Worried about the summer when I won't be able to use MPF...

groversa
groversa Posts: 450 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I work at a camp all summer. I might be able to log in to MPF once or twice a week but definitely not everyday like I have been doing.

I am just worried I will lose my progress. We have big breakfasts, lunches and suppers. But it is also a very active camp. Everyday we have worship (very active- jumping dancing type) 3 times, we play 2-3 running games a day, go on hikes with our stuff on our back that are a few miles long, and some weeks go on our canoe trip (canoeing for about 4 hours on a river). So I am not worried about being active, but with the bump up in my exercise I know I will need to eat more calories than I am now, but I just don't want to over do it.

We have wifi in the staff building, but I only have 3 hours breaks in one whole week (24-6) and most of the time I use that time to plan for the following day.

Just let me know any tips or anything at all to give me some advice? Thanks!

Replies

  • cmccorma
    cmccorma Posts: 203 Member
    Make good choices like chicken and veggies, salads with dressing on the side, eggs or egg whites or oatmeal at breakfast. Stay away from heavy cream sauce pastas or extras such as bread/rolls or desserts. It's willpower which most of us struggle with or we wouldn't be here! But remember that everyday is a chance to get it right. What we weigh and how we look is up to US! If you do splurge, get right back on it the next day!
  • mdcoug
    mdcoug Posts: 397 Member
    Bring a small notebook and pen and just write it down the old fashioned way. You'll probably need to come armed with calorie counts for the items they cook there, but I would assume there isn't much of a variety, so it shouldn't be too much prep work.
  • jmosborn32
    jmosborn32 Posts: 18
    Bring a small notebook and pen and just write it down the old fashioned way. You'll probably need to come armed with calorie counts for the items they cook there, but I would assume there isn't much of a variety, so it shouldn't be too much prep work.

    This. Also, maybe the camp actually has nutrition information for the food they cook. It wouldn't hurt to ask.
  • groversa
    groversa Posts: 450 Member
    Make good choices like chicken and veggies, salads with dressing on the side, eggs or egg whites or oatmeal at breakfast. Stay away from heavy cream sauce pastas or extras such as bread/rolls or desserts. It's willpower which most of us struggle with or we wouldn't be here! But remember that everyday is a chance to get it right. What we weigh and how we look is up to US! If you do splurge, get right back on it the next day!

    Thats the thing, I don't get to CHOOSE the meals, it is sort of like a school meal setup, everyone gets the same thing, only the food is better lol

    --Also, I am vegetarian
  • purpleprose
    purpleprose Posts: 650
    It sounds like you'll be nice and active, so just watch portion sizes and limit the indulgences. It's hard to lose the crutch that is MFP, though - I was in India for a few weeks a few years ago and had intermittent WIFI but that was it. PLUS I had no idea what was in the majority of the food I was eating. I watched portions, didn't have most desserts (or split with someone if something looked good) and came home a few pounds lighter (we had gyms in all the hotels).

    It's do-able. Plus, if you have the app on your phone, you can just add the foods offline and it'll give you a general sense of how you're doing. You can make it work!
  • lessertess
    lessertess Posts: 855 Member
    I'm assuming you'll have your phone on you or could have your phone....use the mobile app.
  • djtessatessa
    djtessatessa Posts: 54 Member
    you can chose not to eat it all, to only eat portions.
    you can also ask the kitchen to omit things from your meals. as a former incredibly picky eater i can tell you, no matter where you are you can get substitutions if you ***** enough.
  • Sholmes82
    Sholmes82 Posts: 23
    What about pre prepping your meals for the day in storage containers and bring them with you to work??..also bring healthy snacks that you can have on hand to get you through: nuts,apple,healthy pop popcorn,etc..and then log your food when you get home if you can't during the day
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    I loved camp.. sounds just like the place (except different activities).. sounds like you will be active so just try to eat the same portion sizes and don't over do it on dessert
  • srcardinal10
    srcardinal10 Posts: 387 Member
    Look at it this way, right now, you're training yourself to be able to make healthy choices while you're there. You will be moving and doing things all day so you'll be burning calories, just not at the gym. It will be okay!
  • krisiepoo
    krisiepoo Posts: 710 Member
    You have several months before you go. Learn healthy choices now, roughly how many cals your fave foods are or the cals of a general food they ahve there and keep a notebook. AFter awhile, making good choices should become a natural way of life.
  • arcticfox04
    arcticfox04 Posts: 1,011 Member
    By summer time hopefully you'll learned enough to eat correctly by Camp.
  • 416runner
    416runner Posts: 159
    I worked at camps for years too so I know exactly what you mean. Do you know how far in advance the kitchen staff will plan what they'll be serving? Maybe as the meal plans are developed you can get copies so you can get online, get the calorie counts and then track manually. Over the next little while, pay close attention to portion sizes you by the time you go, you'll have a good gut feeling for how much you can eat.

    I think especially with all of the increased activity, you'll be okay!
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    You just have to pay attention but I can't imagine a camp that doesn't accomodate diet restrictions of it's customers. (I know your not a customer but an employee but .....)
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    I always lost weight at those camps because I hate cafeteria style food. One time I found a bug in the mac n cheese -_-
  • kelshel35
    kelshel35 Posts: 1
    I'm not sure if you have this option but you could bring a desert plate for lunch. It is smaller, you can fill it up and still feel like you are getting enough food. It all comes down to portion control. You can eat whatever you want, just in moderation. The foods that are worse for you tend to take up more of your calories and leave you hungry but you can still eat them. You will be very active and that burns more calories than you think.

    I'm not sure if you have acess to a menu before hand but you could look at it and pre log it in the morning so you know how big of portions you are allowed along with the exercise already being logged. Just a thought! I hope that helps!!
  • CarlieeBear
    CarlieeBear Posts: 325 Member
    I've volunteered in the kitchen of the camp I went to as a kid. Even being on my feet all day, I don't think I lost weight and may have gained. But I wasn't keeping track of what/how much I was eating. Our camp cook was really awesome about special diets. We had a couple of staff who ate gluten free and at least one vegetarian on staff.

    Hopefully, your camp cook will work with your eating plan. I would really focus on learning portion sizes now and then work with the cook regarding what you eat. I'd also write down everything just as if you were entering it in MFP and, maybe, enter it once a week online.

    Enjoy camp!!!
  • needles85365
    needles85365 Posts: 491 Member
    I was camp nurse at camp for several years. You will be super active. Food was only put out 3 times an day and snack at fireside, so no snacking. Don't worry about it. Watch your portions and select more healthier portions. Have a great time!
  • groversa
    groversa Posts: 450 Member
    I'm assuming you'll have your phone on you or could have your phone....use the mobile app.

    Won't have my phone, I'll be with the kids.
  • Jess21684
    Jess21684 Posts: 202 Member
    I hear ya. any set back from routine is challenging.. I def feel like I have become reliant on MFP and if I wasnt able to log on, I would probably die! I would just take in account everything you have learned along the way and do what im certain you know what needs to be done. It sounds like you will def be plenty active while there, maybe try adding in some extra workouts if you have any down or free time and Since you dont choose what you eat, I would just make sure to stay mindful of how MUCH your eating of it, and try to limit your portions. I dont know if its doable but maybe you could bring up if they could add in a few healthier options in their menu..maybe they would listen and take that in consideration if you talked to them? But yeah I would def just remember what matters to you most, keep in mind everything you have learned, keep as active as much as possible & def just watch your portion sizes on the food but most of all just dont stress it :) good luck!
  • keelz2010
    keelz2010 Posts: 182
    Print your MFP diary :)

    Try and find out what sort of food you will be eating there and log suggested daily menus/ food items in your MFP diary, print of some examples of past 'good' days, also do a screen copy of a diary day just filled with all your regular food so you have a sheet of all the nutrients/ calories they have. Then print them off along with a few copys of an empty diary page that you can fill in with a pen. You could also take some copies of your past reports so you don't forget how far you have come and lose your way.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    You still have a while before summer arrives. This is a great chance to use the site to learn the calorie content of foods. You can put what you know into practice while you are there. I think most of us want to be at that point someday where we can eat well without logging!

    With camps, I think it's very important to have snacks. It's tough eating well when you are served three big meals a day. I'd get famished in between and then eat too much at the meal. But having some trail mix or granola bars could help with that. However, if the camp food is as crappy as it's been in my past experiences, you'll have no trouble keeping the weight off ;)
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Get a pocket notebook for the summer, then you can do it manually. You already know how it works, so just get a work out log and apply what you learned there.
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
    Can you buy snacks or small meals to bring to the camp? Also buying a calorie counter book and writing down your meals can help!
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    By summer time hopefully you'll learned enough to eat correctly by Camp.

    That's what I was thinking. You should have a better idea of proper portion sizes and which foods are healthier choices by then. It's not ideal when you can't log - I've been on maintenance for years now, and I still log to make sure, but at least you'll have learned better habits by the time you get to camp. :flowerforyou:
  • AnjaZ89
    AnjaZ89 Posts: 235
    If it's buffet what is served you should try and eat the same for breakfast and dinner maybe and vary on lunch, so you can mostly tell how much your intake was.
    maybe you have a HRM so you can check the calories burned while the activities?

    If you don't take this option it would be good to prepare yourself and make a list with basic calories for veggies/meats/dairy/bread and also for different kind of exercises, so you could check it manually!

    And you could make a food and exercise diary on paper and put it in MFP later, just to see if you managed it in a good way or not! Make it an exercise for later, you won't use MFP for your whole life, so this could be a chance to see how much you learned this far on your journey!

    Good luck and have loads of fun ;)
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    The iPad app works without a connection, so does the android mobile app. Just use your phone to log you meals. You may consider getting a fitbit to track your calories burned or one of the other similar products on the market.

    Camp sounds like a lot of fun!
  • groversa
    groversa Posts: 450 Member
    Can you buy snacks or small meals to bring to the camp? Also buying a calorie counter book and writing down your meals can help!

    Like I said, the meals are made for us.
  • groversa
    groversa Posts: 450 Member
    The iPad app works without a connection, so does the android mobile app. Just use your phone to log you meals. You may consider getting a fitbit to track your calories burned or one of the other similar products on the market.

    Camp sounds like a lot of fun!

    Like I already said, I won't have my phone because I will be with the kids. No phone policy.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    You're pre-worrying about something 5-6 months away? You have 5-6 months to learn portion sizes, better choices, calories burned from various activities, etc. That's 150-180 days of eating with the mfp app to help with the math. By the time you get to camp, you really should have learned that fruit is a better choice than donuts for breakfast. If you are really concerned about micromanaging your food, get a little notebook and write it down. Otherwise, use the knowledge you will gain in the next 150-180 days to make the best possible choices and wing it. Provided you make better choices more often than not, maintain a reasonable activity level (shouldn't be too difficult at a kid's camp), you'll be fine. You might gain a few lbs, you might lose a few, you might stay the same. I think you'll surprise yourself.

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