Ever set yourself up for getting bitten?
Last week I went on a father/son outing for three days in the mountains. Because it was being organized by a third party, and I’m very busy, I only put the minimal required thought into planning. Tent, sleeping bags, insect repellent, clothes, water bottles, etc., were accounted for. The few things that I overlooked (e.g., an axe) others were willing to share.
In the end, we all had a great time. It was a fabulous event that I’d recommend to anybody close enough to participate.
Doh!
The part that I didn’t give any thought was food. This presented an interesting challenge, and I didn’t handle it optimally. I had these challenges:
- The food was pretty typical camp food. If you remember, when in the mountains, there is no electricity refrigeration, so you eat perishable stuff first, and rely on packaged and non-perishable foodstuffs last.
- Because the critical factor in planning is lack of refrigeration, and because most people don’t think about nutrition content, food tends to be pretty rich in calories, with sugars and fats being prominent.
- There was also an abundance of food. Yes, you’re burning a lot of calories doing stuff, but with food laying around during the day, it’s easy to nibble and lose track of that extra thousand calories that went down in bits and pieces.
- The first night we had the best salmon steaks I think I may have every had in my life… and that’s saying something considering I used to live in the Pacific Northwest! I chose to have second helpings (and desert), with full recognition that it was counterproductive to my goals.
The “tale of woe and misery” (that’s hyperbole) didn’t stop there, as when we returned I pigged out on “good” food. I really missed my grains, fruits, and veggies and justified filling up with vitamin-rich food.
On the other hand, it wasn’t all as bad it as it may sound. I made a lot of choices to decline participating in the full menu. For example, I had brought a partial loaf of whole bread, and made a sandwich the second night instead of having the big roasted food meal.
Additionally, when at camp you’re usually active most of the time, or at least, I am. I don’t like to lounge around when there’s stuff to be done. Get it done first, then enjoy. Other “relaxing” activities included nature hikes, and photographing things. Those require butt moving.
The bottom line was that I came back a couple of pounds heaver. That by itself is neither good nor bad. As of today, that weight spike is gone, and the only thing that I’ve really lost is time. I don’t have any deadline per se, but I get a degree of satisfaction from looking at the graphs showing progress. Since I last wrote, there’s almost a week of sideways movement.
So What?
So what’s the moral of the story? I’m not completely sure. On one hand I left the menu to others, but on the other I didn’t want to spoil others’ enjoyment of the event by making a fuss. That was my responsibility, therefore I felt that fussing would have been wholly inappropriate. Yes, I could have been choosier than I was. No, it wasn’t like I couldn’t undo any weight spike… and no, I wasn’t going to die from my lapse in judgement.
I’d be happy to hear others’ thoughts.
Status: 59 pounds (27 kg) lighter
What can be more traditional than hot dogs roasted on a stick?
