I don't know exactly how this works, but my non-scientific view is that my digestive systems becomes more used to the food under high physical exertion. It's even better if you can do what Cliff is saying and just take your healthy foods with you on the hunt, but that can be difficult on a backpack hunt.
Damn good video! As usual. I spend a lot of time in the backcountry. About 50 nights a year with more day trips (mostly just hiking and hunting). I used to spend more. When I go out in the woods I shift my macros higher to the fat side a bit. I eat as many calories as I think my body can absorb (shoot for 4K but usually come up short). I don’t eat hardly any freeze dried meals. I but dry or calorically dense foods and assemble them into meals. You do get into a point on some trips like thru hikes where you will never be able to consume the amount of calories you burn. At this point your priority needs to be to minimize the deficit. We found that taking a zero mile day every 6 days to just eat and rest pretty much resets that deficit. It’s incredible how much you can eat on those days. What you can do to avoid deficits during very high activity is lighten your pack weight. If the load you carry is reduced then your energy spent to move it is reduced. I see a lot of hunters pack tons of weight into the field and just take a really ignorant macho attitude to their performance. I hear the phrases just do more squats or just get stronger lots. Of coarse you can be as strong as you like but it won’t change the physics of what you are carrying and the energy it takes to carry it. Most people don’t understand the relationship between pack weight and calorie deficits and it shows in their performance.
Thanks for the kind words on the video! also, some great additional tips here for folks. I agree on the pack weight front. I noticed this by chance... On my recent hunts I have been carrying less weight... not a ton but in the realm of 3-5lbs less because I am no longer guiding folks most of the time. The difference is substantial in terms of energy - and I am sure this relates to calorie burn. Thanks again for the comment, great stuff.
Very interesting! From experience I’d start with never buying a mountain house meal. Too many ingredients you can’t pronounce. I spent 14 days living out of my kayak on the Grand Canyon and I chose pack it gourmet. I had almost zero farts the entire time. If I even smell a breakfast skillet or chili Mac I’m soiling my down sleeping bag for days. That shit is a bomb in your gut. I’ve also eaten good to go meals, the pad Thai and the Thai curry. Both are delicious and zero gas issues to speak of. I’d like to try and improve the balance from home life to trail life a little better so thanks for the inspiration! Good luck out there!😊
I lost almost 30lbs on my first two week work trip to Wyoming. I lost my appetite stresses out about work and I was dieting and didn't change anything for the extra workload. It's a thing guys.
Great video cliff - thanks for giving us truthful real data. Funny how the majority of us dont know how to eat! ( At home or at play ) An old guy at my shop once said... " nothing tastes as good as skinny feels... " Thanks for the great content bub...
I'm very interested in seeing all of this diet and Backcountry packing for the carnivore lifestyle. I don't want to have to rely on mountain House meals and stuff like that. Loved your pemican video
Good deal! I am working on editing some videos on what has worked for me... including some tag-a-long videos on pemmican. appreciate the support. thanks
I recently went to the peak to refuel meals and there way better on the stomach than mountain house and usually have more calories and protein built in.
Cold soaked oats with peanut butter and raisins. Toss in a bit of egg or milk powder and cacao and sugar. Way cheaper and more digestible than bars. Also, steadily eat a couple blades of grass or other foraged greens like fern tips or Moss at water sources, every couple hours. It steadily gives you fresh greens for vitamins. No increase to pack weight. Opportunistic foraging is critical. Once it's habit it will feel 100 percent normal.
@@CliffGray don't forget you can add dried shredded coconut and other dried food to boiling water, with ramen, and dried spices, and oil.. , and make super gourmet ramen. And it costs about one tenth as much as mountain house. And functionally is the same weight. Mountain house is crazy expensive. Ramen, shredded coconut, dried mixed spices, oil, egg powder. Delicious. Even at home. Same for minute rice. I could eat for 5-10 dollars a day on a hunt while most guys spend $30+ a day on fancy packaged foods. 😀 And ramen can be cold soaked and simply brought to a boil right before eating.
So one thing I'm interested in is, what does your day pack/hunting pack weigh? I'm thinking all of what you carry on you body like pack, binos, water 'n stuff. It adds up.
Hey Nate, that is something I am still working on. I'll do a video on a few things that work for me in preparation for a hunt that I am going to be sleeping in tough conditions (backpack tent, etc...)
It's kinda crazy, right? We are hunters and we are trying to figure out how/what to eat. I think the answer is right in front of us. Litterally, we are hunting it. So much has been lost. So much. I'm right there with you on the low carb/carnivore front.Thanks for Posting.
HAHA! yes very true. I think the big challenge is that we underestimate how much our bodies adapt to the day-to-day diet we consume. When we make big shifts... we create problems. Ironically, I think your are right on point though, if we hunting every 2-3 days and consumed primarily game meat and some fat when we could pull it off... it would be just about right. Pretty damn fun, too :) Thanks David!
As an ex athlete, and someone that has pushed the limits on diet, sleep, and exercise, your stage 2 is caused from that afterburn and rebuilding of damaged muscles during the exercise change. Also, those freeze dried meals are not adding probiotics that you will get from fruits, vegetables and other stuff like yogurt. I wonder if packing some probiotics on these hunts would help out plus helping with nutrient absorption.
This has become more and more of something I worry about the older I get. When I was a 20 year old yahoo I could eat air and nicotine for what seemed like weeks at a time, now if I don't plan carefully I'm an irritable wreck who can't think or speak straight after a day or two.
For me, Mt House comes out smelling and looking the same and nearly the same volume as it went in. That in itself told me I needed as different plan. I had absorbed nothing. Now I try to get my meat, starch, and vegetables each meal but it's not easy.
@@CliffGray I suggested some books on another video. I've reread Steve Antell's "Backpackers Recipe Book". It's very worthwhile reading, hopefully it doesn't contradict what your about to put out.
@@vincethewoodlander I purchased a copy just haven't found the time to go through it. Looks awesome. My diet stuff is really me just testing things... to see what works best for me. I think there are some over arching themes that can be applied to everyone, but I also think there is more than one way to skin a cat - particularly when we get into carbs vs fats, etc... I'm fascinated with it. Thanks
I tried some pemican this year to up my fat/ protein with blue berries and bananas, it was pretty good but heavy to carry in and equire good mount of water to swallow.
Hey Tim, I am going to get a short video out on it... but I have been consuming a ton of pemmican on my trips. Probably 25-35% of my calories. Per calorie, mine is lighter than most backpacking foods that I see. Having said that, I am mostly doing a tallow/meat mix only - no dried fruit. I also find it helpful to just add it to a small amount of warm water from my jetboil - it is great that way and easy to consume. hope that helps on that front! appreciate the comment. thanks
@@sasquatchrosefarts I'm sure the weight per calories is way better than everything on the market but I brought what I made and came out to what feels like a 6 lb block individually blocked up and wrapped in a sandwich bag. Thought I was going to eat more than I did.
@@CliffGray wow never thought of just adding it to warm water I was on the take a big bite and swallow with water. Method my bars were like 1inc thick by 2 inch wide by 5 long. It was a lot to eat. No idea on calories but it had a little of everything oh even had some liver and used venison as my meat base and wagu tallow . The pepper flakes were a great idea tasted great.
Hey Kent, it's really the same concept. Just have a day bag of food you take with you. I have another video out in a few days or first thing next week - it hits on that.
Thanks I will be looking for that, this will be my 2nd year Elk hunting in Colorado and we will have a base camp we will be going to every night.Do you have any tips for me? I have watched a lot of your videos already and they have helped me figure out what we did wrong last year.
@@kentrush4519 Hey Kent, I don't have any specific tips for you without knowing the season and area you are hunting. In general, find some spots to glass from and at those spots in the prime hours until you have located elk. Watch your wind, have fun and stay safe!
All dehydrated meals are full of 💩 ingredients I always have issues with food being I’m 100% carnivore it’s tough my body has adapted to zero carbs and when I eat carbs it’s like a hangover the next day and inflammation sets in that’s what makes it tough.
This is why i eat mre's yr round. And have hard turds 3 feet long... Nah. But really that's why I eat raw spam. And then i just have the shits yr round and its the norm. 😉
Great advice about keeping macronutrients ratios on the trail similar to what you eat at home. Human diet can vary a lot, but it takes the gut bacteria a while to adjust to a radical diet change. Through hikers, on the Appalachian Trail, need 5,000 to 5,500 calories a day. So the 25% increase may not be enough. The pack weight has to counted in calorie expenditure and if you are hauling out 50lbs of elk the calorie count goes way up. Studies have shown a fat heavy diet is best for aerobic exercise (hiking/backpacking) vs anaerobic (out of breath) where you need carbs for energy replenishment. Altitude affects what is needed for macro ratios. The Appalachian trial does not exceed 6,600 ft altitude so high fat works; however when you get to mountain climbing heights your body become anaerobic and does not digest fat well and needs a high carb diet. Have not been able to find any studies as to what altitude a physically fit person starts going from aerobic to anaerobic while backpacking. If on high fat and going to higher altitudes they may consider a few extra days at the front end to get acclimated to the altitude. Enjoyed you pemmican video. Pemmican was part of the military’s emergency rations when on survival training (many years ago). After living off the land for several days - pemmican tastes wonderful.
Why are you yelling? I have to turn the volume way down and it’s still an intolerable experience because it’s still the sound of somebody yelling at me, just at lower volume. So annoying.
Hey Cliff, recently discovered the channel. I subscribed and have watched probably 30 videos in the last month. I have elk hunted for over 20 years and I can say your content has more useful information than ANY other channel I've ever watched. Including the big name hunters with throngs of subscribers, podcasts and employees on their payroll.
This video is no exception. That said, the only thing I disagree with is the calorie deficit thing. I live in Central Minnesota and the weather isn't conducive to training in the Winter for many reasons. So I usually put on a considerable amount of weight in the winter. I'm 6'4" and used to powerlift(lots of residual muscle and a huge appetite). So I hit roughly 250 to 260lbs by March. I start training in April once the snow clears.
Training means:
I transition to a mostly Carnivore diet with some salads, some dairy, nuts and minimal amounts of anything else. I also transition to eating 1 feeding per day(around 6pm). That meal is between 2 and 3,000 calories.
I also start hiking 5 miles per day in a fasted state right after I wake up in the morning. I come home and shower as normal but spend the last 5 minutes adjusting the water until its as cold as it goes. Then I go to work and pound a gallon of water or more per day.
I slowly escalate training intensity and add a pack with weight as my body weight decreases. So I'm always hiking at 260+ lbs.
By the time October rolls around I'm down to 220ish. And have been training fasted, in a calorie deficit for over 6 months.
We rent a cabin, drive to the trailhead and start hiking before the outfitters are up prepping horses. And we don't pack up to head back to the truck until after shooting light. I don't eat anything but dinner, the whole hunt. Dinner is a 24 to 30oz ribeye, loaded baked potato and huge Italian sald( to help bowel regularity). With that I lose over 1 pound of body weight per day.
I started doing this 5 years ago and I have never felt better on those hard, cold, rifle hunts, where you're hiking ridges and glassing. My buddy and I adopted this together. We are BY FAR the two biggest guys(6'4" @ 260 off season and 220 at season. My buddy is 6"2 at 290 off season and 240 at season) and we hike over double what the rest of the guys in the party hike.
We feel amazing the whole time and we're not saddled to a food bag. We train and prep our bodies for that condition, we go in heavy and we go out there and crush it. Once your body becomes "fat adapted" after months of using its own body fat for fuel, there's no crash, no nausea, no cortisol spike, no NOTHING but endless, stable energy. It's a big commitment all summer but it's been life changing for us.
Keep up the great content Cliff. If you actually took the time to read this whole novel, you truly are one of the class acts in your field.
Thanks again for everything you do.
P.S. the Pemmican video is killer, glad you got the kids involved.
Tim
Tim, my man! great comment. I love it. Really appreciate the support for the videos and channel.
I actually had a similar comment from Bernard and a related one from Bill Dickson. One thing I noticed from you guys is that you are talking about practicing the fasting component as a preparation tactic. I don't have experience with this... alternatively my experience is guiding folks that "accidently" fast on their trip, hence my strong opinion on calorie deficits in the video. Now, your story makes sense and is intriguing because there is so much less dependence on X amount of calories while you are trying to hunt. Perhaps there are actually 4 stages... and I yet to get to STAGE 4!
I'm willing to give this a try. I am already on a close to carnivore diet - 85-90% of my calories from red meat. Something in the realm of 55-75% calories from fat... so I am sure my body is fat adapted already.
I really appreciate the comment and in-depth explanation of what is working for you. Thanks!
Right. If you are already fat adapted, go into a hunt heavier than normal. Bring your pemmican and all your goodies. But then, try not eating all day, then eat all your daily calories at camp that night and see how you feel. Do it for a day or two, what could it hurt?
Yeah, "accidentally fasting" and trying to crash into "fat adaptation" while on a tough mountain hunt is a recipe for ultimate physical and mental suffering.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. Try it. 😉
@@timjohnson2731 I'll do it.. thanks man👍
Electrolytes and hydration are the most important factors for me. Peak refuel meals are the only dehydrated meals that don’t bother my stomach.
Practice fasting, I've been many miles in the wilderness with heavy loads and heavy weather, practicing fasting is the key. Everything you said is true but practice makes perfect and your body can overcome. As humans we didn't always have ready food stores and fasting is healthy
Hi Bernard - I believe there is probably something to that. I can't speak to it for myself as I have never consistently fasted. Tried intermittent fasting for a couple months once... but out of practice now. I am sure you are correct, as with most things, exposure therapy mitigates most the negative consequences. The added bonus here would not being so reliant on calorie intake, all of the time. This might be something I need to test out. I just know that most folks go full train wreck mode when they get in a deep calorie deficit up in the mountains...
I appreciate the comment and suggestion. thanks
100% agree
There are some great videos explaining fasting. Im a distance runner and a lineman. Maintain same weight year round.
When you fast regularly, you will not experience any " bonking", your body will be used to burning body fat for fuel, and the transition will be smooth. Fasting is a muscle that should be exercised.
If you go through Ranger school in the Army you are forced to fast for days with little chance for food. Developing the mental toughness to still get through despite hormone imbalance or withdrawals is part of the test.
I haven't hunted yet, but I do backpack for flyfishing. I eat mostly meat and fruit at home and train quite a bit; vacuum packed meat was a plus. You can usually find a way to keep it somewhat cool but in a vacuum pack it'll stay good and you get a fresh BBQ dinner
Yeah, I grew up at an elevation of 1500 ft. But in the summer, my family ran cattle at 6300 ft. We went up there every wknd in the summer. That always messed me up -head aches mainly. It was the oxygen and some bit of the heat, at least in the sun. As it was cold or cool, very cool in the shade. I would also breathe deerer and slower. But, mainly, I increases my camp food in take just a little, and that really helped. I felt a lot better (normal) and go a lot longer and harder.
Great video Cliff.
Don’t forget about caffeine. Suddenly, going cold turkey on caffeine because you’re hunting is a recipe for disaster. If you think it’s gonna be difficult to caffeinate on your trip, then detox way before you go, because caffeine withdrawals are no joke in town let alone hunting. Tobacco? Guessing it’s the same, except physical exertion and nicotine don’t mix well, probably having to do with keeping the blood and vessels free to transport limited oxygen. I’d also recommend adding swimming as a training component (thirty minutes straight 2x a week). I felt quick recovery time on a recent hunt at 7,000 ft., which I’m blaming on one hour of exercise per week while intermittently holding my breath.
Great additional tips here. Thanks William!
I just got off the mountain from a 6 day hunt. I planned MRE’s and snacks and I don’t feel right. Hiking 50 miles in 6 days while not matching my normal diet has me all messed up. That being said, everything was a failure. Going home for 2 days to regroup then going back Saturday for the last 4 days with a much better food selection.
Thank you for the advice
good luck on the next run!
Great stuff As always. This year elk hunting I did a bunch of “next mile”meals designed for keto folks.
They worked great. My problem is like you say in video you can only eat so many of them.
Steak and eggs meal in the morning
Added ghee and some other high Calorie things to the breakfast.
Then lunch was buffalo wings meal.
And some added nuts.
On and on. You get the idea.
Got my elk at 7 yards. Color blind so no blood trail is very helpful.
Eating right is so critical for me at 60. Solo hunting.
Good stuff! Congrats on the success. Fellow colorblinder here! 👍
Great video Cliff. I wish you came out with your video 20 years ago. It would have saved me from learning the hard way. Guy’s, listen to Cliff, study your food consumption, eat quality foods, hunt and eat every day food. There’s some tricks because of weight but it can be done. Your hunts will be more enjoyable. Happy hunting!
Thanks Scott!
Great this advice a roll this elk season as I tend to eat whatever and comfort/bad food. This vid along with Cliff’s other on calories and daily bags of food was great.
Result - I felt 10x better, didn’t struggle with as many down days or issues with being regular which suck hunting. It was a bit boring to eat what I tend to eat at home, but that far outweighed what I used to experience.
I’ll be doing this next year.
good deal!
Cliff! You need to write books man. Seriously! I want to backpack hunt so bad. You have got me thinking about a lot of things. Your videos are unrivaled. A true pro! Folks would pay the swim in your wake sir. One of these days I want to have you guide an elk hunt for me. Until then, safe bro! For everyone else, pay attention, Cliff is an authority on the matter.
Thank you!
Great stuff sir. I’m stuck at home coviding and rewatching a bunch of your videos. They are all worth watching multiple times!
Awesome! Not the covid part… but the video watching 👍be welll! Thanks
@@CliffGray ya. Covid part sucks. I’m feeling much better but no energy. Opener is this weekend. I can’t hunt til next anyhow so hopefully I’ll be back to 80% by then.
Agreed! Match your diet at home and add more calories. Heck, when we don’t hunt and go on vacation I don’t feel right when my diet goes upside down for 2-3 days. Thanks Cliff!
Hey Cliff, this is a great video man, really. Thanks.
thanks James!
I agree with a lot of what Cliff is saying. I try my best to not go into a calorie deficit. I'd like to add one additional perspective that's worked for me for 5-7 day long hunts. As Cliff mentions, most of the backpacking foods are really just high in carbs and low protein. I try to stick to a 40% protein, 40% carb and 20% fat ratio, but this can sometimes be difficult due to weight constrains. One easy way to up your protein is to mix whey protein with oatmeal in the morning and mix salmon/tuna packets with standard mountain house meals. Secondly, rather than trying to match my at-home nutrition on the hunt. A week or so prior to the hunt, I'll eat the exact same foods as I would on a hunt for 2-3 days while doing hard cardio and lifting. I don't know exactly how this works, but my non-scientific view is that my digestive systems becomes more used to the food under high physical exertion.
It's even better if you can do what Cliff is saying and just take your healthy foods with you on the hunt, but that can be difficult on a backpack hunt.
Thanks Aman. Great additional tips and thoughts! Hope all is well.
Damn good video! As usual.
I spend a lot of time in the backcountry. About 50 nights a year with more day trips (mostly just hiking and hunting). I used to spend more.
When I go out in the woods I shift my macros higher to the fat side a bit. I eat as many calories as I think my body can absorb (shoot for 4K but usually come up short). I don’t eat hardly any freeze dried meals. I but dry or calorically dense foods and assemble them into meals.
You do get into a point on some trips like thru hikes where you will never be able to consume the amount of calories you burn. At this point your priority needs to be to minimize the deficit.
We found that taking a zero mile day every 6 days to just eat and rest pretty much resets that deficit. It’s incredible how much you can eat on those days.
What you can do to avoid deficits during very high activity is lighten your pack weight. If the load you carry is reduced then your energy spent to move it is reduced. I see a lot of hunters pack tons of weight into the field and just take a really ignorant macho attitude to their performance.
I hear the phrases just do more squats or just get stronger lots. Of coarse you can be as strong as you like but it won’t change the physics of what you are carrying and the energy it takes to carry it.
Most people don’t understand the relationship between pack weight and calorie deficits and it shows in their performance.
Thanks for the kind words on the video! also, some great additional tips here for folks. I agree on the pack weight front. I noticed this by chance... On my recent hunts I have been carrying less weight... not a ton but in the realm of 3-5lbs less because I am no longer guiding folks most of the time. The difference is substantial in terms of energy - and I am sure this relates to calorie burn. Thanks again for the comment, great stuff.
I eat the lightest high calorie meals I can get and some trail mix. That’s all I know. Good to see new stuff
Cliff, great video. Simplistic but eye opening!
Very interesting! From experience I’d start with never buying a mountain house meal. Too many ingredients you can’t pronounce. I spent 14 days living out of my kayak on the Grand Canyon and I chose pack it gourmet. I had almost zero farts the entire time. If I even smell a breakfast skillet or chili Mac I’m soiling my down sleeping bag for days. That shit is a bomb in your gut. I’ve also eaten good to go meals, the pad Thai and the Thai curry. Both are delicious and zero gas issues to speak of. I’d like to try and improve the balance from home life to trail life a little better so thanks for the inspiration! Good luck out there!😊
You’ve done it again! This content is invaluable!
Thanks man!
I lost almost 30lbs on my first two week work trip to Wyoming. I lost my appetite stresses out about work and I was dieting and didn't change anything for the extra workload. It's a thing guys.
"You're more likely to Bitch out" hell yeah brother don't sugar coat it!
bwhaha!
Your content is knocking it out of the park
Keep it up
Thanks Nick!
Great video cliff - thanks for giving us truthful real data. Funny how the majority of us dont know how to eat! ( At home or at play ) An old guy at my shop once said... " nothing tastes as good as skinny feels... " Thanks for the great content bub...
haha! I love that quote
Heck pizza delivery to Trappers Lake we’ll just make that base camp next month 🤗
ha! not sure they deliver up there... have fun and good luck!
Deep Lake Domino’s Pizza isn’t shabby
Stage 4 excess calorie intake via Budweisers, this starts as soon as possible after a successful hunt, or after the last day of an unsuccessful hunt
haha!
I'm very interested in seeing all of this diet and Backcountry packing for the carnivore lifestyle. I don't want to have to rely on mountain House meals and stuff like that. Loved your pemican video
Good deal! I am working on editing some videos on what has worked for me... including some tag-a-long videos on pemmican. appreciate the support. thanks
I recently went to the peak to refuel meals and there way better on the stomach than mountain house and usually have more calories and protein built in.
Spot on sir! Carnivore for the win.
Thanks!
thank you!
Lots of ghee. Butter with milk fat removed. No refrigeration high calorie. Tasty.
great one for high fat diet folks! thanks Jason
Cold soaked oats with peanut butter and raisins. Toss in a bit of egg or milk powder and cacao and sugar. Way cheaper and more digestible than bars. Also, steadily eat a couple blades of grass or other foraged greens like fern tips or Moss at water sources, every couple hours. It steadily gives you fresh greens for vitamins. No increase to pack weight. Opportunistic foraging is critical. Once it's habit it will feel 100 percent normal.
I like it! I limit my foraging to berries in September but need to up my game
@@CliffGray don't forget you can add dried shredded coconut and other dried food to boiling water, with ramen, and dried spices, and oil.. , and make super gourmet ramen. And it costs about one tenth as much as mountain house. And functionally is the same weight. Mountain house is crazy expensive. Ramen, shredded coconut, dried mixed spices, oil, egg powder. Delicious. Even at home. Same for minute rice. I could eat for 5-10 dollars a day on a hunt while most guys spend $30+ a day on fancy packaged foods. 😀 And ramen can be cold soaked and simply brought to a boil right before eating.
@@sasquatchrosefarts great tip and ideas. thanks!
Great topic. Just in time.
My literature review attest to these information, the hormonal part is spot on.
So one thing I'm interested in is, what does your day pack/hunting pack weigh? I'm thinking all of what you carry on you body like pack, binos, water 'n stuff. It adds up.
we have the same attitude
An awesome video Cliff. If this is how you dialled in your diet for performance, how did you dialled in your sleep?
Nate
Hey Nate, that is something I am still working on. I'll do a video on a few things that work for me in preparation for a hunt that I am going to be sleeping in tough conditions (backpack tent, etc...)
Probably a pretty good idea. You look at those Sherpas and they just eat what they always eat.
fantastic video
thanks!
I wish you would have made this video about 6 months ago. I've got a big elk hunt next week
Fasting and freeze dried food! With a real freeze dryer home made no preservative BS!
It's kinda crazy, right? We are hunters and we are trying to figure out how/what to eat. I think the answer is right in front of us. Litterally, we are hunting it. So much has been lost. So much.
I'm right there with you on the low carb/carnivore front.Thanks for Posting.
HAHA! yes very true.
I think the big challenge is that we underestimate how much our bodies adapt to the day-to-day diet we consume. When we make big shifts... we create problems. Ironically, I think your are right on point though, if we hunting every 2-3 days and consumed primarily game meat and some fat when we could pull it off... it would be just about right. Pretty damn fun, too :) Thanks David!
After watching this, I’ve concluded that even though what I’ve been doing works for me, my diet is still shit. 😂
haha!
freaking beast
As an ex athlete, and someone that has pushed the limits on diet, sleep, and exercise, your stage 2 is caused from that afterburn and rebuilding of damaged muscles during the exercise change.
Also, those freeze dried meals are not adding probiotics that you will get from fruits, vegetables and other stuff like yogurt. I wonder if packing some probiotics on these hunts would help out plus helping with nutrient absorption.
veggies are pointless and packed with plant defense chemicals that cause inflammation and fiber backs up the GI track.
This has become more and more of something I worry about the older I get. When I was a 20 year old yahoo I could eat air and nicotine for what seemed like weeks at a time, now if I don't plan carefully I'm an irritable wreck who can't think or speak straight after a day or two.
I hear ya! I love that quote "I could eat air and nicotine" bwhahahah!
For me, Mt House comes out smelling and looking the same and nearly the same volume as it went in. That in itself told me I needed as different plan. I had absorbed nothing. Now I try to get my meat, starch, and vegetables each meal but it's not easy.
HA!
@@CliffGray I suggested some books on another video. I've reread Steve Antell's "Backpackers Recipe Book". It's very worthwhile reading, hopefully it doesn't contradict what your about to put out.
@@vincethewoodlander I purchased a copy just haven't found the time to go through it. Looks awesome. My diet stuff is really me just testing things... to see what works best for me. I think there are some over arching themes that can be applied to everyone, but I also think there is more than one way to skin a cat - particularly when we get into carbs vs fats, etc... I'm fascinated with it. Thanks
I tried some pemican this year to up my fat/ protein with blue berries and bananas, it was pretty good but heavy to carry in and equire good mount of water to swallow.
What was the water level of the berries and bananas? How can you say it's heavy? The weight per calorie is pretty good, even compared to freeze dried.
Hey Tim, I am going to get a short video out on it... but I have been consuming a ton of pemmican on my trips. Probably 25-35% of my calories. Per calorie, mine is lighter than most backpacking foods that I see. Having said that, I am mostly doing a tallow/meat mix only - no dried fruit. I also find it helpful to just add it to a small amount of warm water from my jetboil - it is great that way and easy to consume. hope that helps on that front! appreciate the comment. thanks
@@sasquatchrosefarts I'm sure the weight per calories is way better than everything on the market but I brought what I made and came out to what feels like a 6 lb block individually blocked up and wrapped in a sandwich bag. Thought I was going to eat more than I did.
@@CliffGray wow never thought of just adding it to warm water I was on the take a big bite and swallow with water. Method my bars were like 1inc thick by 2 inch wide by 5 long. It was a lot to eat. No idea on calories but it had a little of everything oh even had some liver and used venison as my meat base and wagu tallow . The pepper flakes were a great idea tasted great.
@@timbjork2098 Yeah, all the guys I have had try it our fans of the red pepper flake version! good stuff
I freeze dry my own means with my own ingredients so I have my diet on the trail
that works!
Next Miles Meal - KETO Dehydrated meals
What about if you have a base camp that you go back to every night. What should you take for a day trip?
Hey Kent, it's really the same concept. Just have a day bag of food you take with you. I have another video out in a few days or first thing next week - it hits on that.
Thanks I will be looking for that, this will be my 2nd year Elk hunting in Colorado and we will have a base camp we will be going to every night.Do you have any tips for me? I have watched a lot of your videos already and they have helped me figure out what we did wrong last year.
@@kentrush4519 Hey Kent, I don't have any specific tips for you without knowing the season and area you are hunting. In general, find some spots to glass from and at those spots in the prime hours until you have located elk. Watch your wind, have fun and stay safe!
Carnivore bars are good for high fat... But SHEESH they are expensive.
I'll make my own pemmican to take with me, instead of spending that price.
All dehydrated meals are full of 💩 ingredients I always have issues with food being I’m 100% carnivore it’s tough my body has adapted to zero carbs and when I eat carbs it’s like a hangover the next day and inflammation sets in that’s what makes it tough.
Try Pemmican and/or biltong 👍 the fatty kind, if you can find it
This is why i eat mre's yr round. And have hard turds 3 feet long... Nah. But really that's why I eat raw spam. And then i just have the shits yr round and its the norm. 😉
bwhahaha
Great advice about keeping macronutrients ratios on the trail similar to what you eat at home. Human diet can vary a lot, but it takes the gut bacteria a while to adjust to a radical diet change. Through hikers, on the Appalachian Trail, need 5,000 to 5,500 calories a day. So the 25% increase may not be enough. The pack weight has to counted in calorie expenditure and if you are hauling out 50lbs of elk the calorie count goes way up. Studies have shown a fat heavy diet is best for aerobic exercise (hiking/backpacking) vs anaerobic (out of breath) where you need carbs for energy replenishment. Altitude affects what is needed for macro ratios. The Appalachian trial does not exceed 6,600 ft altitude so high fat works; however when you get to mountain climbing heights your body become anaerobic and does not digest fat well and needs a high carb diet. Have not been able to find any studies as to what altitude a physically fit person starts going from aerobic to anaerobic while backpacking. If on high fat and going to higher altitudes they may consider a few extra days at the front end to get acclimated to the altitude. Enjoyed you pemmican video. Pemmican was part of the military’s emergency rations when on survival training (many years ago). After living off the land for several days - pemmican tastes wonderful.
Why are you yelling? I have to turn the volume way down and it’s still an intolerable experience because it’s still the sound of somebody yelling at me, just at lower volume. So annoying.