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Ketogenic diet as a way to lighten pack?


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  • #1843059
    Chris Morgan
    BPL Member

    @chrismorgan

    Locale: Southern Oregon

    That's a great link, Jonathan, thanks.

    #1843102
    Timo Rajala
    BPL Member

    @swedishbackpacker

    Yes, I am reading his blog almost everyday! But the Swedish version, http://www.kostdoktorn.se.
    I'll insert the link to the video here, in case someone missed it (it's worth seeing, well spent time I would say):
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSeSTq-N4U4&feature=player_embedded

    About what to eat on the trail, I have found a thorough guide about making Pemmican, written by Lex Rooker. This is definitely something I will give a try, seems to me it should be the best food possible for the trail, for someone used to lchf food: low weight (think how little amount you need per day of this concentrated food), can be stored in room temperature without refrigerator a long time, contains all nutrients the body needs. As for the taste and consistency, that's to be found out :-)
    http://www.traditionaltx.us/images/PEMMICAN.pdf

    #1843123
    Diane “Piper” Soini
    BPL Member

    @sbhikes

    Locale: Santa Barbara

    I wish I could make that pemmican but I seriously doubt I could grind the dried meat up well enough. That's the step that has me stuck. I purchased pemmican from US Wellness Meats and I think it tastes delicious. It's not the real thing, though. It is supposed to stay refrigerated but can last a few days in your pack okay.

    Here is a good source to read about the benefits of low carb diets. It's written by some researchers and contains tons of citations from all kinds of research.
    The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living

    Additionally, I recommend reading as much of Protein Power as you can. The blog is jam-packed with references to research.

    (For some reason my art and science link didn't work.)

    #1843136
    Jonathan Rozes
    Member

    @jrozes

    Locale: Pacific Wonderland

    US Wellness says they're working with their processor to produce a shelf-stable version. See the comments here:

    http://blog.grasslandbeef.com/bid/40499/Pemmican

    I sent them an email asking for an update. I'll post here if/when I get a reply.

    #1843142
    Cayenne Redmonk
    BPL Member

    @redmonk

    Locale: Greater California Ecosystem

    When I want to powder things, I reach for liquid nitrogen.

    I think dry ice might be the closest thing most people can get.

    Dry, freeze, grind. Repeat as desired.

    #1843152
    Harald Hope
    Spectator

    @hhope

    Locale: East Bay

    Piper S., don't overthink the process, making pemmican is VERY easy.

    To dry the meat, cut into very thin strips, of very lean meat. I cut out all the fat I can manage from the meat to try to get only lean in the dried meat. This is important, otherwise you lose some advantages of real pemmican.

    Then take those strips and stick in a basic dehydrator, ideally with a fan, I just added a computer case fan to my basic dehydrating thing, which makes it dry at around 120 degrees, give or take. Ideally keep it below that, otherwise the meat actually cooks, which I discovered on my first rounds of drying meat. You do not want cooked meat, you want it dried.

    Drying takes my unit about 36 to 48 hours, and the test to see if it's done is also very simple, if the thin slice cracks, not bends, when you bend it, it's done. It's very easy to feel the difference, and if you leave the meat on for 6 hours more after you think it's done, it will definitely be done.

    Rendering fat is also very easy, but you must use a thermometer, to keep the fat under about 240 degrees, more than that and it doesn't taste as good and may lose nutrient values. That's what I read, and that's what I found on my first batch, which overheated a bit, over 250, still fine, but you can taste the difference.

    If you want to open the black box, or however you put it, then making your own real food using real grass fed beef ingredients is the way to go.

    This stuff is good, really good. Cost for the finished product, remembering that you get about 1/3 weight of fat starting when rendering, but that fat you get for free from the butcher, is about 6 a pound, give or take. Meat comes to about 1/3 or less dried, so the cost per pound is the cost per half pound of dried meat, ie, about 1.5 pounds fresh, give or take.

    Do not salt or otherwise treat the meat, that totally defeats the purpose.

    There is NO WAY anyone can sell real pemmican legally, it's impossible, the meat is raw. So anything called pemmican is almost certain to be oversalted or some other thing they do to deal with the rawness of the meat. So don't bother looking for it, just learn to make it, I like the process, I usually pick up 5 or 6 pounds of fat, you want the thick chunks, not the gristly pieces, they are easier to cube into 1/2 inch or so cubes for rendering. Also don't worry about rendering the fat to get every gram out, it's not worth it, you gain almost nothing and may end up overheating it, just take it off when the temp starts approaching 240 and you can't readily lower it by lowering the burner temp.

    I read most of the online stuff about making real pemmican, it's really not hard, and any how to that makes you think it is isn't accurate.

    I store the rendered fat in big jars in the fridge, and thaw it out when I get the meat readied. When it's still liquid, it's really really good. Not slightly good, super good. I suspect non grass fed beef fat rendered is not going to be really good at all, it's quite different from what I gather, different color, and I'm sure different flavor. But when it's good, you want to dip bread into it and just eat it that way, at least that's what I do. But really hard to clean up, you need super hot water and good grease cutting soap.

    I'll document it with pics etc and maybe a blog posting when I make my next batch, but this stuff really does last a long time.

    To really kick production into gear, get a big pot, thick aluminum bottom for even heating really helps, big size, so you can do 8 to 10 pounds at a time. And you can make your own drying boxes too, it's easy, cardboard, some plastic pipes, a lightbulb etc, a fan if you want, but the regular dehydrators work fine if you use a small fan on them to keep the temps down. Just slower since they don't have a huge capacity.

    Grinding up the dried meat is also easy, it just grinds, turns into fluffy stuff, pick out the hard pieces, grind them again, once done, mix the remelted rendered fat in 50/50 by weight and pop into bags or storage, you can use a muffin pan if you want the pemmican in nicely sized chunks, otherwise just put in a zip lock freezer bag let cool then seal. If you did it right it will store at room temp no problem.

    I have no interest in eating junk food on the trail, it's just not a thing I think forwards anything positive, and making your own high quality energy food using recipes that were worked out over thousands of years by people who were always on the move strikes me as one of the better ways to actually get with natural systems. You are what you eat, and I don't want to be a sugar powder or junk energy bar, it's not appealing.

    #1843278
    Hiking Malto
    BPL Member

    @gg-man

    I just read this thread from the start and it has a bunch of great info. I look forward to following the progress made by folks that have made the conversion to the Paleo diet.

    Piper,
    You weight change on the PCT was interesting to read. I have been trying to figure out what happened on my thru and there may be some similiar factors between us.

    I started the PCT at my ideal weight of 187. I was in the best shape of my life with decent upper body muscle mass, more than a runner but less than a weight lifter. By Tahoe I had lost 12 lbs down to 175 but then only lost 1 additional lb. the rest of the way to Canada. Here is what I believe happened.
    1) Since I was 12 lbs lighter the second half I was burning about 7% less calories due to the reduced weight assuming that everything else was equal.
    2) I believe that hikers get more efficient as their hike goes on. I suspect that feet are lifted a bit less, I know I tripped much more the second half of the trip. Also, you have probably noticed that thru hikers have a different look, almost like they are gliding down the trail. I think the increased efficiency is what we notice.
    3) I bumped up my calories. The first half I was eating somewhere in the range of 5-6000/day. The second half I ate 6000+, sometimes as much as 8000 calories/day. I apparently was able to eat as much as I burned which is remarkable given my daily mileage average of about 32 miles per day for Tahoe on.

    I also lost a good bit of upper body muscle mass which was not not surprising. I suspect that you may have had a net gain in muscle mass along the way. I also rapidly gained 20lbs. after the hike in spite of knowing full that there was a great possible of weight gain when I was though hiking. It happened so quickly that it caught me by surprise. It was obvisious that may calorie consumption was greater than my burn since I couldn't do a lot of exercise given the pain in my feet.

    Now that I have been back to high intensity training for the R2R2R trip the weight has stablized and my upper body muscle mass has increased.

    One comment about low carb hiking. There are different degrees of hiking intensity. Since a marathon runner can get 18-20 miles prior to bonking, I would expect that at a slower pace a hiker could get up to 20 miles per day at modest elevation gain eating few if any carbs. As the intensity, elevation gain or duration continues higher then the importance of carbs would increase.

    #1843311
    Jonathan Rozes
    Member

    @jrozes

    Locale: Pacific Wonderland

    I got a reply from one of the founders of US Wellness:

    "We are in process of changing pemmican fabricators. When this is resolved we should have a shelf stable model in April.

    "Packaging will change a bit with the pemmican being round versus rectangle. This should create a 4 fold increase in daily production and eliminate the out of stock issues we have been experiencing."

    #1843333
    Robert Mak
    Member

    @blmac

    Chris, concerning potassium, I believe vegetable juice is a good source of potassium. My label info read 28% daily rec per serving, I believe.

    #1846512
    Diane “Piper” Soini
    BPL Member

    @sbhikes

    Locale: Santa Barbara

    Here's another good link to explain the safety and naturalness of ketosis. Take note of this:
    "If you’re starving, glucose comes mainly from one place, and that is from the body’s protein reservoir: muscle.

    But the breakdown of muscle creates another problem, namely, that (in Paleolithic times and before) survival was dependent upon our being able to hunt down other animals and/or forage for plant foods. It makes it tough to do this if a lot of muscle is being converted into glucose and your muscle mass is dwindling."

    Before when my body was unable to convert its own fat reserves into energy, that was my way of life. Either constantly eat to keep the glucose running or consume my muscle mass, get lethargic and stop using energy. Telling people they should base their whole diet on grains and starches is the more dangerous advice. There is absolutely nothing dangerous about ketosis. It's totally natural and all of us go into it from time-to-time whether we know it or not. Without this ability we die.

    I started my diet at around 160lbs. I'm now at 133. I've lost 3 belt holes so far. I eat with gusto at every meal. Breakfasts like steak and eggs, or liver and onions or just a cup of coffee with butter and coconut oil. Lunch is usually nothing or canned salmon or sardines or bone broth. Dinner is usually vegetables meat and sometimes a root or tuber. Dessert is super dark chocolate. And wine.

    Better than the weight loss, I feel better. I don't have so many aches and pains. My mental health is better than it was before. I feel happy all the time. I feel alert. I have energy and strength.

    Even the feeling of being slower when I hike is gone. I was last to the summit for months while I was adjusting, but now I'm first and once I get out ahead of the others far enough, I even run.

    I still can eat breakfast before a hike and nothing during the hike and not feel weak, tired or hungry. The energy levels I have are constant and sustained at all times. I've even started taking a fitness class where we do silly things like burpees and mountain-climbers and squats and I can go to this class at noon after not having had anything to eat since dinner the night before and I have just as much strength and energy as on the days I have breakfast. It's wonderful. This is how life should be. Not on a steady drip of gu and clif bars. That's a silly way to live.

    On my last backpack trip I brought 4 pemmican bars (tallow and beef), a small bag of macadamias and brazil nuts, coconut curry for dinner (planned to supplement with foraged greens but didn't find any) and a couple squares of dark chocolate for dessert and morning coffee. I didn't weigh this but it wasn't a whole lot. It was energy dense and I never felt hungry. I came home with one uneaten pemmican bar and half the nuts, too. We hiked about 8 miles the first day and 12 the second with some trail maintenance along the way. This is definitely the better way to go.

    I just ordered a beef heart, to be picked up on Friday. Should I make jerky with it? Cook it in the slow cooker? I also ordered beef cheeks and liver (I love liver.) All grass-fed. There are so many more interesting foods when you stop eating grains. For starch I've discovered all kinds of delicious things like rutabagas and celery root. For my birthday I had lamb, green beans and chanterelles, less than one potato, mussels with bacon, 2 glasses of pino noir and one big huge chestnut chocolate mousse with apricot sauce. I lost 3 lbs.

    #1846523
    Cayenne Redmonk
    BPL Member

    @redmonk

    Locale: Greater California Ecosystem

    My friend says sear the heart like steak and serve with browned butter sauce.

    #1846531
    David Ure
    Member

    @familyguy

    "There is absolutely nothing dangerous about ketosis. "

    That would be great….if it were true.

    Speak with a doctor lately?

    #1846595
    Miguel Arboleda
    BPL Member

    @butuki

    Locale: Kanto Plain, Japan

    That would be great….if it were true.

    Speak with a doctor lately?

    David, I know you mean well, but why do you do this without doing the research? First, there are now a lot of respected doctors who very much support the ketosis route. Of note is Dr. Richard Bernstein, Dr. Loren Cordain, Dr. Stephen D. Phinney, Dr. Doug McGuff, Dr. Mary Vernon, Dr. Robert H. Lustig, and Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt (who has transformed big time the obesity epidemic in Sweden… in the last seven years a 24% reduction in obesity throughout Sweden).

    Second, there is a very big difference between a ketogenic diet and a diet causing ketoacidosis. Ketogenesis is one of the body's two natural metabolic responses to procuring energy from food. All mammals use them both. The ketogenic response developed in a world where famine was a very common, completely normal recurring fact of life and helped organisms sustain themselves over long periods without a lot of food (which happened more often than not). More and more evidence is beginning to reveal that the body is meant to be in a ketogenic state most of the time, and only use the glycogenic metabolism when more energy is needed, or when the rare event of high carb availability made it possible to stock up on fat stores (for which the glycogenic metabolism is great… that's why bears get so fat in the fall, when they gorge on berries… they go into a ketogenic state for months after that, and survive upon their fat stores).

    Ketoacidosis is a state that usually only happens to Type 1 diabetics. It occurs when the body cannot produce enough insulin to battle the overproduction of ketones. Normal, healthy people do not usually have to worry about this, because their insulin production is working fine. Here is an article that explains the difference between ketosis and ketoacidosis.

    #1846656
    David Ure
    Member

    @familyguy

    Miquel, there are just as many articles suggesting the state of ketosis is very bad so I suspect that going back and forth won't do anyone any good here. But I was serious about the Doctor comment. I want to know if she has been monitored by a doctor with this diet.

    With respect to what Piper did, by lowering caloric intake she lost weight. This could have been done with carbs, fats, or proteins. It really doesn't matter.

    #1846658
    John Jensen
    Member

    @johnj

    Locale: Orange County, CA

    For your amusement, "bread is back on the menu!"

    The Viking diet is recommended by leading obesity expert Professor Arne Astrup. He is head of the department of human nutrition at Copenhagen University, and last year launched a £12.2 million project to develop a 'new' Nordic diet.

    For what it's worth, I think that a lot of these varied approaches work because they all are "intentional eating," and whether you are following an 80's diet, or a 90's diet, you are probably getting a few more vegetables and eating a bit less of the really bad stuff.

    #1846724
    Kevin @ Seek Outside
    BPL Member

    @ktimm

    Locale: Colorado (SeekOutside)

    I've done a fair bit of reading on Paleo / Primal etc as well as done various activities from ultra trail races to X-fit. Below are my observations as I don't want to spend so much time on it that I don't enjoy it.

    – If I eat high fat , low carb I loose weight and I feel better. My energy is better, I feel less need to eat etc. How does it translate on the trail, well pretty darn good. I carry less food than my friends (and I only eat half of it usually). I seem to have more constant energy and generally feel better. How does it translate to moderate work loads ? Great, I do more pushups, more of just about anything, however where it does not benefit is fast and hard anerobic type of workouts, those I don't perform as well, but perhaps it's a need to train my body.
    – If I were going on a long backpacking trip, I would train myself for low carb and carry a lot of fat. I've done it so many times now, that I can translate pretty seamlessly.
    – If I'm doing an ultra style event, I carry some sugars, but probably only about 30% others do and still eat a lot of fat / protein stuff. Sure I don't push the uphill the same way, but I run the down a lot faster.
    – If I was going for time, in a high intensity event, pushing myself for the whole time give me sugar. However, this is my goal this spring, is to try and train myself past that, just as your body adapts to eating low carb. Perhaps it ends up being a no go, perhaps not. I'll know more in a few weeks

    #1846743
    Miguel Arboleda
    BPL Member

    @butuki

    Locale: Kanto Plain, Japan

    With respect to what Piper did, by lowering caloric intake she lost weight. This could have been done with carbs, fats, or proteins. It really doesn't matter.

    Actually it does, Dave. I've been monitored by my endocrinologist (diabetic doctor) for the past year now to determine what the problem is for me concerning insulin (I'm a LADA diabetic…started as a Type 2 and morphed into a Type 1). I watch every calorie I eat and the corresponding grams of fat, protein, and carbs. The amount of calories I eat doesn't change, but I've been experimenting with what happens when I raise or lower my carb intake, and adjust my fats and proteins accordingly to keep the caloric intake the same. What I've found is that when I take in more than about 70 grams of carbs a day (this is me, personally. Other people have different needs, so please don't use this number as gospel), my weight inevitably goes up, as well as my blood sugars. Lower the carbs and my weight goes down, as well as my blood sugars. I've been able to more or less control my blood sugars according to how many carbs I eat and have correspondingly also controlled my weight that way. Because I am a Type 1 diabetic and thus require injected insulin, controlling my weight had always been a very difficult thing, because the high amounts of insulin were making my weight go up. I experienced many hypoglycemic attacks because of the high amounts of insulin. Lowering carbs, though, has more than halved the amount of insulin I take everyday, which simultaneously almost eliminated my hypoglycemic attacks, and also got me losing weight back down to the weight I was in my early thirties.

    The needs of a non-diabetic concerning carbs and natural production of insulin are no different from that of a diabetic. The only difference is that a diabetic cannot produce their own insulin or their insulin cannot be accessed. When a full-blown diabetic initially becomes diabetic one of the classic symptoms is emaciation. No matter how much they eat they cannot gain weight and they are constantly ravenous. This is because the insulin is not being used or is absent in the body. Without insulin you cannot gain weight. Without carbs, insulin is impotent. Before the invention of artificial insulin, diabetics were kept alive by severely restricting their carb intake. They managed to do quite well on a diet of mostly fats, medium protein, and very low carbs. Carbs are still necessary for health, though, so some carbs had to be eaten, and with no insulin, many diabetics died fairly young.

    The ketogenic diet simulates a natural environment in which insulin is not needed in great amounts or over-produced by the body. Modern diets, however, bombard the body with huge amounts of carbs that stimulates far too great production of insulin, and with all that insulin being produced, first those eating the high amounts of carbs get fat, and when the carb intake goes on too long, the insulin production is exhausted (it was never meant to be produced in such high amounts)… that's when people become diabetic. Diabetes has become epidemic because of a combination of too many carbs and overproduction of insulin and a lack of exercise. People don't eat significantly more food today than they did thirty years ago… but the TYPE of food they eat has changed dramatically. It's this change in type of food… huge increases in carb intake… that has caused the obesity epidemic.

    I can eat a whole stick of butter… pure fat… and not gain any weight or get a spike in my blood sugars. The amount of calories in 100 grams of fat is significantly higher than that of 100 grams of carbs. I eat one slice of white bread, though, and my blood sugar sky rockets, plus over a short period I quickly start gaining weight.

    #1846846
    Diane “Piper” Soini
    BPL Member

    @sbhikes

    Locale: Santa Barbara

    It's clear that the knee-jerk naysayers are not actually reading any of the research. Nor do they have any first-hand experience. It was my initial response to think eating this way is bad, too, but I have changed my mind based on reading the information and first-hand experience. Here's another really good article to read.

    I'm also amazed that since this is a backpacking LIGHT website, people would be so absolutely closed-minded about a means to lighten your pack (and your "spine out" weight).

    #1846854
    David Ure
    Member

    @familyguy

    Guess I hit a nerve.

    But again – lowering your caloric intake has provided you with the results. Are you able to prove me wrong?

    #1846860
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    Here is the question for everyone… does a Ketogenic diet make the body more efficient for the long term? Is it healthier for you in the long term?

    Miguel would say yes, and I agree with him.

    The other thing is; our brains think "weight loss" when we see the word "diet." To Miguel, diet means healthy lifestyle and a more efficient metabolism. I also agree with him.

    #1846863
    David Ure
    Member

    @familyguy

    "Is it healthier for you in the long term?"

    Can you please post or re-post the studies validating this?

    Not trying to start an argument but really would like to know. The basic premise of the diet is similar to Atkins and the latter had issues.

    #1846882
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    David,

    Miguel has already posted a lot. But has anyone done a study for a lifetime of data? No, the theories have not gained wide-spread public attention until the last few years. And of course, there are dissenting studies/opinions. So one has to make their own decision and suffer or enjoy the consequences.

    I have been eating Paleo food almost exclusively for the past couple of months. I have lost a few pounds, but my weight has stabilized. I feel great. However, I was not overweight or ill in the first place, as I have always gotten a lot of exercise. I figure I might be able to continue to hike until I am 120 or so. I no longer have a craving for sweets or chips either. I have a jar of M&Ms on my desk I have not touched since I started this and have no desire to eat them. I haven't even eaten ice cream… although I probably will at the end my next big hike — as a celebration of sorts :)

    #1846905
    Carl Umland
    BPL Member

    @chumland

    Locale: Pacific Crest Trail, mostly

    Hi BPLers,
    Have any of you read "Primal Body, Primal Mind, Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life" by Nora T. Gedgaudas. She explains how the Paleo diet works with more documentation and research results than most of the others I have read on the subject so far, including Mark Sissons, Loren Cordain and Robb Wolf. Maybe it's just the same info but presented more completly?
    Is there a list of Paleo foods that you can recomend that lend well to lightweight backpacking? I haven't read all of this thread yet so I'll apologize if I've repeated others comments, questions or thoughts.
    Best Regards,
    Mulestomper

    #1846931
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    Carl,

    Several of us have read Sissons and Cordain. Miguel has posted a lot about both.

    Actually there was a thread a while ago about posting Paleo recipes, not sure how that is going to progress.

    #1847016
    Miguel Arboleda
    BPL Member

    @butuki

    Locale: Kanto Plain, Japan

    Guess I hit a nerve.

    It doesn't really bother me what other people do and want to think; after all it's their body and health. However, I have gone through a hell of a lot of suffering and fear in dealing with the often destructive effects of diabetes, including a number of times almost dying, and my motivation is that I want to stay alive and live as long as possible without complications or suffering. In order to do that I have to learn, for myself, what is possible and necessary. Following quackery or some fad does me absolutely no good because the consequences of tricking my body will show up, regardless of what I want to believe. Diabetes takes no sides and doesn't care what theories we might have. It will only react to what works and whatever reduces the exacerbation of the complications. At the same time, do it wrong and diabetes will destroy me without the slightest bit of conscience. It is a disease of metabolism and lifestyle.

    All I can do then is to learn all I can about what causes it and what I can do to prevent the causations that manifest the complications. I've been reading all I can for 15 years now. Initially, due to my having been indoctrinated with the low-fat dogma, I concentrated on vegetarian diets and low GI carbohydrates, cutting out almost all fat. That's what my doctors all recommended, too. It never worked. My diabetic complications just kept getting worse and my insulin doses kept increasing. My doctors had no idea what was causing it, and why I was gaining so much weight, in spite of my never having eaten very much and being very physically active (I ran 10 kilometers everyday). I first found out about the low carb diet when I read Atkins in the late 90's, but I didn't trust what he recommended, mainly because of the distrust I had in fat. It was only when I read, in 1999, the first paleo book that I came across, Ray Audette's "Neanderthin" (Audette had Type 2 diabetes and arthritis and cured himself of both by severely cutting carbs), that I began to question the dogma that I'd been taught since the mid-70's. I tried on and off since then to do the paleo diet, but doubt and lack of information kept me from diving in. Living in Japan, far from all the goings on in the paleo movement, made it doubly difficult to have any idea whether going this route was safe or sound.

    It was only two years ago when a friend recommended Mark Sisson's "Primal Blueprint" that everything really clicked. He explained it in terms of the metabolism of insulin and when I read that and compared it to what was happening with my body, suddenly it all made sense. When I tried it out, it worked! Within a month a fungus that had completely taken over my right hand and right foot and the right side of my face, due to high blood sugars, completely disappeared. The gastroparesis that was ravaging my stomach and esophagus disappeared. My blood sugars normalized and my dose of insulin plummeted. I lost weight. My migraines disappeared. And for the first time in 20 years my insomnia disappeared (I have only had insomnia one time since I started the diet and exercise routine last June). I was astounded, to say the least. And so was my doctor, since I had managed to do in one month what she had been unable to do in 10 years. She still remains very cautious about the whole thing, and still won't read the copies of data and abstracts that I've brought in to back up what I was doing, but she's at least willing to let me give it a go, while monitoring me.

    For me this is life or death, not simply a weight loss program. I cannot be cavalier about what I eat or how I live and move. Diabetes is on my mind 24 hours a day, even when I sleep. So yes, I'd imagine that when someone makes an offhand remark about all that I've put so much effort and time and anguish into learning, cavalierly brushing aside tomes of serious studies and very concerned work by people trying to make sense of two epidemics… diabetes and obesity… that are sweeping the world, I get somewhat defensive. All I am asking is that you give the information a serious look at and not just toss it out as hogwash. I'd go further and say, give the paleo lifestyle a try and see how it works for you, but if you are healthy and happy with your body and well-being, then it might seem rather unnecessary.

    I do believe, as Nick and Piper have suggested, that living this way makes your body far more efficient. For backpacking that means less weight on your back, less consumption of fuel, and longer periods of walking without constantly having to replenish caloric stores with quick spiking sugars.

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