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lessons from band camp

 

My husband and I went to band camp last week with our youngest daughter and 160 or so of her closest friends.  We handed out Band-Aids, ice packs, and Tums like there was no tomorrow. We dealt with vomit at 6:00 am (and 11:15 pm), the bloodiest noses I've ever seen, and a rifle butt to the eye. It was intense and unpredictable, and here I am several days later still feeling like I could sleep 10 hours a night.

We had a blast, however, and loved seeing how their music progressed throughout the week. At their parent performance on Saturday I got a little teary-eyed, feeling parental towards all 160 of them, and just so darn proud of all the hard work they put into it.

So how does one eat low-carb at band camp, you ask?  I gotta admit, it's pretty tough unless you want to bring all your own food.  Here's what I did, as well as some things I should have done better.

1.  I chose my carbs carefully.  At this particular camp they make their own bread, and oh my!  It's delicious bread.  So I ate the bread.  I also ate an occasional cookie (again--delicious!) and the sweet rolls we had for breakfast the first day--wow!  What I didn't eat were the extras, like chips, jam, syrupy French toast, popsicles, and most of the snacks at night. I tried to focus on getting in some eggs for breakfast and some veggies at other meals. I found that by the evening meal my stomach was pretty upset with me, so I definitely could have done better. 

2.  I tried to take a walk after dinner each night.  We were usually on call, so that wasn't always possible, but as much as I could, I would get up and walk around.

3.  I didn't snack in between meals, because I brought very few snacks with me, and the ones we brought for the kids weren't especially appetizing (besides--they were for the kids--not me).  That was a plus, although since I was eating so many carbs during my meals, I found I was ravenous by the time meals came along.  If I do it again I will bring more low-carb snacks to eat before meals so I don't feel so hungry when the cookies are staring me in the face!

4.  I skipped a couple of meals early in the week, which made me feel better and let my digestive system get back to normal.

5.  I drank a lot of water.  We were up in the mountains so the elevation really dried us out.  I also took some electrolytes each day.

This week I am back to focusing on protein and veggies, keeping it under 20 net carbs a day.  I need a reset, so if it sounds a little drastic, well that's what my body needs right now.  I'm back to walking and weight-lifting, and sleeping like a baby.  It's good to be home, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

And by the way, if I hear "This one time, at band camp..." one more time, I'm going to throw up.  So please, just don't.

Have a great week, friends!


If you'd like help negotiating the "band camps" in life and improving your relationship with food, I've got you!  I'm a certified Nutrition Coach who will create a simple, customized meal plan for you and coach you through how to implement it into your busy life.  We also talk about all the pitfalls that make it hard, and help you make it the anchor that keeps you healthy, energized, and sane through the whirlwind of your everyday life.


I'd love to talk to you about the program, so book a free consultation with me by clicking the Calendly button. I look forward to talking to you!


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