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7K views 76 replies 31 participants last post by  Rural Buckeye Guy 
#1 ·
Should extended SHTF happen & your food supplies start running short.

Are you prepared to portion ration what remains?

Food for thought, anyway.

 
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#2 ·
..We're planning on doing that from the get-go, actually... At least, a 'tapered' plan.. Have 'extra-extra stock', planned to be used first, in 'Today's-portions', as a sort of 'morale-booster' (Having *some* "familiarity" after shtf will help (ie: Props to your 'chunky tomato sauce', there.. :) balance out the harsh shock of the 'new reality paradigm', methinks..

..But, little by little, the Plan is to 'taper down' to more stricter-portions, in hopes that when the really lean-times hit (..or, some 'catastrophy' hits, ie: Raid of the - non-hidden :cool: - stores, or, fire / flood, etc..) we'll sort of 'already be there' with the rationing-mentality..

..That's the 'plan' anyway.. :rolleyes: We shall have to see what reality throws at us...

.02
jd
 
#3 ·
I've always wondered....does rationing actually make sense?

Do we know if someone who has ten days of food will survive better going on 1/4 rations for 40 days or if it would be better to just eat normally for 10 days and fast for 30?

Who would be in better shape at the end?
 
#4 ·
Our plan is to start counting calories and ration to about 20% less than what each of us needs. (lots of estimating there). I have a doctors office scale to monitor our weight.
The idea is that we intentionally lose weight slowly, a lot like what most people spend big bucks for when they purchase diet plans.

This does a couple of things for us. 1) It makes it appear we are losing weight right along with everyone else so we don't look like we have tons of food. We may not be losing it quite as fast, but no one will be able to claim we aren't losing weight. 2) It helps us save calories later because it takes more energy to move around a person carrying excess fat than it does to move the same person at a lower weight. I'm not afraid to admit we could all stand to lose a few pounds, except for maybe my wife who is naturally thin.

After about 6 to 8 months, when the public herd has been thinned a bit through crime, illness, starvation, etc, we will reevaluate and make decisions from there.

We have plenty of food, a few tons saved in the basement and since we live in a rural area, we have access to a lot of fruit trees, bee hives, berries, chickens, ponds with fish, etc.
 
#5 ·
It makes it appear we are losing weight right along with everyone else so we don't look like we have tons of food
Intersting idea. As it is I sometimes go a week without seeing other people and when STHF I'm going to literally burn the bridge and disappear so the idea of losing weight to avoid suspicion is interesting.

My question is, what are you getting from these other people (obviously not survival goods) that makes it worth it to interact with them closely enough that lack of weight loss would be conspicuous?
 
#14 ·
You and I have different plans. I live in a rural area, (cornfields and cows), and it would be advantageous for all around my area to share their renewable resources.

I have energy, one neighbor has 40 bee hives, another has horses, another has cows, another has a pine forest of what amounts to telephone poles, one of my neighbors down the street seems to have a selection of fully automatic weapons, etc etc.

Could I survive without any of them? Sure, I think so, but why would I want to make my life harder and more dangerous than it needs to be?

Communities work when people work together, not when they try to go it alone. Kill off the bad apples and the rest of the tree will flourish.

One prospers, the other is just existence.

Others may not agree with my philosophy and choose to go solo, and that's fine, its just not the way I intend to do things if I have a choice.

I even have huge stocks of certain cheap items that I intend to give away in order to help others. Multivitamins for instance, can go a long way towards building good will among others. Knowledge of local wild food sources is another good example of something that can be given away that would generate a lot of good will. I didn't know you could eat cattails until earlier this year when I started all this prepping stuff. Now I have information and even videos showing how its done.
 
#6 ·
As soon as possible after an event that even looks to be long term, the means to establish long term, sustainable, adequate food supplies should be implimented. Part of the pre-event planning should incorporate this.

If one waits until supplies are running low, it is probably too late to get enough food soon enough to prevent very drastic measures being necessary to get enough food to maintain adequate nutrition to prevent becoming incapacitated. (It takes a long time for a healthy adult to stave, if they have adequate water, but not very long to get to the point you can no longer do anything to help yourself.)

If the steps are not taken soon enough, and one does not, or cannot, get food even in less than admirable ways a d must institute severe rationing, it is going to be a very difficult decision on how to do it so everyone survives.

Because those that are capable of going out and getting more food are most likely going to be adult males and some adult females. That means they will need enough food to stay healthy enough to not only do that, but maintain their reasoning abilities so they will. So, unfortunately, the very people that most want to see get as much food as possible will be the ones getting just enough to keep them going.

The exception will be pregnant women and the women that are breast feeding newborns, and the babies. They must all get adequate nutritional food or risk serious permanent damage to the baby.

I know that many will not be able to cut the youngsters' rations to the degree necessary, and will wind up putting everyone at much higher risk. Because once adults can no longer function, the others are just not going to make it.

To me, this is the greatest incentive there is to not only store plenty of nutritious food, but have plans in place, and what is needed to produce good food in enough quantity soon enough to avoid any significant rationing of already somewhat limited meals. Besides, it is questionable if very many peppers will be able to produce LTS foods in much quantity very soon, so those LTS supplies obtained now might just have to be used at several different times.

Just my opinion.
 
#8 ·
One of the challenges to rationing is that, IMO, the time of year when rationing will be most necessary is during the coldest months, when gardens and nature are supplying the least nutrition. I understand that rationing food supplies is necessary but something like 1/4 rations in the middle of Winter should be avoided, if at all possible.

It may seem counter-productive but digging deeper into your larder in Winter will probably be necessary, while operating on faith that a reasonable harvest will come in late Spring and Summer, provided you have prepared to cultivate, plant, and harvest a decent garden and find adequate protein sources.
 
#9 ·
I have never understood the notion of deliberate rationing. To deliberately make yourself weaker in the hopes you will make it to such time as plentiful food is available seems like a plan for failure to me.

It would be one thing if you are in a position where food is not available, there is no likelihood of food becoming available, you already had some extra weight on and you were in the process of actively leaving one area for another area. I could understand allocating "X" amount per day per person, sure. But otherwise; starve in one month or starve in three months. Is there really a difference?

Store sufficient food stuffs for more than a year. Actively grow food, by whatever means and multiple means as you can. Store specialty or luxury foods (which are currently cheap) to allow for occasional "holidays": sugar, syrups, chocolate etc.

If you are in an area of high population concentration and are concerned about appearing "healthy", purchase clothing similar to your regular, but a size or two too big. Personally, I would recommend (and am working towards) not being in that situation at all. (But, of course, resources dictate the speed at which such a plan can come to fruition.)

Makes more sense to me.
 
#11 ·
Most people consume too much food on a daily basis, we could do with much less. I agree with those who say to cut food portions immediately.
Eating a 10 day supply of food in 10 days Vs 40...I believe you should go for smaller meals over the long run. Look what happens in 3rd world countries. No food, none at all in 30 days, will surely make it much less likely you will survive. However those who eat small meals every few days DO seem to survive much longer.
 
#15 ·
You and I have different plans. I live in a rural area, (cornfields and cows), and it would be advantageous for all around my area to share their renewable resources.
I am also very rural but I think most of my neighbors would be a liability rather than a resource. My community is pretty much dysfunctional as it is, SHTF anybody who can't feed themselves isn't going to have anything else that its worth interacting with them to get.

And the ones that are prepared? I think they would view me as a threat as well and I would be better off giving them a wide berth.

Honestly, I'm not one of the super hardcore kill everyone preppers but I have to have a certain level of trust with anyone I would be willing to trade with.

If I don't trust someone enough to not murder me and steal my food if I don't appear to lose enough weight then I'm not going to trust them enough to do any kind of trading with them.

It would be one thing if you are in a position where food is not available, there is no likelihood of food becoming available, you already had some extra weight on and you were in the process of actively leaving one area for another area. I could understand allocating "X" amount per day per person, sure. But otherwise; starve in one month or starve in three months. Is there really a difference?
It only matters if after three months there is going to be more food again for some reason.

For myself I think I am more likely to be able to acquire two months more food from a month of strength than I am to be given more food after three months of weakness.
 
#17 ·
Ya, compared to rice and beans they do! LOL

Mine are stored in their original containers, put into mylar bags with O2A and then into the basement where summer temps are 70 to 75 and winter temps are around 40 to 45.

The conservative estimate is 2 or 3 years with many saying 4 and even past 5 years depending on storage.

I think my saltines are in the same "use them in a couple of years" boat.
 
#19 ·
Well, I suppose the situation particulars would dictate, however we have no “plans” on rationing*.

Our particulars leave us with a reasonably decent amount of decent foods put back & then access to renewables once at BOL.

So personally I am not seeing the benefit (again in our particular situation), of being and looking run down due to lowered caloric intake & nutrition. Just to be able to “fit in”/ not draw attention to our situation. The idea mentioned above of oversized clothing is an excellent way to have cover, if that should be required for whatever reasoning at whatever time.

Coveralls and field clothes we currently own would fit that bill rather nicely, if not worn as overgarments (as current). Plus they “look” well worn allready.

There would be plenty to do which would require a “whole bunch” of high calories & good nutrition, again in our situation, so simply another reason I’m not seeing the benefit to cutting back “just in case” someone might think we are eating well.

*Edit: Yah, treats would be cut back on, particularly coffee. I drink around 3-4L+ per day, she only does about .75L in today’s normalcy. I drink that much primarily due to the hours I keep (extended rotations on top of normal days), that type of schedule would likely be maintained (doing far different things), but the coffee would be tapered back to be used as treats rather than constant input. Difficult to do, but have done so multiple times over the years, so not too too difficult. I’d far prefer having treats of a mug or 2 per day, than going cold turkey (from constant input). We also have “a whole bunch” of teas put back, both pressed bricks as well as bags.
 
#20 ·
When I was a boy, I was raised on a small farm, that was our way of life. We ate what we grew, and had very little money to speak of, my Father farming and logging in the winter was our only cash. We grew about a 3 acre garden, had an apple orchard, had chickens, pigs and a few milk cows. We had no electricity. I recall some springs we would be getting very low on vegetables etc before the garden would strt producing again. My Mother put up canned vegetables and fruit. We even fished when fish would be running in the spring and she would can down game and fish and salt down the fish when she ran out of canning jars. I do recall a couple of springs when for whatever reason we would be down to potatoes 3x a day for awhile, or homemade bread and milk for a meal. Until you have had a pie plate with home made bread and warmed up cow's milk poured over it for a meal 3 x a day for awhile you really have not been hungry. There was no welfare in those days. And they would never ask for help anyway. Looking back although I was not very happy about it at the time, I do know I would be ok. Me and my younger brother would be out after rabbits, grouse, and even pigeons for my Mom's meat pies etc. My older brothers would be after deer etc. My Grandmother would take us kids into the bush looking for wild food and medicinal plants. I got a good education. Even long term food only lasts so long. Which is why even today I always try to grow all our own food. This next year I plan on growing and threshing all our own wheat for example and doubling the size of our garden area, and main project is a root cellar. Our root cellar when I was a kid saved our bacon most years. The wife and I do have LTS food, but the long term plan is to grow our own as much as possible right now, so we are not scrambling when the shtf, and shtf is a certainty.
 
#21 ·
Why not do the same with supplements as with food... store what you use and use what you store... FIFO rotation...

A lot of supplements have expiration dates of a year or two (and it's not like they instantly go bad), so that would get you through a year or two or longer (assuming you don't run out). That's more than long enough for most "regular" S. Anything longer, and you're looking at more of a TEOTWAWKI situation, and if you're prepping for this, then you should have some way of growing/raising/obtaining a reasonably balanced/sufficient diet, including herbs, etc.
 
#23 ·
Why would you ever ration food? Even today, eat what you need and don't eat what you don't need. Then, if the SHTF and you're chopping wood all day, you would eat more than you might on a day you spend sitting in the shade. A better plan than rationing is to have a plan for food production that sustains your lifestyle and health.
 
#24 ·
I agree, what I learned that is also very important is your attitude. Your mental or spiritual attitude to surviving is also critical to surviving. Never be a quitter. My wife and I are both seniors, but our attitude each day is I have another day to accomplish something for us. It could be working on our fallout shelter, pruning the orchard, or expanding our garden or doing some gunsmithing or backsmithing etc. Everyday accomplish something.
 
#25 ·
I think the need to ration depends on the event. All the survival training I've had and the books I read all say to restrict your eating for the first couple of days so your body uses up some stored fat and your senses sharpen up. If it's just some short term ,local event I don't think you need to ration but if it's a nation wide society crippling one ,rationing would be wise.
 
#31 ·
If you only provide 80% of the calories required for the day's efforts, then tomorrow you're only going to get 80% of the work done which requires another 20% reduction in calories and another 20% reduction in work the following day. Rationing is a caloric spiral that leads to the inability to do what needs doing to provide for yourself.

As I already posted, rationing is for those whose greatest labor is to stand in the FEMA soup line.
 
#26 ·
Rationing food is a sure sign you aren't prepared.

I dont mean you have to store a hundred years supply of food, but instead, store up the knowledge to be a gatherer.

A visit to your local library or county extension service will provide you with a list of eatable plants in your area. Learn what game (concentrate on small game and birds) are in your area.

You dont have to fight over food. Listen for the sound of gun shots where someone has taken a deer or other large game. Watch them take some of the meat (since they may not be able to use all of it) then after the leave, take whats left.

Fish in a lake or river wont spoil or be taken until its removed from the water. Take what you need, mix it with your wild plants to make a healthy stew for the current needs.

Stock piles of food makes you a target of theft. Being a gather wont leave stock piles for others to envy. Hard to rob one of knowledge.

Its not hard, I grew up poor on a small farm and thats how we lived then. Now I live on 29 Acres in Wyoming and I can walk out and find enough prickly pear cactus to last me the rest off my life without leaving the property. And thats only one plant.
 
#27 ·
I agree with you to some extent depending where you live. Keep in mind, many thousands will have the same idea and hunting and fishing I don't think will be a good long term strategy depending where you live. In the 1930's by the end of the depression a lot of areas were cleaned out of game. In a national shtf it would happen much faster.
 
#28 ·
I hope in the next few months to have enough grains set aside to allow everyone in my family to have 3000-3400 calories per day from the grains for a year. In addition to that I also have a decent supply of oil, sugar and canned goods. I am figuring on 3000-3400 calories per day even for the young kids with the idea being as they get older the will eat more and more than they do now. Also if something happens now the extra can either be traded, given to adults and older kids who are working hard and need more energy or give us an extra month or so of food.

The canned goods and oil will be rationed. Canned goods because of cost and oil because I don't want more than a few years worth of regular use in storage so I can use it before it goes bad. In a situation where we have to cook every meal from scratch and don't have easy access to butter I assume our oil use will more than double.Also if it happens in the summer we will be rushing to can and dry food from the freezer and will also probably eat huge amounts of meat the first few days to prevent having to throw it out.
 
#35 ·
...don't have easy access to butter I assume our oil use will more than double....
(Pssst: Red Feather! https://www.ebay.com/i/272493728646?var=571543313462 ..Excellent stuff, keeps really well, too.. :cool:

..and for a better 'oil subsitute' a bit more apt for cooking, try: https://vivbuisman.nl/product/87/pure-butter-ghee.htm ..Avail. Stateside, ie: https://www.ebay.com/itm/172753909906?

..And you can easily 'DIY', Lots of good vids still up on CensorTube.. ;)

Fwiw..
jd
 
#29 ·
It was pointed out that if your family isn't loosing weight and everyone else is you will stand out.

I intend for my family to make an effort to look like everyone else. If the rest of the town is hauling water in five gallon buckets from the lake we will to just not as often. If other families are collecting walnuts, acorns, and wild greens we will to. If they set up fish traps we will to. It won't be because we NEED to but so that we don't stand out as the family that isn't struggling for food but still is doing well making it obvious that we have large amounts of food already stocked up.
 
#37 ·
Really? How does that work that a body can, over an extended period, burn more calories than what he consumes? I'd love to see the science behind that.
Well, if your fat like most people you can do it for a good while.

that would be a fun thread in and of itself......last trip to the store, you have 15 minutes.... or time for 3 items
Thats is something I like to think about. The final trip where you max out your credit card on the most expensive preps you can find because you never have to pay them off.
 
#38 ·
Rationing is a caloric spiral that leads to the inability to do what needs doing to provide for yourself. Yes it is... eventually. But not immediately.
As I already posted, rationing is for those whose greatest labor is to stand in the FEMA soup line. Philosophically... yes. But physically... not quite.
The key point about rationing is that it extends your useful "work life" out a bit. Sometimes for many months. Absent caloric intake (complete starvation but water still available), the average person is going to slip into physical uselessness (becoming non-ambulatory) and then die somewhere around the 45-60 day mark. People in climate controlled & medically monitored environments have occasionally lasted a week or two longer than 60 days. But they were flat on their backs... merely breathing.

But having some sort of intermittent ration (even if less than actual daily requirements) could stave off that fate for additional months. WWII concentration camp laborers were expected (by their captors) to survive for about 3-4 months of useful work on a theoretical 800 calorie per day diet. US Army Ranger School students survive daily movements of ~25 miles while carrying 85-100 lb loads on a 1200-1800 calorie per day diet. This across 8.5 weeks of intense physical effort. But at the end of that period... those students are suffering from the mental/physical effects of starvation: Loss of 10%-15% body mass, depletion of all fat reserves, suppression of immune system response, increased susceptibility to cold injuries, and severely degraded ability to perform continued work at maximum levels. In other words... smoked like cheap cigars. Because they are expending between 3500-4900 calories per day depending upon season, terrain, and individual student body mass/metabolism. BTDT.

So you can push on for a good amount of time on a "rationed diet", even while accomplishing a lot of physical labor. As long as you're getting something to occasionally stuff into your gullet. Rationing works. For awhile. Sometimes for a relatively long while (even through several seasons). Read about the histories of cities enduring long sieges.

It ultimately depends upon the number of calories included in "rationed" food.

Some observations from similar threads...

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showpost.php?p=5523312&postcount=24
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showpost.php?p=13521033&postcount=262
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showpost.php?p=5433043&postcount=48
 
#39 ·
Caloric intake and calories burned will have to balance in the long run. In fact, you'll need to consume more calories than the work to account for just breathing and walking and the body working when you're not actively working. Also, healing will burn more calories, potentially as much as working. So when you get behind the game intentionally, you're making a bad choice.

Use your food and then use a portion of your energy to replace the food. Many garden vegetables can provide nutrition between 30 and 40 days and by 70 days you can be harvesting right-sized squashes, etc. So if you don't have enough food to get through a winter plus 70 to 100 days, I guess you'll have to ration but you're starting out in the hole.
 
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