Good diet post camino

[Bowmanfamily36]

We have just walked for 45 days from Lake Constance to Le Puy en Velay. Our fitness has improved, lost a little weight and overall feel strong and healthy. Even reflux symptoms seemed to have disappeared. With sustained exercise for much of the day our appetites particularly at night and then at breakfast are very strong! However we will shortly return to a “normal” mildly active lifestyle back home .
Has anyone seen studies on what happens to our stomachs and metabolisms with the change? It has been so used to processing food, craving calories especially carbs. Then exercise levels drop when back home. Logically we should be eating less . Any advice on what foods to avoid or helpful tips on how to reduce our food intake post Camino? In our two previous caminos the weight has been put back on within months!

 

[Tincatinker]

Hmm. Think about the diet you’ve been living on. Some protein, some carbs, some vegetables and fruit. Most of it freshly cooked or made that day from fresh vegetables, pulses and stocks made from meat or fish bones and the like.

You’ll notice the complete absence of refined starches, palm oil, modified corn starch, hydrogenated vegetable oil and things called “flavourings” or “flavour enhancers”.

Then take a look at what and how you eat at home.

My weight doesn’t fluctuate between Camino and not Camino but neither does my lifestyle.

Buena suerte

 

[Sirage]

No vegetable oils, meaning also no ultra processed foods
Olive oil is ok - it is an unprocessed fruit oil.

... then some choices.
Fewer carbs, much fewer.
Fruit seasonally in moderation.
Bread in limited quantities.
Red meat or fish based meals, mostly, alternating as required with eggs.
Veggies probably a good idea.
Don't fear animal fats - this might be the hardest to adjust to. It is the easiest form of energy for the body to metabolize.
Alcohol in moderation, or even less perhaps.

 

[J Willhaus]

Yes, it's hard.
Winter is coming so think about hearty, but nutritious soups like Caldo Gallego, lentil soup, garlic soup. Increase your fiber, too. Things that fill you up and try to be more active than precamino.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

One real positive for you: as Aussies you're heading into summer.
In the short term your body is going to want to eat. Try and make sure you've got a few more healthy but tasty snacks around. Fresh fruit of course. Just think: you've got all of those gorgeous berries coming into season, strawberries and blueberries are particularly good. Yes they might cost a little more but you'll probably going to be more likely to want to eat them, and the hiker hunger will wear off after three or four weeks. Apples are also great.
I quite enjoy having carrot sticks in a little water and lemon juice sitting in the fridge - I love the crunch. Others enjoy options like celery etc.

I try and make sure that I've always got healthy food options prepared ahead of time, it makes me less likely to snack on chippies, bread etc.

Eat plenty of salads with decent protein but minimal carbs. (Think chicken Caesar, Italian style with eggs and anchovies; Nicoise, Steak, Salmon, BBQ pork, grilled fish, etc, etc.. Go easy on the dressings, and look for less calorie dense options ! Balzamico and olive oil, lemon vinaigrette, etc).
I could easily serve you a different, tasty salad every day for a month; that said there are plenty of other options out there too!

Sushi, stir fries, beef strips with garlic, ginger & baby bok choy. In fact, if you looked at Asian and indian dishes..... .
Let alone all of the wonderful Italian options ( no I don't mean pizza!) .

Go easy on carbs like spuds, bread and pasta, eat more vege and rice dishes.
Limit portions. If you're the type of people that have to clear your plates, ensure you put less on to start with!

At the end of the day it's just a matter of consciously making a few healthy choices to start with, it will soon become a habit.

But then you already knew all of this, it's just a reminder.

 

[trecile]

A good diet post Camino is the same as a good diet pre Camino. Whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean protein.

 

[RJM]

You shouldn't depend upon walking the Camino to motivate you to make healthy diet and exercise choices all the time.

 

[TravellingMan22]

We have just walked for 45 days from Lake Constance to Le Puy en Velay. Our fitness has improved, lost a little weight and overall feel strong and healthy. Even reflux symptoms seemed to have disappeared. With sustained exercise for much of the day our appetites particularly at night and then at breakfast are very strong! However we will shortly return to a “normal” mildly active lifestyle back home .
Has anyone seen studies on what happens to our stomachs and metabolisms with the change? It has been so used to processing food, craving calories especially carbs. Then exercise levels drop when back home. Logically we should be eating less . Any advice on what foods to avoid or helpful tips on how to reduce our food intake post Camino? In our two previous caminos the weight has been put back on within months!

Try and think how you can be more active. I don’t know if you drive a car but try and walk the shorter journeys, walk up stairs rather than elevators, check your ‘steps per day’ and try and increase it!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Has anyone seen studies on what happens to our stomachs and metabolisms with the change?

This area of studies is really still in its infancy from a scientific perspective.

I'd say try and keep up your mitochondrial health, and if that involves vitamin D supplementation, take it with vitamin K2. You could try co-enzyme Q10, or CoQ10 with vitamin E.

Otherwise for food, I'd agree with posts 2 & 3 -- though there's no one-size-fits-all, and the right balance would be one you'd need to find for yourselves.

I will say one thing from personal experience -- my stomach shrank from mostly ditching the carbs

Limit portions. If you're the type of people that have to clear your plates, ensure you put less on to start with!

This doesn't really work, nor do starvation diets generally except in youth (people tend to slip, then binge in reaction) ; though periodic fasting can help a lot.

What does work is switch to higher energy foods with animal fats, then eat what you want -- after some months, you start to naturally need less and to eat less. It's combining fats with carbs that does a lot of the damage, not the fats themselves.
.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Valid point, poorly worded on my part. By limiting portion sizes I was just meaning you're better to start with a smaller amount and go back for more if needed, rather than starting with a heaped plate which you're likely to finish regardless.

I guess my approach is the opposite of what I do when I'm through hiking.
When through hiking I want calorie dense foods. So logically if you want to avoid putting weight on when you get home you want to eat foods that are not calorie dense.

I gave an example above of snacking on carrots versus chippies.

Carrots - appx. 40 calories per 100g
Chippies - appx 540 calories per 100g

Strawberries are appx. 35 calories per hundred gram, Apples are around 50, blueberries around 60, Bananas 90. In other words you can eat an awful lot of fruit without consuming a massive amount of calories.

Vs chocolate at 500 Plus .....

 

[msconduct10]

My thought is that you’ve probably built some nice muscle on your journey and I’d be enthusiastically focused on maintaining that as that burns more calories while you’re just sitting around. I’m currently attempting to walk a fine line between adding muscle and losing fat and that means a lean protein-forward diet with a secondary emphasis on high fiber. I get most of my fiber from a smoothie each morning with lots of berries, spinach, kale, chia seeds, protein powder, greek yogurt and oat milk. It’s 600 calories but so dense with good-for-me stuff! Then any snacks through the day are protein heavy, plus a lunch that’s veggie heavy like soup or a cucumber salad. I feel incredible eating like this and I’m getting strong, too! Plus it’s doesn’t feel so mercilessly virtuous that it’s a drag to sustain. Thats the key, right?

 

[Madamjoy]

Why not keep up/increase your normal activity levels? I don’t mean walking 20/km/day but you might consider increasing your normal activity levels and incorporating some weight training. You say you feel healthier post Camino so use that as motivation to continue. My personal experience post Camino is that my metalobolism continues in high gear for a few weeks then tapers back to ‘normal’. I keep active as I am always thinking ahead to another long distance hike. We are all lucky to have what I think is a first world problem… so many food/diet choices!

 

[chinacat]

and if that involves vitamin D supplementation, take it with vitamin K2.

Don’t forget the Magnesium!

 

[Faire]

We have just walked for 45 days from Lake Constance to Le Puy en Velay. Our fitness has improved, lost a little weight and overall feel strong and healthy. Even reflux symptoms seemed to have disappeared. With sustained exercise for much of the day our appetites particularly at night and then at breakfast are very strong! However we will shortly return to a “normal” mildly active lifestyle back home .
Has anyone seen studies on what happens to our stomachs and metabolisms with the change? It has been so used to processing food, craving calories especially carbs. Then exercise levels drop when back home. Logically we should be eating less . Any advice on what foods to avoid or helpful tips on how to reduce our food intake post Camino? In our two previous caminos the weight has been put back on within months

I believe the weight loss and the overall health benefits are not just about food. Your hormones balance because you are: getting lots of sleep, have less stress, are.living to a natural circadian rhythm (getting up with the sun and going to bed with the sun), receiving lots of natural Vit D, are part of a community. Also for me I drank alcohol rarely and ate after a couple of hours in the morning.(fasting) I didnt snack.
Since my camino I have tried to replicate these things at home. I have joined Cross Fit classes and refuse to eat ultra prpcessed foods. I went to a pub the.other night and asked for a doggie bag to take half of it home. I source good quality food- tomatoes in Spain were to die for as were the olives!
Ad I have said, the Camino really is a healthy way of living that brings us joy and happiness. It is so much more than exercise and calories in/out.

 

[mattythedog]

We have just walked for 45 days from Lake Constance to Le Puy en Velay. Our fitness has improved, lost a little weight and overall feel strong and healthy. Even reflux symptoms seemed to have disappeared. With sustained exercise for much of the day our appetites particularly at night and then at breakfast are very strong! However we will shortly return to a “normal” mildly active lifestyle back home .
Has anyone seen studies on what happens to our stomachs and metabolisms with the change? It has been so used to processing food, craving calories especially carbs. Then exercise levels drop when back home. Logically we should be eating less . Any advice on what foods to avoid or helpful tips on how to reduce our food intake post Camino? In our two previous caminos the weight has been put back on within months!

Tom Roth's book, EAT, MOVE, SLEEP will tell you all you need to know. Stay away from the white stuff: bread, fries, sugar, rice, etc. Shop the perimeter of the supermarket for fresh vegies, fruit, meat, fish, whole grain fresh baked goods. Stay out of the middle aisles and don't eat packaged stuff. Never eat at McDonalds again!!!