[pct-l] Food and calories

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

Calories on the trail aren't an issue for everyone. Maybe I'm the  
only person in the history of the trail to have to eventually watch  
what I ate, I don't know, but I lost a little weight at first both  
times I went out but not to any measure did I become thin. I probably  
remained the fattest girl on the trail long after the actual fattest  
girls became thin. Then toward the end of my 2nd hike, I was starting  
to gain the weight back on the trail.

So, in the event that I have a "secret" but don't realize it, my  
eating strategy was tons of simple carbohydrates with industrially- 
produced high-Omega-6 seed oils (aka, junk food), minimal protein,  
almost no "real food" and chowing down extra hard on breakfast foods  
when in town (e.g. pancake sandwiches.)

Nasty side effect include: unquenchable hunger, chronic inflammation  
during and post hike, extremely rapid weight gain post hike despite  
not continuing to eat this way, possible initial steps toward  
metabolic syndrome. Fixed it pretty well with a paleo diet and lots  
of weight lifting.