The Gas Station MRE challenge

[Syncop8r]

So.... the attraction of a jonut is that it is a jaffa cake that has an area of nothing? 

[magentus]

No!

Don't you see, it changes everything


EVERYTHING

[Syncop8r]

It's a hole 'nother story?

[magentus]

It's a hole 'nother story?

You got it brother.

Like when Dylan went electric - that sort of magnitude. But with donuts

[Barry Rowland]

Ok, now we're cooking . With the help of pre-surgery Mrs R, I am ready to roll.  My calories count is as follows:
2 Oatmeal packets 320 calories
6 pk. Raisins 6ct: 600 calories
M and Ms: 1400 calories
3 Snack Pack pudding: 300 calories
4 Clif bars: 750 calories
6 orange water flavors: 30 calories
2 Apple Sauce: 140 calories
Hormel Chili: 260 calories
2 Trout tins: 280 calories
Total: 4080 calories
For me at this stage of my journey, typical day consumption is probably max. 75% of that.  Out on a distance hike would probably bring this meal pretty close to my calorie count.

[Nix]

Looks excellent, Barry. 

Nice balance of foods. That should keep ya going!

( And that award-winning Tabasco should keep your appetite awake!  )

[Sos24]

Curiosity got the better of me last night, and I had to open one of the ice cream sandwiches. 

To me it is more like a cookie than ice cream, because of the consistency and being room temperature.  It doesn’t even taste really like an ice cream sandwich at first.  If it sits in your mouth instead of swallowing right away the flavor starts to emerge.  Even though it says to eat it like it is, I am partially tempted to see what would happen if it was allowed to cold soak for a little an then eaten with a spoon.  Maybe I’ll try that with the other half, because I only at half.

[Nix]

Curiosity got the better of me last night, and I had to open one of the ice cream sandwiches. 
(Image removed from quote.)
To me it is more like a cookie than ice cream, because of the consistency and being room temperature.  It doesn’t even taste really like an ice cream sandwich at first.  If it sits in your mouth instead of swallowing right away the flavor starts to emerge.  Even though it says to eat it like it is, I am partially tempted to see what would happen if it was allowed to cold soak for a little an then eaten with a spoon.  Maybe I’ll try that with the other half, because I only at half.

Interesting.

I remember eating freeze-dried ice cream as a kiddo visiting the Smithsonian Air & Space museum. It more like a confection or candy.

I was wondering if your ice cream sandwich was meant to be 'rehydrated'. Are there directions?  Could it be rehydrated and chilled ( maybe in a cold stream or creek or snowbank )?   

[Barry Rowland]

Like so many foods of government origin, it just requires an active imagination    Mrs R used to get them for our boys when they were little.  They weren't bad, just not the real deal.  I'm a big Space Race fan, and foods like that always seemed so cool.

Curiosity got the better of me last night, and I had to open one of the ice cream sandwiches. 
(Image removed from quote.)
To me it is more like a cookie than ice cream, because of the consistency and being room temperature.  It doesn’t even taste really like an ice cream sandwich at first.  If it sits in your mouth instead of swallowing right away the flavor starts to emerge.  Even though it says to eat it like it is, I am partially tempted to see what would happen if it was allowed to cold soak for a little an then eaten with a spoon.  Maybe I’ll try that with the other half, because I only at half.

[Sos24]

Like so many foods of government origin, it just requires an active imagination    Mrs R used to get them for our boys when they were little.  They weren't bad, just not the real deal.  I'm a big Space Race fan, and foods like that always seemed so cool.

I subscribe to the Richard Overton diet (minus the cigars), so my GSMRE needs to include coffee, ice cream and whiskey. 

[Nix]

 

[Barry Rowland]

 

[AlephZero]

Ok, I think I got this all figured out...



Never mind the spell checker... 


Sooo, about 3200 Kcal, 1,259 Kg, that should do fine for a day, I guess 

I'll get the pics done soon 

[AlephZero]

Why yes, I do love spreadsheets... 

[Nix]

AZ -- Are those Wasa and cream cheese sandwiches shelf-stable? They sound great. I'd love a snap of those.

Mrs Nix loves Wasa and we use 'em for awl sorts of 'sandwiches'. 

[Nix]

Why yes, I do love spreadsheets... 

Nice spreadsheet!

[ReamerPunch]

Here's my final Keto MRE.
3.5lbs
2500 Kcal
10500kJ
20g of carbs

[Nix]

Outstanding, RP!

You may have created the first-ever Keto 24-Hour MRE.

 

( carb-free beer used for all emojis )

[ReamerPunch]

 
I am not the first to come up with the idea of a keto MRE. Hell, I did not come up with the idea at all. You told me I could do a keto MRE, so I thought I'd try it, instead of packing whatever.

I am very pleased with what I managed to find, very happy with the macros and the total weight. And the biggest plus is that I found snacks I can incorporate in my diet every day. And I've lost six kilos so far in May.

Those peanut butter cups man, I am telling you. It took five hours and six stores, but I found a couple of boxes of them. They've been selling out instantly. Lucky for me, a nice girl at one store checked the closest store that had them in stock, so I went there and now it is also out of stock.

[AlephZero]

AZ -- Are those Wasa and cream cheese sandwiches shelf-stable? They sound great. I'd love a snap of those.

Mrs Nix loves Wasa and we use 'em for awl sorts of 'sandwiches'. 

Yes, they are very shelf-stable, the paprika one has best before date at 30.11.2021   

[Nix]

I am not the first to come up with the idea of a keto MRE. Hell, I did not come up with the idea at all. You told me I could do a keto MRE, so I thought I'd try it, instead of packing whatever.

I am very pleased with what I managed to find, very happy with the macros and the total weight. And the biggest plus is that I found snacks I can incorporate in my diet every day. And I've lost six kilos so far in May.

Those peanut butter cups man, I am telling you. It took five hours and six stores, but I found a couple of boxes of them. They've been selling out instantly. Lucky for me, a nice girl at one store checked the closest store that had them in stock, so I went there and now it is also out of stock.

 


Hey, a big congratulations on losing that weight!   

Do you have a target weight in mind? 

I tried the "Paleo diet" for a while and slimmed down a bit. I found my weight naturally stabilized after a few months. I enjoyed the "Paleo" diet, but missed my beans and cornbread. Now my pants miss the "Paleo" regimen. 

[Nix]

Yes, they are very shelf-stable, the paprika one has best before date at 30.11.2021   

Awesome. Hope you'll be able to post an "action shot" of one of those on Chow Day!

[ReamerPunch]

Hey, a big congratulations on losing that weight!   

Do you have a target weight in mind? 

Thanks!

Setting a target weight is tricky. I gained some muscle mass, and have been losing fat. I basically want to lose the belly and tone. So, no specific numeric target. Keto seems to be working, so we'll see what happens.

[Sea Monster]

Well, we're a week out...and I ate everything in my last shot already 

but I've restocked!
Some minor changes for the "day" In order to stay in the spirit of things, I'm keeping my meals to things that would be available from a quix type store (Servos around here basically have attached grocery stores - it's to dodge trading laws. Grocery stores have to shut at certain times, service station don't...) but I'll be avoiding anything that has any prep requirements - we're sticking to individually wrapped single serve junk and impulse buys

No crisps, the packaging doesn't meet the "compact pack" intent.

I measured by seat-buddy thing that I use for food in the car, it's 5.6L or just under 1.5gal, so we're in good form there.

Now I've just got to tally up my new selection....

[Syncop8r]

Why yes, I do love spreadsheets... 

My brother calls them spreadcheeks. 

[Barry Rowland]

 

[Syncop8r]

I am not the first to come up with the idea of a keto MRE.

Could a keto diet have any negative effect on a soldier's performance?

[Nix]

Could a keto diet have any negative effect on a soldier's performance?

I've done a bit of reading about military ration design. The science they've used finds that carbs are an important part of optimal overall performance. In testing, Soldiers, Marines, and SEALs performing soldier tasks had worse performances when on a low carb diet.

Heat regulation via shivering is partly mediated by blood glucose levels. Muscles deprived of carbs may stop shivering, which can lead to hypothermia in cold environments. ( When I went through a cold weather survival school run by Navy SEAL instructors, they threatened to squeeze a tube of dextrose cake icing up our backsides if we developed hypothermia. I half-think they were hoping to demonstrate the wonders of colonic absorption of sugars on one of us. Or they just had an odd idea of fun. ) While indigenous people of the north eat a lot of fat and protein (which release heat during metabolism), the military is a firm believer in the utility of carbs in the cold for preventing hypothermia.

In addition, carbs don't require water to be metabolized. Sugars are used directly as a fuel. So, carbs are water sparing. In extreme cold, liquid water is hard to come by and dehydration is a risk, so carbs are valued for not creating a metabolic water requirement. In extreme heat, water and minerals are lost easily through sweating. Again, since carbs don't create a metabolic water requirement, they are a preferred fuel. Most life raft rations and survival kits emphasize carbs for the same reason: the provide energy without requiring water for metabolism.

Lastly, glucose is the preferred fuel of the brain. In the absence of carb intake, the brain will preferentially use available glucose. Some studies have found that students do better on academic testing if they have a carb-rich meal prior to testing. Not sure those studies will hold up or be replicated, but there is thought that some minimal level of carb intake may improve cognitive performance, too.

For these reasons, among others I'm sure, military rations tend to be carb heavy. 

[Sea Monster]

While it's entirely possible the military looked at all the available research in order to develop the most effective rations for hostile and austere environments, I think Nix missed out on one critical and possibly quite relevant factor.

Carbs are cheap

[Syncop8r]

Good answer(s). 

I'm guessing too that even if someone well-versed in keto could do fine on a keto MRE the military wouldn't be interested in taking any chances.