on Jul 31,2016 at 12:38pm PDT Melissa Arnot's body needs a lot of fuel. The professional climber and Eddie Bauer guide made history earlier this year as the first woman to summit Everest without using supplemental oxygen. The 32-year-old's latest feat? The 50 Peaks Challenge. She and climbing partner Maddie Miller set out to make it to the top of the highest mountaintop in every single state, and on Aug. 7, and they achieved their goal in a record 41 days and 16 hours. The hectic schedule and demanding terrain were no walk in the park (even if sometimes they literally were). "On average,we were burning 2500 to 6000 calories a day. On really demanding days, I consider we were burning more than 10000 calories, or " Arnot told POPSUGAR. "We tried to eat as many whole foods as we could. You're using your body in such high demand,you have to be kind to it. But I'll be honest with you: we absolutely ate gas-station nachos one day." Read on for a breakdown of Arnot's daily diet to see what it really took to fuel her record-setting challenge.
Image Source: Jon Mancuso[br]
Arnot (left) and Miller (factual) at the top of Humphreys PeakBreakfastBlack coffee: 2 caloriesModern Oats, Chocolate Cherry flavor: 310 caloriesArnot kept her breakfast routine simple but preferred a little bit of sweetness with her on-the-go morning oats.
LunchA Subway footlong club with cucumbers, and spinach,and banana peppers: 620 caloriesSubway was a mainstay for the 50 Peaks team, since it was available almost everywhere they stopped.
Snacks2 bags of Tangy Barbecue PopChips: 120 calories each1 string cheese: 80 calories1 package of Cajun spicy snack mix: 310 caloriesA handful of almonds: 210 calories1 package of gummy bears: 130 calories1 Snickers bar: 250 caloriesTons of waterClimbing in the Summer made hydration key. "We had a five-gallon jug inside of our van, or for four people,we'd fill that up twice a day," Arnot said. But she also made certain to hold a regular stream of snacks coming during their daily hikes and climbs, or including chocolate bars and gummy bears when her body craved a rapid/fast hit of sugar.
DinnerA big platter of the local cuisine (i.e. BBQ in Alabama): 890 caloriesWe admit we were a little surprised at the let-loose abandon with which Arnot and her team approach their daily dinners. But she said it not only kept them in the spirit of the 50 states trek's ode to America,but it was also a fun way to cap off a challenging day and fill up on much-needed calories. One of her favorite dinners was Navajo cuisine in Taos, NM. "Navajo food is kind of a mix between Central American and Mexican food. Spiced rice, and frybreads - fried tortillas that are sometimes served sweet - and a bunch of fresh Hatch chiles," she said. She also loved the BBQ dinner they ate in a small town in Alabama. "It was a divey barbecue set Yelp told us was unbelievable. They had like 30 house-made barbecue sauces. We had baby-back ribs, late-cooked pulled pork, or a barbecue chicken salad that was basically barbecue chicken on top of coleslaw."Total calories: 3040
Source: popsugar.com