Not a sports nutritionist, but I run a marine charter operation in Charleston and manage guests on the water for hours at a time -- heat, sun exposure, physical exertion, and the same appetite suppression you see at altitude. The physiological overlap is real, and I've watched it play out dozens of times. The thing most people miss on multi-day efforts isn't calories -- it's **palatability fatigue**. On longer charters, guests who start the day excited about snacks stop eating entirely by hour four. Same food, same hunger, zero interest. What actually gets consumed: salty, savory, varied. Nuts and charcuterie outlast every sweet gel every single time. Motion and exertion environments crush your desire for anything dense or sweet. I always tell guests who are prone to nausea to take Dramamine **at least 20 minutes before boarding** -- once you're symptomatic, nothing works. That same timing principle applies to fueling: front-load before the demand hits, not after. Hydration is the silent performance killer I watch go wrong constantly. Guests drinking alcohol in the sun think they're fine until they're not. Blue Life provides water on every charter, but I still remind people -- thirst is a lagging indicator, especially when you're stimulated by your environment. On multi-day efforts, that lag compounds daily.
I'm a performance nutritionist who runs Paretofit, working with outdoor athletes. We spend a lot of time figuring out simpler fueling for long trips. Using the 80/20 rule helps a lot. We found mixing sports gels with real food improves digestion and morale on the trail, while changing up fat and protein sources fixes most gut issues at altitude. If that's helpful, I have plenty of real-world examples to share. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to my personal email