[pct-l] Loss of appetite on the trail

[Tom Bache]

Clint,

I have been following the discussion you kicked off with great interest.
Threads like this sustain my interest in pct-l.

I have a problem similar to yours, but I am a section hiker who does several
7-8 day trips each season.  This is very different from your goals, but
maybe there are some useful similarities.  I totally lose my appetite on my
hikes, and I have retching sessions similar to those you describe.  They
come on late in the day sometimes, and almost every evening about 30 minutes
after I stop.   I used to worry about not eating, but I found that it has
little, if any, effect on my energy level, so I quit worrying about it.  In
fact, I think it does me good to exercise hard for a week with little food
(looking around the mall, I see a few others who could benefit from a
similar weight reduction regime).

A couple of years ago I started a thread with my short-term loss of appetite
problem.  The best advice I got then was, "don't worry, you'll probably get
hungry before you die of malnutrition."   But your problem indicates that
this may not apply to everyone (I haven't tested it, and probably won't).

So the "don't eat, don't worry" approach won't work for your extended
periods on the trail.  But some things I have learned over time might be
useful (or a bit interesting anyway) for others with similar problems.  Your
problem and goals are well beyond anything useful I can offer to you (good
luck with finding a solution).

-  Trying to eat when your body is coping with the load imposed by heavy
exercise is probably the root of the problem (someone mentioned that blood
flow needed for digestion is diverted to higher priority activities, and
that seems right to me).  For example, I have an ok appetite when I'm taking
it easy on a family or Boy Scout hike, the problem comes when I'm hammering
myself all day.  

-- I can force myself to eat when my body has had time to recover -- i.e.,
when I get up in the morning.  I usually don't bother on my week-long hikes,
but I can eat a meal in the morning if I feel the need -- especially if I
sit around for an hour or so after I get up.

-- Liquids are a lot easier to consume than solids -- hot chocolate has a
lot of calories, so that is much of what I "eat" on my hikes.  If I do eat
something more substantial, it is usually soup of some kind.

-- I can choke down energy gels if I feel the need.

-- I try to listen to what I crave.  For some reason, I mostly crave a Coke
(something I seldom drink otherwise) -- I think it is the sugar and
stomach-settling carbonation -- hard to find on the trail, but Emergen-C has
some of the desired qualities.  I usually drink that at night to help settle
my stomach. I could probably eat something after drinking that if I forced
myself (not worth the trouble on a short hike).

I'm off in a few days to hammer myself through Oregon Sections B,C,D --
don't expect to eat more than a few thousand calories on the trip, but think
it makes my pack lighter and probably will do me some good!

Tom Bache
San Diego

PS.  Unsuspecting trail angel story -- a couple of summers ago I was hot,
dehydrated, and nauseated as I approached the big descent to the
furnace-like crossing of the north fork of the Feather River (south of
Belden).  I came to the camp of a lumbering operation -- all the workers
were elsewhere.  The trail passed within arms length of a pickup truck with
a case of Coke in the back!  So I left a more-than-fair price and grabbed a
couple of cans of what I most craved in the world at that moment -- one of
my fondest memories of trail serendipity.