[at-l] Body Comp

[ellen at clinic.net (Bob C.)]

>"...I don't think I /have/ 20 lbs of fat to lose.  Do I need to fatten myself
>up for this trip?"

No. That does no good and perhaps quite a bit of harm. But you do need to be
careful once you get on the trail to maintain your weight. Forget the rule about
two pounds of food being enough each day. Eat what you need to eat to maintain
and grow muscle mass.

 Excessive weight loss and the resulting health problems are a major reason for
 failed thru hikes. Tall Drink of Water began as a 6'5" skinny 35-year-old. He
 left the trail south of Shenandoah after having lost 50 pounds.

  Another wannabe thru hiker that I met off and on with for a couple of months
  quit at Waynesboro. He had read the Lipton Meal packages that claimed "serves
  two" and carefully split the ingredients in half each evening. He had a light
  pack, but failed to even reach the half way point of the trail.

  You don't reach Katahdin by skimping on food. You either have to carry it, or
  you have to stuff yourself in towns every two or three days. I preferred
  carrying, though I also enjoyed my mostly weekly town stops.

  Weary