Personal Training NYC ClientG

On the trip I needed so little food to sustain me. Apart from lunch the first day at 1, for the rest of that day and the next 2, we had no food except for a few wild onions, gooseberries and currants we found along the way. On the fourth day, I had a small amount of oatmeal in the morning and a few cut up vegetables made into soup for dinner (while everyone else was eating sheep stew), and I think little dough made into ashcakes at lunch (while everyone else was eating “sheep tacos” on fry bread made with sheep fat. The next two days I had a little oatmeal in the morning and some cut up vegitables for lunch and dinner, and one time, half an apple. After that we had plenty of food — lentils and flour and oatmeal, sucanot, carrots and onions. Still minimal, but after the starvation rations, I always had a lot of extra food. My revelation was that I needed much less food than I thought I did, and way less food than I eat at home, and I felt fine. No sugar ups and downs. No hunger pains (except for the sheep kill phase, when I was miserable watching everyone else gorging on sheep meat.) I need less than I think I need — than I want to devour every day, every hour of my life. Food is too disturbingly important to me. Which leads me to the question, why in hell does Overeaters Anon. exist??? It’s not just me….

and… and still alive to tell the story.

Well, it was the most incredible trip I’ve ever taken. I think all my hard work with Terri in the preceding weeks made a substantial difference in my ability to function on the course. We hiked from 10 to 14 hours every day (except for three days when we were at base camp learning skills like carving utensils with our knives (only if you wanted to eat), making friction fire using the bow drills we made, cooking with primitive puebloan methods, making a “burn bowl,” and of course, the main event, the sheep kill — aka “big game processing,” in which I (alone) did not participate and which has reinforced my commitment not only to not eating mammal meat, but now no poultry either.)

The course was very challenging physically, but the only time I had real (physical as opposed to mental) difficulty keeping up with the pace was when we were at higher altitudes (up to 11,500 ft). The biggest challenge for me was not so much the physical strains (which were no picnic — my feet are still swollen, I have a stress fracture in my toe and a million cuts, scrapes and bruises, but the mental/emotional challenges from being in my small group of 10 and having to deal with my usual demons with them. I do think I had some pretty good success on that front after an intial bumpy emotional ride.

The eating situation resulting in a fascinating epiphany for me. I was just not that hungry. After the initial 3 day “impact phase,” in which we were given no food (and theoretically little water, but we actually had plenty after the first day from lakes and streams), and the 3 day sheep kill phase (during whih I was given about 1/2 c. of oatmeal in the morning, and some ash cakes and vegis the second day, and just oatmeal and vegis the third day), we were supposedly given about 1200 calories for the remainder of the trip. I never finished my food. At the end of the course I made “oatmeal cookies” with my extra rations. What I learned so clearly is that when I’m hungry all the time, I’m not really hungry. I’m anxious, or bored (mostly anxious), and using food to relieve it. Duh. Pretty much like everyone else. So, that is my next hurdle.

I’m off poultry now, although I’m not giving up eggs, dairy and fish, at least for the time being, so I’m getting enough protein. Terri won’t be happy, but seeing that sheep being killed was devastating for me. Why not my doggy (Oliver, aka Elvis) next?

Anyway. I have much more to day about my trip — with pics, so I’ll send the link to my album blog when it’s done.

Thanks Terri — I could not have gotten through the trip without you.