Hello Reader,

I once spent a week eating endless white bread, loads of rice and pasta, and sponge cake cooked over a gas camping stove.

It sounds like a dream holiday (or maybe not), but I was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro via the 7-day Machame route. Standing at 5,895m (19,340ft), it’s Africa’s highest mountain. Over the 7 days we walked through the most incredible landscapes I’ve ever seen.

It requires proper preparation and acclimatisation.

Normal nutrition rules go out of the window when your body is at 4,000+ meters above sea level. At that height, your physiology starts to change. The lack of oxygen causes your resting metabolism to increase, meaning your body uses more energy even before you factor in the daily walking.

Strangely, the altitude also suppresses your appetite. You might not feel like eating much, but at the same time, your body needs more energy.

Our Tanzanian guides gave us strict instructions: eat every bit of the food they cook us and drink no alcohol (it affects your acclimatisation).

We did exactly what our guides told us. We wanted to give ourselves every single chance of success.

Every morning started with bowls of porridge with sugar, eggs, toast and sweet crepes. As soon as we reached a new camp, we were directed to the mess tent for hot tea and salty popcorn. Dinners were mostly high carbohydrates – vegetable soup, pasta with mince or chicken, vegetables and white rice, and warm sponge cakes the chefs miraculously made inside the tents.

As a nutrition coach now, I love reflecting on what was actually happening to my body.

At altitude, carbohydrate is pretty useful. It produces more energy for the amount of oxygen required than fat does, which is handy when oxygen is in short supply. Meanwhile, prolonged climbing, cold and altitude can push energy requirements up, even as altitude can make eating less appealing.

In other words, our energy needs were increasing while our appetite could be going in the other direction.

But the strangest part happened after I came down.

When I got back to the Springlands Hotel, had the best hot shower of my life, and drank a heavenly ice-cold Kilimanjaro beer, my appetite completely changed.

For two weeks after that trek, I could eat anything I wanted and not feel full. It was an unusual feeling. I remember thinking, when is this going to stop?

Looking back, it makes sense. I'd just spent a week walking for hours every day at altitude, almost certainly expending more energy than I could replace despite all that food.

My experience was extreme. But it taught me something I now see in a much more ordinary setting.

I see a version of this happen with many women in midlife.

Some women tell me they’ve been “good” all day, and they can’t understand why they’re hungry in the evening. Or they’ve reduced their calories, cut carbs, exercised more – eventually finding themselves thinking about food all the time.

That’s not the same as climbing Kilimanjaro, but the principle is useful all the same. Appetite doesn’t exist independently of how you’re fuelling your body.

If you keep on asking your body to do more on less, increased hunger isn’t evidence you need more willpower. Maybe you’re just hungry.

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​One small thing for you:

Next time you have one of those why am I so hungry? days, reflect back before you bring in the judgment.

What did you eat yesterday? What have you eaten today? Have you skipped meals? Cut back because you ate more at the weekend? Exercised more than usual? Been relying on meals that were more suitable for your rabbit? Or maybe stress levels are high?

And notice the story you tell yourself about being hungry. Is it I’ve got no willpower or I’ve blown it again.

Then try a small experiment.

For the next few days, eat simple, balanced meals. Include enough protein, carbohydrate, vegetables and healthy fats. Don't compensate for yesterday by eating less today. Then notice what happens to your hunger, cravings and thoughts about food.

You’re not trying to be “good”. You’re gathering evidence.

Hunger is information. Get curious about what's behind it before deciding what it says about you.

Until next time,
Kirsty​
​

Nutrition & Behaviour Change Coach
​@kjrcoaching​

Food, mindset, and everything in between.