scout camp, please help

fimary

Going to scout camp 1-4th june,
have asked what facilities there are for meals, but got vague answer, trying to work out a menu,

the friday/saturday can take things need a fridge but sunday/monday?
here is my ideas so far, please help with more ideas

friday - evening meal - cottage cheese tuna salad

sat - b/f - quorn sausage- mushroom-tomatoes
lunch - cottage cheese prawn salad - tub fruit
dinner- MIM - atkin bar

sunday - b/f (as above)
lunch - maxi muscle protein bar - tub fruit
dinner - ????????? atkins bar

Monday b/f (as above)
lunch - maximuscle protein bar


I would imagine i will pretty active the weekend as well as there is 2000 beaver/cubs/scouts going

fimary

anyone.

mattmoo33

John West do 'light' tuna lunch pots that dont need to be kept cold, and I am sure that there are other ones out there.

What about tinned mushrooms/ other veg.

Do you know what the boys will be eating? There may be some of that you could have

skinnyschnabel

Our scouts make those foil pocket dinners over the campfire. Just put chicken and veggies in foil, wrap it up, and cook over the fire using a grill grate. It's really good!

We also bring turkey hotdogs to roast over the fire. You could eat that with no bun.

They also make sandwiches for lunch, so I usually make a turkey wrap using the turkey as the bread and put lettuce, tomato, and cheese on the inside.

I hope that helps!

UpEarly

I imagine at camp you would be pretty physically active - going for hikes, moving around, helping with gear, moving firewood, etc. Is there any reason you can't just eat controlled portions of what is offered by the camp?

When I go camping my TDEE is always 3300-3700 a day. I eat everything and anything people put in front of me, and it doesn't seem to have a negative impact. :-)

skinnyschnabel

We keep our food in a cooler all weekend. Usually, you can buy ice at the Ranger Station.

thegeordielass

If it's anything like the Guide camps I go on I wouldn't worry too much about what you eat as you'll be running around like mad burning it all off. Also less time for snacking which helps me no end.
As it seems to be a relatively large camp are you going as staff? Normally there's staff catering so you don't have to worry about meals. If you're going with a group of kids are they not having healthy meals anyway you could eat? Or do you not know a group who would be willing to feed you? A lot less stressful then all the cooking/cleaning after for 1 when you'll be busy - I tried it once (at a Norjam when I was on security team) and barely ate or resorted to the chip van as I was being kept that busy.

InTenn

That sounds like an absurdly small amount of nutrition to take on a camping trip. You aren't going to gain all of your losses back in a weekend, especially an active weekend. You will likely be doing a ton of walking, and if you aren't forced to, you will probably have the chance to.

I believe in eating substantial types of food when you are challenging yourself, and I never go out on the river, the lake, or into the woods without extra, since you don't really know what kinds of demands will be there. Certainly I would take along some fruit and nuts, peanut butter, cheese, something with some complex carbs, some fat, and some protein for snacking or in case you underestimated your needs.

If you are seriously changing lifestyles instead of "going on a diet," your menu doesn't look sustainable to me for an active weekend. As I said, one weekend isn't going to wreck your plans if you are the least bit reasonable.

I suggest you try to estimate the calories from the food you are projecting and then try to estimate the amount of physical activity you will be involved in and see how they stack up. I don't think I would want to be in a big deficit in those circumstances. Just my thoughts. Remember, you asked for opinions. :bigsmile:

fimary

Thanks, like the idea of a the tuna tubs forgot about them,
InTenn you are very correct, that is why i was trying to more ideas, i have no idea what to expect as never been as a helper on a scout camp before, i think most of the activities are under cover, crafts etc... so not even sure how much exercise i will get in, as no fridge was having problems, and yes i was trying to estimate calories exercise etc.. as its a couple of weeks away, trying to organised now.

As far as i aware there is only catering for the boys, i have been told there is some food to buy but they did not know what, leaders are getting food catered for them but i am only going as a parent helper.


Thanks everyone, its the not knowing whats there its hard.

sarahrbraun

Going to scout camp 1-4th june,
have asked what facilities there are for meals, but got vague answer, trying to work out a menu,

the friday/saturday can take things need a fridge but sunday/monday?
here is my ideas so far, please help with more ideas

friday - evening meal - cottage cheese tuna salad

sat - b/f - quorn sausage- mushroom-tomatoes
lunch - cottage cheese prawn salad - tub fruit
dinner- MIM - atkin bar

sunday - b/f (as above)
lunch - maxi muscle protein bar - tub fruit
dinner - ????????? atkins bar

Monday b/f (as above)
lunch - maximuscle protein bar


I would imagine i will pretty active the weekend as well as there is 2000 beaver/cubs/scouts going

Truthfully, I think you will be miserable eating that little bit! That is barely enough for a sedentary day, let alone an active 4 days. All the protein bars and Atkins bars should be a supplement, not a substitute for an entire meal. Whole fruits such as apples, oranges, bananas should be ok...you can get foil pouches of tuna or chicken that don't even need to be drained...whole wheat tortillas are portable and a better option than bread for sandwiches...Do you eat eggs? little cartons of liquid eggs/egg substitute could be frozen and allowed to slowly thaw ( and keep other foods cool too), then you could have eggs with breakfast, or make an egg salad for lunch/dinner.

NomiS6

You be to busy running around enjoying yourself

Ke22yB

I have been doing this for 4 years now and there have been times the menu has been out of my control and you just eat what is available mind your portions and enjoy your children. This is now my life style and so there has to be room in it for times I have less control. I have learned to not obsess and enjoy myself and my progress and so should you you have done great and your progress will not be undone on one trip
Go and enjoy you will naturally make good choices from what is there

LifesPilgrim

Having been on a week long trip with our scouts, don't make yourself crazy. Do figure the food will be cafeteria food for the main courses. I was pleasantly surprised at our camp having fresh salads and fruit. I would grab an apple at meals and eat them with peanut butter (I always keep squeeze pack handy). I just ate the best I could, and in the end had no weight gain. I can guarantee that you WILL be pretty active.

if it's in June make sure you keep well hydrated.

Relax, have fun and remember the most important thing about this trip: your child and the time you are spending with him/her.

fimary

Thank you for your comments, thats why i asked for more ideas because menu looked scrawny and was hoping to get ideas in how to fill it up......

as I already said.....
As far as i aware there is only catering for the boys, i have been told there is some food to buy but they did not know what, leaders are getting food catered for them but i am only going as a parent helper.


"This is now my life style and so there has to be room in it for times I have less control. I have learned to not obsess and enjoy myself and my progress and so should you you have done great and your progress will not be undone on one trip " thanks Ke22yb
but have already said dont know what is available.......a tuck shop with sweets.......

lifesPilgrim - i am sure there is not a cafeteria, just a gas stove for the boys food.

myfitnessnmhoy

None of my advice will count for much for you, specifically, I'm afraid.

I camp a lot and work/camp even more, but I'm on a typical American "balanced" diet and your menu looks low enough in carbs to put me in a coma, so I'm assuming you are doing low-carb/ketosis, so my diet would probably make you sick.

Here's what I pack for Appalachian Trail maintenance (generally hiking 5-10 miles a day carrying tools and doing work) in case any of it comes in handy.

- Breakfast: A few packets of oatmeal, generally a couple of plain and one flavored (apple). The flavors are too strong, but cutting it with two plain ones gives me a more interesting flavor without icky sweet. Often a little cheese or beef jerkey to start with some proteins and fat. Small coffee. Tons of water.

- Lunch: I usually pack a half-block of extra sharp cheese, an apple, some meat (beef jerkey or summer sausage), some dried fruit (apricots are my favorite trail munchies), a Clif bar, and sometimes some trail mix (nuts, sesame sticks, and dark chocolate chips), at least 3 Nalgenes of water, some hard candy like life savers (great fatigue-fuel, 15 calories will boost you along for an hour of hard hiking, and comes in handy if you have an unprepared diabetic in your team), and generally a spare Clif bar in case we're working extra hard. Whenever we stop - usually every couple of hours - I have a quick nibble.

I never eat all of it. I carry extra in case someone less experienced packs insufficient calories, or in case we have an emergency and need to set someone up with a survival situation so we can send a team out to get help. We're frequently many miles from the nearest motor vehicle, and the nearest hospital is 30 miles of logging roads away, so help can take hours to arrive. In your case, with lots of youngsters around, pack something like granola bars - they'll probably need frequent refueling if they are hiking or working hard, and their body glycogen reserves are small. When I know we'll have younger kids, I pack a few cheap granola bars and the kids (and their parents) are always grateful for a refuel.

- Supper: Can of low-sodium soup and a good-sized whack of bread, sometimes a little cheese "left over" from lunch. Part of a dark chocolate bar for dessert. Tons of water.

I don't generally lose weight on these trips, but then again I'm spending a lot of time hiking with armfuls of tools, moving rocks around, digging, and sometimes running a chainsaw. I want to be well-fueled, energetic, and alert. You do NOT want someone with low glycogen running a chainsaw 20 miles from medical assistance! Weight loss is not my priority - I will make up for it when I get back.

thegeordielass

as I already said.....
As far as i aware there is only catering for the boys, i have been told there is some food to buy but they did not know what, leaders are getting food catered for them but i am only going as a parent helper.

Again, can only speak from a Guide side of things and my experience, but if you're staying the whole time and basically doing what the leaders do, you should be catered for as the leaders are since you're basically doing the same. Scouts may be different (they seem to be in most things!) though. Maybe by 'food to buy' they mean they expect you to pay for meals as opposed to ingredients and making your own which would make more sense.
I'd still suggest you eat more then you think you'll need even if you aren't going to be doing lots of active things. This is England in June - it'll be cold at night (and if the weather doesn't improve, during the day too) and if you're camping you'll be using more energy then staying inside naturally and you'll walk more the you expect - especially if you have long treks to the toilets!

I think LifesPilgrim probably meant more that style of food rather then an actual cafeteria.

niss63

Thanks, like the idea of a the tuna tubs forgot about them,
InTenn you are very correct, that is why i was trying to more ideas, i have no idea what to expect as never been as a helper on a scout camp before, i think most of the activities are under cover, crafts etc... so not even sure how much exercise i will get in, as no fridge was having problems, and yes i was trying to estimate calories exercise etc.. as its a couple of weeks away, trying to organised now.

As far as i aware there is only catering for the boys, i have been told there is some food to buy but they did not know what, leaders are getting food catered for them but i am only going as a parent helper.


Thanks everyone, its the not knowing whats there its hard.

You should be worried - Scouting preaches a focus on fitness, but when budget realities set in, the food offered is not usually very healthy.

I go camping with the boys every month in addition to a week of scout camp and a two week high adventure trek. For a situation such as you describe, I try to be aware of the calories I am consuming without going overboard with the tracking of it. You are in a situation where it is possible to burn a lot of calories, but it is not really likely that you will burn a lot more calories than you normally do. Scout camps usually involve some additional activities, but also tend to have quite a bit of down time, gazing into campfires and such.

I pack some of my own food when I go camping, which allows me to skip the less healthy choices sometimes offered at the camp. For a longer camp, such as you are describing, I'll pack a cooler and keep a lot of things on ice to keep them fresh, longer. Some of the foods I pack for a longer camp are:

Tuna in packets
Salmon in packets
Chicken in packets
Whole wheat bread
Peanut Butter
Fruit Spread or Honey
Snackable fresh fruits and vegetables (lots of these)
Boiled eggs
Cheese slices
Cheese Sticks
Nuts (variety)
Dried Fruits (plums, raisins, apricots, apples, banana chips)
Smoked turkey lunchmeat
Granola Bars
Cereal
Powdered milk
Mustard
Olive Oil

If you have access to a campfire make foil packs and you can include:

Frozen veggies (corn, peas, green beans, carrots, etc.) - you can use fresh, but frozen keeps your cooler cold longer
Ground beef and/or chicken (they will cook well in the foil pack, but if you pre-cook and freeze them at home, they will keep longer.
Spices.

HTH