‘Dandy Camp’ emphasizes weight, nutrition goals for Army Reserve Soldiers

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Debra Richardson | A soldier assigned to the 256 Combat Support Hospital, headquartered in Twinsburg, Ohio, drinks water from a gallon-sized jug during Combat Support Training Exercise 18-03 at Fort McCoy, Wisonsin March 26, 2018. the 256 CSH implemented a goal setting competition, dubbed Dandy Camp, to teach and encourage soldiers to monitor their total carbohydrate intake during the field exercise. The overall goal of Dandy Camp is to educate soldiers about healthy eating choices and encourage soldiers to set and meet goals for themselves. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. First Class Debra Richardson)  

TWINSBURG, OH, UNITED STATES

03.26.2018

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Debra Richardson 

319th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORT McCOY, Wis. – Military dieticians have served as valued members of deployed health care teams since World War I. 1st Lt. Aharon Roberts, from Saginaw, Mich., and assigned to the 256th Combat Support Hospital, or CSH, created and implemented a nutrition program specifically for the soldiers to use while conducting Combat Support Training Exercise 18-03 during the month of March 2018.

To ensure the soldiers remain fit, despite long hours in an austere environment, Roberts designed an educational nutrition program that has been dubbed “Dandy Camp,” named after unit commander, Col. LaConnia Dandy.
Dandy Camp is an educational program that emphasizes goal setting as a means for soldiers to reach weight and nutrition goals.

“Dandy Camp is based on a consistent carbohydrate intake,” explained Roberts. “If a soldier wants to lose weight then we have a calculator in an Excel program that will input their weight and their desired weight loss and it will let us know how many total carbohydrate exchanges that they need to have per day.”

Before each meal, Roberts places cards that indicate the number of total carbohydrates for each food selection offered. This makes it easier for the soldiers to record and track their total carbohydrate consumption.

When registering for the program, soldiers can choose as many goals as they wish to track. Aside from weight loss, many soldiers chose to track water consumption, sugar intake, and exercise. The online tracker allows soldiers to track all of their goals in one location, with the overarching theme being to educate soldiers on how to maintain, lose or gain weight in a field environment.

“The Dandy Camp initiative includes private counseling with certified dieticians so that the soldiers can learn how to identify options that are high in carbohydrates and can identify types of food that are generally always high in carbs, such as baked goods and processed food,” said Roberts. Dandy Camp is advertised to all soldiers within the 256th CSH.

To encourage participation, the command staff incentivized participation by providing six $50 gift cards and three gift bags for the top six soldiers who successfully meet their goals by the end of the training exercise.

“The goal of Dandy Camp is to make nutrition fun while encouraging healthy eating habits that will keep Soldiers healthy and fit for duty, both in a field training environment and back home,” Roberts said.

• Date Taken: 03.26.2018
• Date Posted: 03.29.2018 14:02
• Story ID: 271113
• Location: TWINSBURG, OH, US
• Hometown: SAGINAW, MI, US