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How to avoid gaining weight?


alj1208
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Hi: My husband and I have been dieting and making progress. We are concerned that we'll "fall off the wagon" during our upcoming cruise and gain weight (with all that good food and the cocktails!). We've cruised before, but weight wasn't as much of a concern the last time (We were both in better shape.). What strategies do you use to avoid taking home more than good memories from your cruise?

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Hi: My husband and I have been dieting and making progress. We are concerned that we'll "fall off the wagon" during our upcoming cruise and gain weight (with all that good food and the cocktails!). We've cruised before, but weight wasn't as much of a concern the last time (We were both in better shape.). What strategies do you use to avoid taking home more than good memories from your cruise?

 

We cruise in August and I booked a cabin in the Aft of the ship to force us to walk farther to get to the food.

 

I also have decided there is no shame in leaving food on the plate. I fired myself from the clean plate club. :loudcry: I plan on having a taste of things that look good but not devour the entire buffet or international café.

 

Everyone says you do not starve on the ship so I am telling myself there will always be more if I want a second bite or two.

 

And then there is always the really active port stops.

 

If all that fails the fact that I am taking pants that just fit and leave no room for overdoing it should cinch the battle. :o

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If all that fails the fact that I am taking pants that just fit and leave no room for overdoing it should cinch the battle. :o

 

I was going to suggest this and strongly recommend it. Sure fire way to limit your appetite, better if the waistband is broad.

 

Avoiding sugar will help.

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I use elliptical every morning for an hour (great views from gym, I also watch tv on elliptical not to be bored)

I try to eat meat, eggs and not starchy vegetables and avoid side dishes with carbs as well as deserts.

I try to avoid very salty dishes.

 

We swim and play shuffleboard.

 

I still gain about 2-5 lbs, but they come off fast when we come home and I follow my wait loss routine

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YOU are in control of what and how much you eat! Just because it's there, doesn't mean you must eat it...and if you do eat something, eat a smaller portion! There will be food later...so no need to over-fill!

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I use the stairs except on formal night when I have heels.

 

I must be in a small minority, but I do not care for the desserts on cruise ships.

Never grew up on it, and I never acquired a taste for them

 

My weakness would be a tasty real chocolate sundae, not ice-cream with syrup on it.

 

Also we do not keep potato chips with in 5 miles of our house.....I could eat a whole bag of lays at one sitting, no bowl.

 

So when we go to get our roast beef sandwiches on the Allure, I have to have the DH order so I avoid those calorie killers.

 

We walk the track after dinner and talk about our day.

Sometimes we have down as many as 10 laps.

 

When in the pool we jump in and do leg exercises.

 

We try.

 

Besides the potato chips we try to limit our bread and stay away from the starchy foods.

 

Safe travels.

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I have eggs for breakfast (about 2) then for lunch, I have salad - anything cruciferous and limited dressing - about 2 tbsp. I usually get salad in the buffet. Sometimes I will get something like a turkey wrap instead of a salad no mayo. We do active shore excursions such as snorkeling, zip liness (they involve a lot of climbing up hill usually or stairs). In the late afternoon, I might get some sushi if the ship has some good sushi - about 4 - 6 pieces. We avoid high fat stuff like burgers and anything fried and then have a nice dinner - usually a lean protein and cruciferous vegetables. I mostly skip dessert as it would have to be something incredible for it to interest me. Normal desserts are just kind of ... meh. Hit the gym on sea days and then, if the ship has a nice spa, we spend a ton of time in the thermal suite (where you shouldn't be eating or drinking alcohol.).

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Brain usually really only enjoys first 3 mouthfuls of a new food then we finish the rest out of habit. Stick to first 3 mouthfuls and you'll still try lots but not overeat but savour instead.

 

 

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I can get overweight real easily. But, I actually eat better on a cruise and therefore rarely gain weight. I'm single, and with no one else to worry about I can get pretty lazy with what I eat at home. Especially after working all day. And because I sometimes eat poorly (not always) I am not satisfied and will snack more to make up for it. The end result is the pounds will sneak up on me before I know it.

 

On a cruise my food intake is more controlled, better selections, better portions. Breakfast, lunch and dinner with very few chances for snacking or eating something bad between meals. Plus all that extra activity. I walk anyway and will use the stairs wherever I am, but on a cruise my activity level goes way up.

 

Anyway, my recipe for maintaining my weight is simple, walk wherever possible and take the stairs if you can. Don't eat between meals, rather eat 3 meals (don't ever skip a meal) with good food and plentiful enough to hold you over.

 

One more thing, I do my best maintaining my weight by counting calories. Been doing it since my I first ballooned way up about 40 years ago and no other diet plan has ever worked as well. I have a self-imposed limit and think of it as budget. I have X amount to spend, where do I want to spend it. Vegetables will cost less than ice cream, alcoholic beverages are hugely expensive, etc. Ate too much? Walk further. Want desert? Skip something else, maybe eat less meat and no bread at all for dinner. It's kind of a pain, but it works for me.

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O, one more thing. Sometimes we take various seafooddy starters, but no entry. Smaller sizes.

Even if we take entry or two ...it is mostly for meat or fish. No sides.

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Hit the gym on board and use the treadmill. Better yet, take a few laps every day around the promenade deck or jogging/walking track.

 

Some cruise lines have a low-cal menu in the MDR, Cunard features Canyon Ranch spa choices.

 

You're on vacation, diet when you get back home again. ;)

 

Jonathan

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I gained 3lbs on the last cruise and was totally fine with it.... we vowed to walk everywhere and only took the elevator twice (yup..formal nights!), and also used the gym.

 

We didn't do the drink package but had lots of wine and mixed drinks... loved the MDR for fixed portions, had a tutti salad most days for lunch and veggie omelettes for breakfast. Having a strategy pre-cruise helps!

 

 

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My wife and I used to gain weight on short cruises.

 

We then booked a very long cruise of a few months. We said we had to change our eating patterns because if we gained weight like we would on a 7 to 14 day cruise on that cruise we would be in big trouble. Since then we have applied the same methods and we usually leave the cruise at the same weight we began.

 

We will eat a health breakfast similar to what we do at home. Oatmeal or Cereal and fruit.

 

Lunch we try to have a salad with protein (fish, chicken etc). Have dressing on the side. No bread or rolls.

 

We will eat more at dinner but not have a dessert each night. We will have a roll but limit ourselves to one.

 

The bottom line though is we do eat more on the ship then at home but we offset that by increasing our exercise. In my case that is more time on the elliptical machines and indoor cycling bike and more walking. For my wife she will walk two hours a day plus whatever time we walk together in port and listen to audio books.

 

For us this works.

 

And we will have wine at dinner.

 

Keith

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my cabin was at front of the ship dinner was at the back of the ship i didnt get too many extra's just had breakfast dinner and i am sure i did have lunch but dont remember many of them

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By quitting eating with you begin to feel full actually works. :D

Brain sends signals of "being full" 20 minutes after you are actually full. ;)

This is why there are recommendations to drink water before meal.

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