The Hungry Bushcrafter

[boaty]

My daughter has an irresistable urge to share things with me - in this case, her stomach bug. Her indestructable, toddler metabolism threw this off in a couple of days, but for me it was a little longer... So I thought it would be interesting to observe how a drastic reduction in calories affected me

I wasn't really able to rest and recuperate - I still needed to be in the office, and that meant the 9Km cycle to work...

The first morning was the worst - I'd been without any calories for nearly 24 hour and I felt heavy and lethargic and really uncoordinated - I wouldn't have fancied using a knife or axe

The next day I was affected less, and as long as I didn't attempt to cycle fast, or run up stairs, I felt a lightness to my step which was refreshing. But if I did need to develop a significant amount of power (to avoid a bus!) then I tired very quickly

The real surprise was the extent to which my sense of smell improved after a couple of days. I also believe that being hungry didn't overly affect my mental acuity.

So, overall an interesting experience. I learnt that I can function pretty well without food for about 100 hours, but to be careful of increased clumsiness and reduced capacity for violent exercise

Certainly gives me confidence in my ability to cope with an emergency wilderness situation, but also to be realistic about what can be safely done after even a relatively short period without food

 

[Stew]

And there was me thinking this was going to be an announcement of a new restaurant opening...
:roll:

 

[boaty]

Yep, would be a great name for a restaurant

What would be on the menu though?

 

[Adi007]

Hunger is a funny thing ... if you're not ill at the time, you'd have probably felt hungriest during the first 24 hours. It's definitely the time you feel physically the worse for it. After that, it disappears (not sure when it reappears - never pushed it beyond 100 - 110 hours myself) and for the next few days you realize that you are missing something but funnily it doesn't feel like it's food that you're missing.

The really odd think is that water tastes sweet and I thought that the smell of food would be really hard to deal with, but it wasn't.

Odd experience ... but as you said, valuable indeed to know what it's like and how you might feel.

 

[Stew]

What would be on the menu though?

There's loads of options!

Woodlice, worms, ants, etc. for starters/sidedishes.

Fish, Rabbit, Squirrel, Pigeon, Venison for main meals
Salad of dandelion, hedge garlic, beech leaves and nettles.

Bannock with fruit as a desert.

The list could go on and on!

 

[Adi007]

Could catch on! :-D

What would be on the menu though?

There's loads of options!

Woodlice, worms, ants, etc. for starters/sidedishes.

Fish, Rabbit, Squirrel, Pigeon, Venison for main meals
Salad of dandelion, hedge garlic, beech leaves and nettles.

Bannock with fruit as a desert.

The list could go on and on!

 

[Roving Rich]

Nice one boaty, Iam not sure it is the best way to recover from an ilness though. :shock:
I have only managed to fast for 24hrs which didn't present too much difficulty. Apparently I was a bit grumpy (according to SWMBO ?me!). It was largely a mental process, as my mind kept returning to the pain in my empty belly. I believe it gets easier the longer you fast. The hunger isn't on your mind as you learn to ignore it. Physically I was a bit tired but nothing more.
The next fast I tried earlier this year was a complete failure. I was aiming for 3 days but surrendered at 1 1/2 having a thumping caffiene (lack of) headache that wouldn't go away. So I have now weened myself off coffee (drinking much more Tea tho :roll: ) So am ready to try again.
I believe that heightened state of awareness kicks in at some point (i am yet to experience this). So your sense of smell may be inline with this?
A number of Native traditions fast before the hunt, and I have also heard of this when hunting with dogs. Suposedly enhancing the killer instinct?
It also features in a number of religeous practises to gain insight, visions, deep meditation or just as a sort of offering.
I met a buddist monk down in Somerset who fasted and meditated for 40 days, after which it took months for his collapsed digestive system to recover. Another friend also claims to have fasted for 40 days, but i remain sceptical and will quiz him further. Then there is David Blane of course.....
Sorry ramblin on again
Rich

 

[bushwacker bob]

Dont forget JESUS CHRIST. he did a famous 40 day fast,whilst going walkabout! and David Blane cheats, he can conjour up a meal anywhere!
(no offence intended to christians)

 

[Kath]

(no offence intended to christians)

Hey what about us David Blane fans???!

 

[Stew]

Hey what about us David Blane fans???!

That's your own fault!
:boot:

:0:

 

[EdS]

The fasting does heighten the senses so much so that you eventually start to hallucinate, hence the rock into loaves and stick in to snake stories about JC's walk about.

The whole fast and meditation thing is done to to help heighten senses and expand the mind in the same way that others take narcotics while meditating/speaking to the spirits ie Summi (need to ckeck the spelling -sorry) shamen with the Fly Agaric and some Sadus and Cannabis agonst others.

 

[ditchfield]

Yep, would be a great name for a restaurant

What would be on the menu though?

Chicken of the wood burgers, dry roasted pig nuts, acorn on the cob, roasted goose grass. :-D

 

[Roving Rich]

I was speaking to "40 day faster " last night and he reckons you've gotta be pretty mad to try 40 days.
He recommended buying a load of organic fruit and a juicer, and running yourself down for a day or so on that before going for a 0 calorie couple of days.
I'll try it at some point :-?
Cheers
Rich

 

[al]

when we did survival training in the marines the instructors would make us fall in every morning down wind of them frying smoked bacon ,on the navex`s they would float a packet of buiscuits down a river which ran past us and watch the battle begin, all this going on while we had to look after a fluffy white bunny and a chicken , give them names , take them everywhere and then eat them at the end of the week,cheers al

 

[Stuart]

Ah yes 'militry' survival and people wonder what the difference between militry survival and bushcraft is :shock:

 

[Viking]

when we did survival training in the marines the instructors would make us fall in every morning down wind of them frying smoked bacon ,on the navex`s they would float a packet of buiscuits down a river which ran past us and watch the battle begin, all this going on while we had to look after a fluffy white bunny and a chicken , give them names , take them everywhere and then eat them at the end of the week,cheers al

Sounds like a fun week

 

[al]

yes exactly, infact i`d like to meet my old survival instructor and question his methods on certain aspects, he quite clearly didnt have a clue in some cases, it was a case of we`ll brush over most subjects,i`d rather spend my time shouting at recruits cos i dont get to do it much and since starting out on the bushcraft track its been a real eye opener of how you really do things , mind you they`re not all like that , but its so much easier to learn things without the added pressure of someone ready to pounce on you for mistakes all for the sake of being rugsey, which and no offence intended to any of the ex forces here makes me weary of ex military schools who teach it the only way they know how, cheers al

 

[jakunen]

Hmm. Thawt I'd chuck my ha'penth in.
Yeah, it does seem that most 'military survival instructors' only know how to catch a rabbit and then make the tender meat into a shoe-leather stew. :roll:
It was only thanx to the country backgrounds of my squad that we managed to eat a healthy and balanced diet.
One guy could tickle trout (all I ever got a numb and blue arm), one guy could find birds eggs in a tree i swore had no nests in it, one guy had a real eye for finding pignuts, we could all find things like wild garlic, reedmace roots etc., and I was pretty good with my x-bow.
One survival week we even ended up feeding the ruperts who in turn supplied us with beer... :-D
Oh happy joy-joy memories...

 

[Roving Rich]

I was channel hopping last night, watching 4 programs at once as only the male of the species seems to be capable.
Anyway Terry Jones'es medieval lives had a bit about medicine, and one of the things they found was "the Field Pea" which when eaten acted as an appetite suppressor. The Boffin had tried it and claimed that he had no difficulty in not eating for 5 days afterwards.
Anyone else see it or can identify the plant in question?
Cheers
Rich :shock: