Mmm, hot dogs roasted over the campfire… marshmallows toasted to perfection, melting your Hershey’s square… Ruffles and Doritos galore…. WAIT A MINUTE! Camping can be lots of fun food-wise, but you don’t want to come back from your trip lugging 10 lbs more than you left with, especially around your waist. Its even more important to watch what goes in your mouth if you are trying to lose weight in the first place.
Sticking to a weight-loss plan while camping has its own challenges, but if you prep your packing and your mindset before you go, you can successfully stay on track. The basic aspect of a “reducing diet” (gosh, I hate that title) is to have less calories going in than being spent. That gets you half the way there. The other half is preventing hunger that leads to eating more calories than you will spend. According to my research and experience, you do this by eating low calorie meals that are high in volume/fill value and adequate in nutrients.
Something that I’ve implemented, and that others have found success with, is Dr. McDougall’s guidelines for keeping calories in check and thereby losing weight. At every meal, split your plate down the middle, fill half with non-starchy vegetables and the other half with starchy vegetables/plants that are unrefined/whole, and don’t add any extra fats. I like being familiar with the concept of calories and being informed with what I’m eating, but if you follow this principle, you don’t have to ‘count’ or keep a precise running tally of what calories you’re eating.
Put Some Prep In Your Step
“If you fail to plan, then you can plan to fail.” Heard that one before? Holds super true for what you are going to eat when going camping to keep your calories in check. If you show up to the campground convenience store hungry, things might spiral out of control. Have a game plan in mind before you leave for your trip.
Of course, the biggest influence on what you will plan to eat on your trip is the kind of camping you will do. If you will be staying in a fully serviced RV and just sitting around the campfire the entire time, you will have to be quite discerning about what you consume. You won’t be burning much calorie-wise and you could be easily distracted by the colorful packaging and ready availability of fried snacks or cookies and candies. On the flipside, if you are going on a full blown hiking trip, you will be burning tons. BUT, if you are really interested in losing weight, you still cannot just eat anything you want. You have to pack what makes sense for carrying, but also what will fill you up without being too high in calories (basically, starchy foods that naturally have sufficient protein. A little fat goes a looong way). Then there is the in-between trip: camping in a tent at a campground with a lot of outdoor activities. You’ll have a little more flexibility as to what you could eat over a sedentary RV trip, but you will still need to guard against mindless snacking.
First, if you bring it, you will eat it. If it doesn’t fit in with your goals, don’t pack it! With your family and travelling companions, keep there food either separate or clearly labelled as theirs, so you won’t feel at liberty to dip into their stash.
Second, be prepared to have something you can eat while everyone else is munching away on all the junk food. Peer pressure, social pressure to join in eating the same as everyone else is strong. So be ready by bringing what you like! Take the opportunity to ‘indulge’ in the low-calorie, high-fill items you might not normally purchase, like fresh peas, heirloom cherry tomatoes, extra-sweet peppers or your favorite fresh berries. Some flavored rice cakes can be a great lower-calorie, occasional alternative to chips (some are not vegan). Zero-fat added popcorn is also great for crunch. On the sweets side, you could bring oil-free quick breads that are made with whole grain flours, vegetables (such as zucchini or carrots or beets, etc.) and sweetened naturally with date paste or fruit. Bringing these items really works! I went on a trip recently where the pumpkin pie from Costco was being passed around, but I had my Chocolate Zucchini Bread ready and it fit the bill perfectly. And even for sharing with your friends, such options are a nice break from foods that are too rich.
Lastly, know your limits and don’t beat yourself up. Sometimes when you aren’t hungry but people continue to eat and you feel pressure or temptation to mess up your goals, go for a stroll or take the kids to the playground. If you get caught off guard, hungry and unprepared, and end up pigging out big time, remember that Aaliyah song line “Dust yourself off and try again, try again…”. Get back on track and just keep going!
I want you to notice that I have purposefully omitted nuts and seeds from suggestions from snacks to bring camping. This is because they are very high in fat, and therefore too high in calories to snack on freely by the handful. They can be good as a condiment on dishes like salads or rice pilaf, but a little goes a long way, both in flavor and in racking up the calories.
Low-calorie Camping Meal Ideas
I like keeping my meals simple when I camp, so there won’t be endless lists here. With a few simple change outs of ingredients, you can vary the cuisine style significantly. These camping meals will hit between roughly 390-600 calories each, which in a day should tally between 1200 and 1800 calories. You’ll also note I’m not zealously “clean” eating while camping. Foods will be practical and within calorie limits, but will still be tasty and comforting. For myself, over-optimizing my diet on a camping trip tends to stress me out. The following are suggestions for a car camping trip with a tent and basic cook kit, take them for what they are. And YES, this is how I actually eat when I go camping.
The following are some low-calorie camping meal ideas:
Breakfasts:
- 1 packet Maple and Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal mixed with 1/3-ish cup old fashioned oats, covered with boiling water and allowed to sit for 5 minutes. Stir before eating. Serve before or after or alongside eating a bowl of cooked cabbage or kale with salt, maybe a squeeze of lemon. Fills you up and is surprisingly comfort-foody.
- 2 slices (organic is nice) 100% whole grain or sprouted grain toast schmeared with 1 tablespoon no-sugar-added jam (yeah, its still refined, I know) or cocoa date paste (1 cup soaked and drained dates blended with 1/4 cup cocoa powder and a bit of date soaking water). Again, have also a large bowl of cooked greens. Cabbage is so easy and it keeps really well.
- Hot drink of choice with a splash of Almond-Coconut milk. Or hot cocoa made with cocoa, stevia and plant based milk.
Lunches and Dinners:
- 1 can of rinsed and drained kidney beans plus 1 cup water and 1/2 tablespoon cajun spice brought to a boil. Add 1 cup instant brown rice and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand another 5 minutes. Serves 2. Have with a large bowl of salad with oil-free dressing or cooked kale.
- 1 package Tasty Bite Brown Rice and Lentils prepared according to package served alongside a bowl of cooked cabbage. Serves 1.
- 1/2 can of Stagg Vegetable Garden Chili, heated. 3/4 cup instant mashed potatoes mixed with 3/4 cups water, a dash each of salt and garlic powder. Optional and really tasty: stir water-sauteed onions and hot peppers into the mashed potatoes. And a large portion of cooked non-starchy vegetables (like cabbage! Lol).
- Canned fava beans simmered in a little water with salt, garlic powder, cumin and a bit of citric acid. Served with instant mash potato ‘colcannon’ (leftover cooked cabbage, reheated and mixed into prepared instant mash potatoes. Don’t bash it until you try it.)
This stuff works. On a recent trip I ate most of these meals (pretty much everything except the toast breakfast and hot chocolate) and still lost weight. I was active on purpose and also had more treats than I would ordinarily, but was very happy when I stepped on the scale when I got home.
Other Ideas
- Add canned tomatoes and italian seasoning to instant brown rice for another taste.
- Curry powder on onions, peppers and cabbage will be yummy.
- Apples are good to eat out of hand and cook with.
- Add berries to your oatmeal.
- Make oil free, egg free whole grain pancakes with cooked apples (this is making me want to go camping again…).
- Toast soft corn tortillas on the fire and fill with cooked veggies.
- 100% whole grain pasta and oil-free jarred pasta sauce served alongside a heaping serving of cooked kale.
This stuff is easy peesy, keeps well and is easy to pack. You could make ever more complex recipes if you want. You can still be creative when you have limited access to ingredients. And having a more limited diet for a short period is not bad for you, it can even be a break from too many choices.