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Counting Calories


shortstop95
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Two weeks from now I'll be on board the Carnival Magic for a week of fun and sun AND calories. I've been dieting all year and have lost 70 lbs. I don't want to put it back on in a week. I have a great phone app that I count my daily calories on. But I'm guessing on some cruise things. Anyone know where I can get the calorie/nutrient information on popular Carnival dining items? chocolate melting cake? frozen margarita? pizza slice, cheeseburger, omelette, etc... any info would be GREATLY appreciated! thanks!

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Congrats on losing 70 pounds! If you've been losing for a year now then give yourself a break and don't count your calories.

 

After one year of eating lower calories I can tell you from experience that your stomach will not be able to handle as much as you think and you'll be full often, just listen to your body. If you're planning on eating endulgent items then simply don't try to count for your week of vacation and just enjoy them. Eat sensible breakfasts and lunches and then grab what you want for dinner or snacks. If you do gain any weight back it will only be temporary and come right back off. My reward for losing 105 pounds was a cruise... I ate and drank what I want and came back home 8 pound heavier, but within 2 weeks had lost all of it plus a few extra pounds. Just get back on the wagon when you get home and you'll be just fine. :)

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After one year of eating lower calories I can tell you from experience that your stomach will not be able to handle as much as you think and you'll be full often, just listen to your body. If you're planning on eating endulgent items then simply don't try to count for your week of vacation and just enjoy them.

I can't say this is necessarily true. On my cruise in May I had been dieting for exactly a year. I limit myself to only 2000 calories a day. I started the cruise weighing 135 pounds, and when I got home, I weighed myself in that night at 155. That was 20 pounds for 8 days. If we want to assume that 25%, or 5 of those pounds are due to retained water from the high sodium content, then I gained 15 pounds, or 1.9 pounds per day. That equates to over 6500 calories above my limit of 2000, or over 8500 calories a day.

 

In other words, just because a person has limited their intake for a period of time, doesn't mean that they won't automatically revert back to their "comfortable" eating habits. It may have worked for you, but not everyone would get the same results. It will depend on how each person's body works, and more importantly how far your diet calories differ from your normal, or "comfort" eating zone. Because I vary at least 3000 calories below my comfort zone every single day, when the time comes to let go and eat what I want, the results are dramatic.

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I can't say this is necessarily true. On my cruise in May I had been dieting for exactly a year. I limit myself to only 2000 calories a day. I started the cruise weighing 135 pounds, and when I got home, I weighed myself in that night at 155. That was 20 pounds for 8 days. If we want to assume that 25%, or 5 of those pounds are due to retained water from the high sodium content, then I gained 15 pounds, or 1.9 pounds per day. That equates to over 6500 calories above my limit of 2000, or over 8500 calories a day.

 

I just don't see 8500 calories as even possible after being used to 2000 or less... unless you were drinking a ton of alcohol or binging. Most people would be sick after that many calories every day. How long did it take you to take it back off? If it came off quickly then it probably was a temporary gain.

 

But as I suggested (but you edited out) was to still eat a sensible breakfast and lunch and save the high calories for dinner and a few endulgences.

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I just don't see 8500 calories as even possible after being used to 2000 or less... unless you were drinking a ton of alcohol or binging. Most people would be sick after that many calories every day. How long did it take you to take it back off? If it came off quickly then it probably was a temporary gain.

 

But as I suggested (but you edited out) was to still eat a sensible breakfast and lunch and save the high calories for dinner and a few endulgences.

Responding to your first sentence, "I just don't see 8500 calories as even possible after being used to 2000 or less," that's sort of the point I was making. Even after a year of staying at 2000 a day, I've never gotten "used to it," It's not my comfort zone. My comfort zone is probably around 5000 calories a day. I just can't eat like that or I'll gain weight. So I stick with the diet, but when I'm on vacation, I not only go to my comfort zone, but I exceed it since I want to enjoy myself. I didn't drink on the cruise (not a drinker), but i did eat a lot, as stated before. I enjoy food. It's just who I am.

 

It took me about three weeks to lose the weight, which included a few cheat days where I wasn't keeping to my diet. That's normal for me. I'm not sure what you mean by a temporary gain. I suppose it WAS temporary since I lost it right after the trip. As I said, I'll give 5 of the pounds credit to water retention due to the high sodium content on the ships. The rest was real weight gain that needed to be burned off.

 

That's just how my body works. Everyone will vary on how their bodies react to large increases in calorie intake, and also to weight loss through dieting and exercise. I'm not saying my situation is the norm, but there is no set answer on what to expect when indulging on a cruise.

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It took me about three weeks to lose the weight, which included a few cheat days where I wasn't keeping to my diet. That's normal for me. I'm not sure what you mean by a temporary gain. I suppose it WAS temporary since I lost it right after the trip. As I said, I'll give 5 of the pounds credit to water retention due to the high sodium content on the ships. The rest was real weight gain that needed to be burned off.

 

Losing over 5 pounds a week is not a normal loss rate unless you are morbidly obese. If you really lost it that fast then it was not real weight gain. Most people in a healthy weight range will lose 1-2 pounds a week at most, people with 100+ pounds to loose can be closer to 3-5. If you're really losing faster than that and not that heavy or if you really gain that fast then you may want to actually see a doctor about it since that is not considered to be healthy.

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Losing over 5 pounds a week is not a normal loss rate unless you are morbidly obese. If you really lost it that fast then it was not real weight gain. Most people in a healthy weight range will lose 1-2 pounds a week at most, people with 100+ pounds to loose can be closer to 3-5. If you're really losing faster than that and not that heavy or if you really gain that fast then you may want to actually see a doctor about it since that is not considered to be healthy.

I know it's not an issue of temporary weight gain because the same thing happened when I started my diet in May of last year. I had never dieted or exercised my entire life. Last year I weighed 175 and reduced my diet to between 1200 and 1500 calories a day. I lost a little less than a pound a day and dropped from 175 to 140 in less than 6 weeks. That couldn't have been temporary weight gain because the pounds had been there for 30 years.

 

If that's considered unhealthy, then I guess that's the case with me. I didn't see a doctor because after the six weeks I went back to my equilibrium of 2000 calories a day and have remained at 140 pounds ever since (not counting vacation when I gain and the weeks after when I lose it). I think it's just how my body works. Everyone's metabolism is different and it's hard to say whether someone's diet is unhealthy unless you know exactly what they are eating. In my case, I can lose between a half and one pound a day when I reduce my calories to 1500. At 2000 I remain the same. When I binge on 8000 calories a day, I will gain weight fairly rapidly. I've seen these numbers during consistent runs of two weeks or longer, so I know they're accurate for my body.

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I can't say this is necessarily true. On my cruise in May I had been dieting for exactly a year. I limit myself to only 2000 calories a day. I started the cruise weighing 135 pounds, and when I got home, I weighed myself in that night at 155. That was 20 pounds for 8 days. If we want to assume that 25%, or 5 of those pounds are due to retained water from the high sodium content, then I gained 15 pounds, or 1.9 pounds per day. That equates to over 6500 calories above my limit of 2000, or over 8500 calories a day.

 

In other words, just because a person has limited their intake for a period of time, doesn't mean that they won't automatically revert back to their "comfortable" eating habits. It may have worked for you, but not everyone would get the same results. It will depend on how each person's body works, and more importantly how far your diet calories differ from your normal, or "comfort" eating zone. Because I vary at least 3000 calories below my comfort zone every single day, when the time comes to let go and eat what I want, the results are dramatic.

 

Wow, I've gone on a cruise after losing weight and have done several cruises where I just ate what I wanted and drank alcohol as well. I can't imagine how much food one would have to eat in 8 days to gain 20 pounds.

I think Sherilyn's response was actually reasonable. Especially since she mentioned eating some meals with moderation. If someone were to gain 20 pounds in one week I would imagine there wasn't moderation happening.

 

 

I just don't see 8500 calories as even possible after being used to 2000 or less... unless you were drinking a ton of alcohol or binging. Most people would be sick after that many calories every day. How long did it take you to take it back off? If it came off quickly then it probably was a temporary gain.

 

But as I suggested (but you edited out) was to still eat a sensible breakfast and lunch and save the high calories for dinner and a few endulgences.

 

I agree.

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Wow, I've gone on a cruise after losing weight and have done several cruises where I just ate what I wanted and drank alcohol as well. I can't imagine how much food one would have to eat in 8 days to gain 20 pounds.

I think Sherilyn's response was actually reasonable. Especially since she mentioned eating some meals with moderation. If someone were to gain 20 pounds in one week I would imagine there wasn't moderation happening.

I never disagreed with the moderation part. Of course if you eat in moderation then you can control your calorie intake. I could have lost weight on my cruise if I actually tried. Instead I opted to eat in my comfort zone. As I've said several times already, everyone is different in their range between comfort zone and diet zone. If you've eaten "normally" on a cruise and didn't gain much, then the range of your two zones is minimal. For someone like me, who spent 30 years eating over 5000 calories a day, going on a diet that restricts me to 2000 calories a day is uncomfortable, and when the time comes to allow myself to eat, I'm craving food so bad that I skip moderation and go into full out eating mode. Trust me, you don't want to see what 8-9000 calories a day looks like in substance. You'd especially wonder where a little 135 pound guy puts it all.

 

In the end, the statement "If someone were to gain 20 pounds in one week I would imagine there wasn't moderation happening," is 100% correct. That's the whole point of this discussion. Everyone will be different in how they react to getting off a diet and eating comfortably or moderately while on vacation. So before telling someone that they shouldn't worry about major weight gain from a week of "normal" eating, you'd first have to know that person and understand where their eating habits will go after getting off a diet for a week. Everyone is different and there is no right answer that will suit everyone. For some people a diet is a mild change in lifestyle, for others who are real eaters, it can be a dramatic change.

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Disappointing that no one is addressing the original purpose of my post and it's digressing into something else. Argue elsewhere. I'm just trying to find out how many calories are in certain items- I'm not looking for diet advice.

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Disappointing that no one is addressing the original purpose of my post and it's digressing into something else. Argue elsewhere. I'm just trying to find out how many calories are in certain items- I'm not looking for diet advice.

As quoted to you above by another poster, you'll have to estimate based on typical items. If you have a pizza, compare it to whatever type of pizza it most appears to be (frozen, chain, homemade), or a burger based on its size and shape (Wendy's, McDonalds, Applebee's, etc.). Most food items will be comparable to other items somewhere in the real world. Estimate to the best of your knowledge the calorie counts of common foods. I personally wouldn't advise just winging it and eating what you want. You'd be surprised how much you might actually eat. I'd keep a mental tally (or write it down each day) of what you've eaten to stay within reason.

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Disappointing that no one is addressing the original purpose of my post and it's digressing into something else. Argue elsewhere. I'm just trying to find out how many calories are in certain items- I'm not looking for diet advice.

 

You did get an answer. If you don't like that answer there isn't much anyone else can do about it. I'm sorry if you didn't appreciate advice from someone else that lost weight (even more than you did) and then went on a cruise... I thought you might appreciate some insight in how to handle the best of both worlds on a ship since you were concerned about your caloric intake.

 

This is a skill you're going to have to learn to do for the rest of your life unless you plan to go back to your old ways after the weight is all gone. There are times you'll need to learn to just accept that you know what a reasonable choice looks like and can't find out the calories for it.

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As quoted to you above by another poster, you'll have to estimate based on typical items. If you have a pizza, compare it to whatever type of pizza it most appears to be (frozen, chain, homemade), or a burger based on its size and shape (Wendy's, McDonalds, Applebee's, etc.). Most food items will be comparable to other items somewhere in the real world. Estimate to the best of your knowledge the calorie counts of common foods. I personally wouldn't advise just winging it and eating what you want. You'd be surprised how much you might actually eat. I'd keep a mental tally (or write it down each day) of what you've eaten to stay within reason.

 

 

That's what I was planning on doing. Just in this day and age of healthy living and wellness coupled with the fact that Carnival publishes a cookbook of popular items-I was hopeful that someone out there might have the specific information I was looking for. We've cruised twice this year already while I'm dieting and it's easy to make reasonable choices. This cruise is just a little longer and I was hopeful to learn about a couple particular items so I could hopefully make better decisions.

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I can't say this is necessarily true. On my cruise in May I had been dieting for exactly a year. I limit myself to only 2000 calories a day. I started the cruise weighing 135 pounds, and when I got home, I weighed myself in that night at 155. That was 20 pounds for 8 days. If we want to assume that 25%, or 5 of those pounds are due to retained water from the high sodium content, then I gained 15 pounds, or 1.9 pounds per day. That equates to over 6500 calories above my limit of 2000, or over 8500 calories a day.

 

In other words, just because a person has limited their intake for a period of time, doesn't mean that they won't automatically revert back to their "comfortable" eating habits. It may have worked for you, but not everyone would get the same results. It will depend on how each person's body works, and more importantly how far your diet calories differ from your normal, or "comfort" eating zone. Because I vary at least 3000 calories below my comfort zone every single day, when the time comes to let go and eat what I want, the results are dramatic.

 

In addition to the sodium, if you carb loaded and were on a low carb diet before, you likely gained 10 pounds just from the excess glycogen and all the water required to store it.

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In addition to the sodium, if you carb loaded and were on a low carb diet before, you likely gained 10 pounds just from the excess glycogen and all the water required to store it.

That could very well be true also. I'd say I went excess on everything, including carbs :D

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  • 2 weeks later...

hi all

alot of people like to eat on cruises that is like an activity

 

i know for ME once I go off my food plan all hell breaks lose and when i\

 

get home it is often hard to get back on the program.

 

so each person has to find there comfort zone and do what is best for them.

 

i see some people grazing all day and nite.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I was looking at the spa menu, but still not so sure...can be tricky for a vegan as I am.

I will stick with my regular healthy eating plan,plain salads, and definitely no breads/rice or pasta or fried food. No alcohol.

It does require discipline and for some/many, may seem extreme. Healthy eating is a lifestyle and for me I am used to eating a certain way and I enjoy it and feel good about making healthy choices. I prefer not to stray from how I usually eat and what my body is used to. To overindulge while on my cruise is not for me, what I look forward to is the sun, relaxation and seeing new places .

I think that if you are going to have a dessert, just go ahead and enjoy it Maybe instead of having the entire dessert, just have a few bites.

Or if you are trying to maintain your diet, just order a dessert but not everyday.

Edited by iluvsunandsand
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