Body Fat/Metabolism and Staying Warm.

[nickelanddime]

Just Jeff covered the main stuff I was going to say, but another thing to keep in mind is that if you aren't maintaining your blood sugar levels(several small meals) your body will start releasing cortisol(stress related hormone) and one of the first actions that cortisol sets off is the burning of un-used muscle(in survival situations excess muscle is a liability).
1) muscle is easier to "burn" than your own fat
2) this means more energy to the muscles that need it
You'll notice that long distance hikers may look chiseled all over, but they are also experience a lot of atrophy every where that isn't getting used a lot relative to the prime movers... this will actually bring their resting metabolism down a good deal.
I'm still trying to put muscle back on from this summer

[BillyBob58]

I think HE just needs to use more olive oil with his meals, it is a healthy fat, so the only reason not to use it liberally is weight gain which, apparantly isn't his problem currently.

22 years ago ( ) I took a NOLS course in Wyoming ( 30 days Wind River Mountaineering) during the month of June. I remember hiking all day, and doing a river crossing with Tyrolean traverse, on June 27 in a windy snow storm that dropped well over a foot, with a low that night of 22*. We were three people to each tarp. One friend finished that night with a branch from a pine tree breaking off from the snow, falling and penetrating his tarp and dumping a load of snow in his face at 2AM, to which his comment was "Well, live and learn". Like he was not cold enough already! Everything in my pack and in my "waterproof" stuff sacks was at least damp, if not outright wet, after that long hike and debilitating day. I went to "sleep" with a bag of fat nuts beside me, munching on them as I shivered all night long. My wet/damp synthetic clothing/bag were cold, but I remember being glad they were not down. The instructors had strongly discouraged( forbidden?) down anything on this long trip that would be so far ( minimum 10, often 20 miles) from any trailhead or dirt road. I thought they were wrong about that ( I grudgingly left a -5* down bag behind in my truck) but agreed they might have been correct after this experience.

It was that kind of summer trip. And I lost 22lbs in 30 days, even with 3000 calories per day. Everybody had massive weight loss.

Anyway, one of the first things they taught us was the value of heavy fat intake for staying warm. We would even add butter to our hot chocolate, and even tea or coffee! In fact, I remember that day, while we aere getting things together for that river crossing, people were starting to get hypothermic while standing around, lips literally turning blue! So the instructors would verbally harass the blue folks into side straddle hops and running in place while others were firing up ther stoves and making hot chocolate plus BUTTER! We also ate a hell of a lot of cheese and nuts.

True, I was still very cold on this one night. But who knows, without the tricks they taught us( hot water bottles, mummy bags closed down to breathing hole, sit ups in the bag, etc etc ) and the high fat intake and the synthetic insulation, I might have been worse off than just cold. But they seemed to consider a high fat diet essential for staying warm enough to survive and maybe sometimes even being comfortable, when hiking out in one day is not an option.

[BillyBob58]

Here is a snapshot someone took of me dragging into camp! It's going to be a long night with a need for eating a lot, and a lot and eating a lot of fat! Those are artifacts on this 22 year old, worn out picture, that look like ropes or power lines in the trees. There are no power lines within 30 miles or more of this place!



Here I am the morning after shivering all night. I'm on the right. And my friend Mike, on the left, who appears to have a very well developed chest, is actually only trying to dry clothes with body heat. He has them stuffed under his wool shirt.

[Nudgeworth]

Wow BillyBob, thats a big scary tale!
22*farenheit, I can't even imagine a temperature that low lol;
35 is a big deal over here.

I believe in the Weight Watchers program. I had a Girlfriend who was shedding
upto 2kg a week on it.

[BillyBob58]

Wow BillyBob, thats a big scary tale!
22*farenheit, I can't even imagine a temperature that low lol;
35 is a big deal over here.

Well NW, I've camped colder and been warmer( before and after this event), as have most folks here. The difference that time was I was wet, had cold wind blowing on me all day and was in a worn out condition by the time we made camp. Everybody froze that night.

After that day on 6/27/85, I never shivered again, even on winter trips, until I tried my first night in a H.hammock in these same mountains a little over a year ago. Once again at 22*. But that problem is also solved now, I believe. Hopefully!

PS:
Notice also that sleeping bag hung over a branch, trying to get it dried out before the next night after another all day hike breaking trail through all the new snow! That would have been another challenge had I taken my down bag, I suppose. Just getting it dried out in a world covered with snow!

[Nudgeworth]

I just discovered that I've been converting Fahrenheit to Celsius wrong lmao :P
I thought you North Americans were part polar bear to be enduring the temperatures I THOUGHT you were camping in