scout camp, please help

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

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. :-)

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.

You be to busy running around enjoying yourself

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.

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.

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