You don’t think that people who burn more calories through physical exertion will need to consume more calories through food?

At one time I researched hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. It was recommended to plan for a 4000-5000 calorie / day diet. But most thru-hikers found it was physically impossible to carry enough food and they lost 30-40 pounds on average over the course of the hike.

Appalachian trail is a little bit easier in terms of access to civilization.

I'm not either but biking 30 miles to get groceries in the mountains made me feel so hungry like I was desperate for water in the desert. I would eat beforehand, eat 3-4 chicken sandwiches when I got into town, and then eat a ton afterwards. If I didn't eat snacks on the road, I would have to walk up the hills and of course there was plenty of lay down in the street cramps from hell. You'd be surprised how many calories rigorous exercise burns. I'm not talking about light hills, it's the if the bikes brakes fail, the helmet ain't doing much and I probably would die. But hey I got great pictures.

I mean I'm not a doctor,

You could have just stopped there before embarrassing yourself.