Lori breaks down what a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner actually does — finding the root cause of metabolic dysfunction and filling in the cracks. Her go-to analogy: Humpty Dumpty. Put the body back together again, one piece at a time, in three to six months.

The Trailblazer's Toolkit — Garmin Watch

Lori's dream piece of gear: a Garmin GPS watch, so she can track trail maps from her wrist without stopping to pull out her phone. Currently uses AllTrails. Training for Mount Whitney, so the timing for an upgrade is right. Doc weighs in on his own Garmin Instinct and the particular personality type of the person who obsessively logs every activity — including for tax purposes.

The Hiking Poll — Score: 82

Lori becomes the highest-scoring guest in Hiking Poll history, earning an 82 on the sanity scale — and the distinction of being the first guest not to lose automatic points before the poll even starts. Highlights from the poll: her first hike that proved her body was built for this (Zion half marathon, 2020, after losing significant weight and completing it pain-free for the first time); the biggest trail nutrition mistake hikers make (too much sugar, not enough fat and protein); and the one superfood always in her pack (the keto brick). One-word description of sprinting at 63: joy.

Why Hiking Gets Harder After 50

It's not age. It's mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction, insulin resistance, and chronically underfueling with protein. Lori explains the Pac-Man model of mitochondrial energy production and why fat fuels the body's energy system far more effectively than sugar — and why most hikers are carrying the wrong food for the miles they're asking of themselves.

The GLP-1 Question

Doc asks about GLP-1 agonist weight loss medications — the injection-based drugs that have become widely used for rapid weight loss. Lori's position: they work, but at a significant cost. Up to 50% of the weight lost is lean muscle mass and bone density. You regain the fat when you stop — but not the muscle or bone. Her approach achieves the same outcome through low-carb nutrition that naturally stimulates GLP-1 production while preserving and building muscle. Six months versus a lifetime of injections.

Origin Story

Lori grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, the only one of seven siblings to struggle with weight. Her mother put her on Atkins as a teenager — it worked, and her depression lifted with it. But processed food addiction, wheat and dairy sensitivities she didn't yet know she had, and two decades of yo-yo dieting brought her to 225 pounds in her mid-30s. The wake-up call: coming home from an outing with her eight-year-old son and hearing her husband ask, without looking up from the couch, when she was going to lose the weight. She got a book. Then another book. Twenty-five years of books later, she had her answer.

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