[at-l] Calorie counting {WAS Sugar Substitutes}

[nealb at midlandstech.edu (William Neal)]

Actually it does help. I was diagnosed with "borderline" diabetes (see PS)
just as I was preparing for a LD of the AT.  The doc (at home) set my med
schedule.  I followed it.  And tried to follow it with what I ate.  I did
eat more and I was not entirely true to my "stay-away-from-sugar" diet.  But
I did good.  

Then I began having trouble just before Hot Springs.  I was hoping it was
the flu or something like that.  But I was missing some of my usual flu
symptoms.  Plus I had a very close friend who had felt and acted the same
way and that turned out to be because she had Hodgkins.  So I hurried off
the trail and hitched into Hot Springs.  Shared a couple of beers with some
young good ol' boys.  

The next Monday, the doc (there) ran a series of tests on me.  His
conclusion: I was over-dosing by following my meds and I needed to cut back
on my diabetic medication and to eat a LOT more.  Never did I hear more
welcomed words: First because I did not have some form of cancer or other
serious trouble.  But I COULD EAT ALL I WANTED!  I just had to moderate my
sugars.  No eating an entire shipement of Twinkies deep fried.

I am currently having to readjust since I am not getting the workout I did
doing LD hiking (see P2S).  Being a librarian is not conductive to burning
calories.  And living in the middle of a city without a car is not
conductive to getting out into the country.

But, you are right.  Such hiking BURNS food.  And considering the value of
calories while LD hiking, I would carry sugar.  But around here, since I
grew up with sugared coffee, and Southern Ice Tea ("if you can't use it on
pancakes it ain't sweet tea"), I want something to sweeten it.  At least I
don't use lead like the Ancient Romans.

William, The Sugarless Turtle


PS	I prefer the term "borderline" diabetes rather than diabetes type 2.
Mainly because I am in denial. ;-) And partly because I think it takes
something away from those who are insulin dependent.  And I dread the day it
might become full blown diabetes: 1) I am terrified of needles. 2) I love
sweets.

P2S	I have read in more than one place and talked to a couple of
nutrionists/sports experts who say that LD hiking with a full backpack
causes the "average" person to burn the equivalent of 2 marathons a day.
And I did lose 20 lbs. the first week.  LD hiking with full pack does have a
positive effect on "borderline" diabetics.  I have no idea what its effect
on insulin dependents is.  I just know some do hike the AT.

-----Original Message-----
From: W F Thorneloe [mailto:thornel@attglobal.net]
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2003 3:53 PM
To: William Neal
Cc: AT-L List (E-mail)
Subject: RE: [at-l] Calorie counting {WAS Sugar Substitutes}


I am very interested in how newer technology of blood glucose monitoring 
helps hikers like you. It will be even more interesting to see if anyone in 
sports medicine follows Hemoglobin A1c in a number of folks like you 
before, during and after long distance hiking. You make assumptions about 
your calorie requirements with hiking that I suspect are incorrect. Yet 
your assumptions are as valid as anyone's, pending testing in the real
world.

Hiking burns calories at a high rate. Hiking creates lean muscle with 
sensitive insulin receptors. Hiking should be a great treatment for adult 
onset / borderline / type II diabetes. Hiking probably is not such a great 
idea for insulin dependent diabetes without a great deal of planning and 
preparation. I am real keen to hear how things work for your real world 
experience when boot hits the turf.

OrangeBug

<BTW, I pack honey packets from Krystal and a brown sugar cone. Honey 
doubles in first aid and the cone is great to dip into tea as a quick 
sweetener. I prefer dense long releasing calories in fats like cheese and 
nuts.>

At 09:34 AM 7/28/03 -0400, William Neal wrote:
>... Since I am diabetic (borderline) and since I need to cut some sugar 
>cals out, I
>asked for a repeat of the info.