We went camping in beautiful Big Sur over spring break and I was nervous about staying LC, so I took way too many LC foods (afraid I would run out and be "forced" to cheat). It turned out I brought home most of it, had a great time, and lost about two pounds!!!! AND, the best surprise came the first night!!!
About thirty years ago (in college) I had bought a great, very warm down sleeping bag. I had lots of terrific memories using it all over the country, but the last six or seven years it had gotten tighter and tigher as I got bigger and bigger. Last fall, when I tried to get into it I remember saddly realising that I basically couldn't use it anymore. It was totally tight and I could not move inside it at all without the whole thing moving also. It was VERY uncomforable and cold as there was no dead air space inside to heat up and keep me warm. I thought the zipper may rip out when I moved or got in.

Now, these last few months (as I lost 37 pounds) I LOVED seeing the scale go down, LOVED seeing my clothes get baggy, LOVED seeing my blood results improve dramatically, LOVED seeing my monthly measurements improve, LOVED seeing the body fat meter go less and less and mostly LOVED FEELING SO MUCH BETTER, with so much more energy... but when I slipped into my sleeping bag the first night last week (not even remembering the bag no longer fit from last fall's camping experience) and realised that it was now HUGE, I almost screamed!! I could easily move around, lots of extra space on both sides.. it was super comfy and warm!!! Much as I remember it fitting/feeling when I bought it thirty years ago! That unexpected find made a BIG impression with me that I truely have changed on LC WOE!!!! The rest of the trip I was smiling the whole time, even tho it rained all week!!!

For those of you who camp, I also have some outdoor eating tips which may help:
First I prepared before going by getting some special LC items. I bought Keto Hot Chocolate from Greenbeanz (greenbeanz.com, a LC/Atkins diet support store around here which also sells online). I would mix the hot choc mix (2 carbs/serv) with a bit of instant decaf coffee, extra Splenda and lots of cream and have a great morning drink!! (This really helped on chilly mornings when I was making hot choc for my kids. I would sip my drink and think it was better than their reg hot chocolate, rather than feeling deprived of a camping favorite.) I also took the Barbo's Egg Pancake recipe (from the recipes section on this site) and ingredients (plus LC syrup). We had pancakes for two breakfasts. The first time I made everyone else their reg. mix and myself Barbo's. Everyone tried them and loved them. The second morning I only made the Barbo's for everyone!!! YUMMMM! and I felt full the whole morning, whereas before LC if I had a pancake breakfast I would be on a major low blood sugar course a couple of hours later.
I also precooked two pounds of bacon before we left (to save cooking time/mess there and have lots of LC snacks ready). That worked well for the first few days lunch and breakfast, but I didn't eat that much, and it sort of got rancid a bit by end of week.
Another GREAT thing I had was my favorite cookies (YUMMM, YUMM, YUMM!!!), also from greenbeanz. They are called Enchantment cookies (have you discovered them yet?!) and found under the desserts section on that website. My favorites are lemon and the chocolate mint (which they have but don't list, you have to ask). Both are frosted and so good with tea (2 or 3 carbs each depending on the type. big size)!! Anyway at home I keep them in the freezer and have them when I really want a little dessert , usually after a nice dinner. I usually only eat them 2 or 3 a week, and I haven't seen any stalls at that level. On the camping trip however, I took them on hikes, snacks, etc and ate about two per day. Very satisfying and again I felt that I had some realy good, special snacks (as my kids each had a bag of their favorite cookies and other snack foods for hikes.. I didn't feel deprived at all!!). I won't eat them at this level at home, but it worked out fine there (I was hiking more and had to heat up more to stay warm maybe). They were great to have!!! Another big hit was chicken soup... I had made a big pot of the stock (Trader Joes free range chicken broth), added a little onion, mushrooms, and boiled up chicken breasts and added meat. Then, to my kids bowls I added noodles also, but to mine I dropped in whipped egg, added grated cheese and shredded parmesan to the top...YUMM again!!!
Anyway, the idea is that it REALLY worked to bring those special LC treats and look at a few recipes before hand. I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceberg on what we could do with LC out camping. Of course the bbque (if you bring one, we did't) would be perfect too!!

If any of you have any other camping favorites, please share those also!

OK So, whew!! That camping trip turned out to be a WONDERFUL experience in so many LC ways for me!!! (As well as the sleeping bag discovery... which I'll never forget when I get stalled next or discouraged next time). I did need more cooler space as many of the LC foods need refrigeration, but that was fine too.
I had been worried I would be out in the middle of "no where", without the right foods I needed, hungry, feeling deprived, surrounded by lots of my childhood memory foods (smores.. oh, yea.. I took some SF chocolate but didn't even eat it.. was too satisfied already!) and afraid I would just just eat out of controll... my fear was I'd gain and (worse) would have trouble gettng back on LC when I got home (also feel bad while there). Instead I ate great food and lost weight and felt so in control even proud of the way it all went!!! We can do this as a WOE!!!!!
OK Go get in your sleeping bags and see if they are getting any looser!!
Cheers,

YAY - Good for you and it sounds like a lot of fun, too! I plan on doing a lot of hiking and some camping this summer. I will take your advice and do some planning for LC meals and snacks.

And good for you! I will be going camping this summer and really appreciate the tips about food choices. Thanks!