Counting Macros While Camping: A Flexible Dieter's Guide to the Great Outdoors

Counting macros while camping is possible, and exploring the great outdoors is the perfect summertime getaway. While you may need to get a little creative with your menu and cooking methods, it’s still important to ensure you’re well-prepared to stay on track with your nutrition. 

We consulted some of our on-staff camping aficionados to pull together some helpful tips, tricks, and sample packing lists to get you started… don’t worry. It doesn’t involve fishing for your dinner!

Top Tips for Counting Macros While Camping

Match Your Food Choices to your Method of Transport

Are you driving to a campsite? Paddleboarding? Hiking? Your method of transport has a huge impact on what foods you can (comfortably) pack. 

For example, driving in multiple coolers means more room for fresh options. But, if you're carrying your food for multiple days, this means you'll need lighter packaged meals.

Prep and Weigh Ahead of Time

If you're tracking your macros, prepping and weighing your foods ahead of time will help you focus on what matters most: the place you're in and the people you're with.

Take an hour or two before heading out to measure your snacks, portion out your protein, and pre-chop veggies to roast over the fire. If you really want to make sure to nail your targets, you could even log your foods in your food tracker ahead of time. Then, you can use your logs as your menu for each day. Not only does this keep decision-making easy, but it also ensures you don't lug around food you won't actually eat! 

Pro Tip from Coach Amy: "I like to make things like skewers with chicken or shrimp and veggies to roast over a fire or on a grill. I also like doing potatoes in foil. You can throw them right into the fire to cook. It takes an hour or so, but it works great for making loaded baked potatoes! When I do either of these, I weigh everything at home and log it all beforehand."

Drink Responsibly

Set some guidelines for yourself before you leave about how many drinks, if any, you want to enjoy. It's also helpful to set boundaries about when to drink. It's a lot easier to get off track if you start drinking at noon (no judgment!) vs. waiting to have a few beers around the campfire at night. Drinking your calories is a slippery slope: a six-pack of beer has about 800 calories, which equals out to about 200g of carbs, 90g of fat, or the calorie equivalent of 1.5 Big Macs.

Instead of getting too boozy, pack some tasty, hydrating alternatives to satisfy yourself or help space out your pre-planned drinks. We included our favorites in the packing list below!

(P.S. Learn more about tracking alcohol in your macros and get tons of inspo for macro-friendly drinks and mocktails in our free course, Happy Hour Made Easy).

Just Count Calories

Stay Hydrated

Remember to stay hydrated! Coconut water and kombucha are great options for car camping or anytime you can easily bring a cooler. If you're carrying your food and drinks for multiple days, add hydration enhancers like Drink LMNT or Liquid IV to make the most of your water.

Healthy Packing List for Camping