Lori's working metaphor for what she does — and what the episode is about. You fill in all the cracks and put yourself back up on the wall so you can get moving again. It applies to her practice and to her own story: a body that was genuinely broken, rebuilt piece by piece over 25 years, now capable of things it couldn't do at 35.

Vernal Falls — Then and Now

In her 40s, Lori was 225 pounds with asthma, sinusitis, and bronchitis. She hiked Vernal Falls with her eight-year-old son — he ran up the steps while she could barely move, certain she was going to die on the staircase. Her allergist told her she would always be on an inhaler. She went back to Vernal Falls after losing the weight and curing the asthma. It was easy. The allergist was wrong.

Why We Get Fat — And Why It's Not Willpower

Nobody chooses to be overweight. The food environment is toxic by design. Ultra-processed foods are engineered to mimic the sensation of eating protein without delivering any — so the body never gets the signal to stop eating. Add chronically elevated insulin from a high-carbohydrate diet, undiagnosed food sensitivities that trigger depression and inflammation, and decades of low-fat dietary advice that stripped away the very macronutrients the body needs — and you get an epidemic that has nothing to do with personal failure.

Lori's 25-Year Arc

Raised in the San Gabriel Valley, the only one of seven siblings to struggle with weight. Atkins as a teenager — it worked, and her depression lifted with it. Then processed food addiction she couldn't name or overcome. Twenty pounds up, then more, then 225 pounds by her mid-30s. Nutrisystem. Starvation diets. The Wheat Belly. The HCG diet. Paleo. Finally keto — and the moment her brain turned back on. Functional diagnostic nutrition training. Her own diagnostic labs. The answer, 25 years in the making: wheat and dairy sensitivities driving depression, food addiction, and metabolic dysfunction. Fix the root cause and the weight comes off — and stays off.

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. Then 25 years of books. The husband didn't wait. They divorced while she was still figuring it out. She got there anyway.

Trail Nutrition — What Dialed-In Actually Looks Like

Lori's pre-hike morning protocol: mineral water with electrolytes and fulvic and humic minerals before anything else, followed by coffee with creatine, collagen, MCT oil, and Perfect Aminos. On the trail: fat snacks (almond butter with MCT oil, potassium, and sodium) for sustained energy, Ketone IQs for a lift on hard climbs, a keto brick for a full meal at the river, and LMNT electrolytes throughout. The single biggest mistake most hikers make: too much sugar, not enough fat and protein. Mitochondria run on fat. Feed them accordingly.

The Grand Canyon as Measuring Stick

Lori has returned to the Grand Canyon every year since 2016, when she descended to Phantom Ranch with excruciating knee pain on every step. Each visit she tracked her body's progress — strength, pain levels, altitude response. The rim-to-rim came when she was simply ready. Her most recent hike: a personal best on Bright Angel, five hours from the river to the rim, passing younger hikers who were struggling. She never sat down.

The Mount Wilson Fatality

Lori was hiking with a group at Mount Wilson when a member of her party — an experienced runner in excellent shape, headed soon for the Grand Canyon — stepped too close to an edge and fell. She was 30 minutes behind and arrived to find the aftermath. Her takeaway is practical and quietly devastating: it was not a bad decision. It was a complete fluke. Trail safety: approach narrow exposed sections front-to-back, not side by side. Never stand on edges. Life can happen in a flash.

What 63-Year-Old Lori Says to 12-Year-Old Lori

I would give her a hug. And just say — you're gonna be okay. We're gonna get through this. We're gonna make it. We're gonna survive. It's okay. I've got you. I've got you.

Mount Whitney — What's Next

Lori is on the wait list for a Mount Whitney permit and has been told to expect to go. Training with Mount Baldy. Planning a full day-trip push with a Meetup group. She's been studying the hiking guide. A little nervous — new territory. She'll do her best.

Hiking Hack — Ketone IQ and Perfect Aminos

On her most recent Bright Angel climb, three to four Ketone IQs on the ascent gave Lori what she calls a magical lift — she was moving past people half her age without effort. Perfect Aminos, taken daily for two years, have produced measurable year-over-year strength gains. Stronger legs. Better overall capacity. Both are coming to Whitney.

Trail Wisdom — Age Is Not the Variable

Don't let age be a defining moment. If hiking feels harder than it should, it's not because you're old — it's because your metabolism is dysfunctional and that's fixable. Prioritize protein. Build muscle. Correct the root cause. Your body functions the way it's designed to when you give it what it actually needs. The trail gets easier. The summit gets closer.

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