Watching my weight !

[MSTEG]

In about nine weeks we will be on the Westerdam for our 7 day southern caribbean cruise so I'm starting to prepare. Among other things, I would like to loose some weight before we indulge in all the fancy food, drink, etc. I wonder how much weight I will gain that week?

I would enjoy hearing back from everyone on the following topics:

 

1) Did you make a special effort to loose some weight before your last cruise? How successful were you in reaching your goal weight? What worked for you?

 

2)How much weight did you actually gain ( or loose :) ) during your last cruise?

 

Some of you may be reluctant to post absolute body weight numbers so feel free to use percentages.

[madelinerose]

See "Lose Before You Cruise". ;)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=149

[rebeltech8]

MSTEG,

 

We are leaving in about 4 weeks on the Westerdam for a cruise over the holidays. My wife and I both decided to lose a bit of weight, both for the cruise and for our health. I joked to my wife that I wanted people to point and say... "Hey, look at that guy over there by the pool with that cool tattoo" instead of "Hey, look at that fat guy over there by the pool with that cool tattoo". There is a subtle difference there:D

 

So far she has lost 20 lbs and I have lost 30 since we booked the trip in Sept. (sorry gals, guys just lose the weight a bit quicker;)). We decided to try the Nutrisystem diet, and we walk about 3 miles a day. We each have about 20 lbs to go.

 

On our first cruise, I gained a pound a day for that 7 day cruise. The second cruise, I was a bit more careful, but still gained two or three. I blame it on the embarkation process, not what we were eating and drinking. It couldn't be my fault could it? :eek:

 

This time we are going on our first 14-day cruise so we are planning on adding more fresh fruits and fewer trips to the deserts. Also we plan to continue to walk every day. I don't want to give half of what I lost back. Hopefully the plan works

 

Have a great time on your cruise.

[SwissMyst]

One way to try and stay even is to be as active as you can while in port. We love to walk a lot and always try to take the stairs as much as we can. Some ports are not good for walking a lot on your own, so do that will appropriate caution.

 

But picking shore excursions that allow you to be active instead of just sitting on a bus is one way. And yes, I try to lose some before and know that after it will be back to more of the same too to try and at least stay even. Until the next cruise.

 

Also now after several cruises, the sheer novelty of lavish cruise food has worn off, so I am much better about choices and portion sizes. As well as always trying to get a "half portion" for dinner (which does not always happen and I hate to "not clean my plate") But for those first cruises I wanted to try everything until towards the end of the cruise I settled into some fairly modest choices.

 

This also made me realize cruising on "premium" lines known for their dining (Brand XYZ) was going to ultimately be a waste of money for me because one can only eat or drink so much. So after those first few days of over-indulgence I was not going to get my extra money worth so why not just cruise on lines that provide decent food to start out with and skip the over-indulgence?)

 

Fresh baked goods, bread and sweet butter are my weakness and HAL does a superb job with those, so that is where I take on my extra calories for sure.

 

If you can figure out that old Japanese weight conrol trick of leaving the table when you are 80% full, then it gets a lot easier.:rolleyes:

 

Someone here also posted their rules to only eat half if it was only okay food. 3/4 of a portion if it was good and save the 100% of the portion for only that which was really outstanding. That is a tough one too but this was their wisdom after facing the same dilemma.

 

Getting the dining stewards to not look/act disappointed when you leave something behind is also key. Explain you want to really control your portions ahead of time so there will be nothing wrong when food is left behind (unless it is left behind because it simply was not worth eating)

[CowPrincess]

We don't gain weight on cruises. We leave the ship the same weight as when we boarded. As mentioned by others, we use the stairs whenever we leave our deck (and we are usually on the lowest deck, so that is LOTS of stairs in a day). We also try for 8 laps around the promenade deck each day. I'm currently around 135 lbs and am trying to lose 5 lbs pre-cruise (we've got 11 weeks pre-cruise). Not a lot of success, so far :) but not a lot of determination either.

[cruz chic]

We don't gain weight on cruises. We leave the ship the same weight as when we boarded. As mentioned by others, we use the stairs whenever we leave our deck (and we are usually on the lowest deck, so that is LOTS of stairs in a day). We also try for 8 laps around the promenade deck each day. I'm currently around 135 lbs and am trying to lose 5 lbs pre-cruise (we've got 11 weeks pre-cruise). Not a lot of success, so far :) but not a lot of determination either.

 

I think the laps around the deck is what does it. I always wonder when I hear people say "I don't gain weight, because we use the stairs". I'm wondering if they don't do anything at home for exercise. I could do stairs 24/7 and it wouldn't do anything for me. I'd still come back heavier then when I left. I do eat desserts, and drink, which I don't do at home. That doesn't help I'm sure.

[CowPrincess]

I'm pretty active at home, but don't have an exercise regime. A friend that I cruise with sometimes works out daily, and onboard, and does the stairs, and does the P-deck laps, and watches what she eats, and she still gains weight. (She and I developed the "only use the stairs, NEVER use the elevator" routine for ourselves a decade or more ago, after being trapped in a non-functioning elevator with a bunch of really crabby people :) )

[COLLEYBERRY]

I watch my weight all the time...it just doesn't go anywhere.:D

Enjoy your cruise.:)

[SweetP2]

We both lost 50 lbs this year (each) for our health...and have been maintaining for past 8 months and counting! Lifestyle change for sure, making better choices, getting smarter...however we are going to lose just another 5 lbs for upcoming cruise.

 

Being both foodies, and I love my wine. While on the cruise, we'll switch to our strict diet at breakfast (1/2 grapefruit & bringing our own melba toasts) and lunch will be a huge salad with 3.5 oz protein.

 

We too like to be active in port days (kayak, walking etc.)...bringing along a protein bar for energy since we'll be active.

 

Then enjoy the fabulous dinners in MDR and Pinnacle and this time adding the Tamarind (hmmm...better make that more than 5 lbs to lose)... LOL.

 

With that being said, we won't beat ourselves up about it if we gain, we know the formula for losing, we've done it and can do it again (until the next cruise!).

 

Congrats for everyone's weight loss! We know it takes a lot of commitment and sheer determination to do it for any length of time :)

 

SP

[KaraokeMusic]

I use the shipboard gym for 1 hour every day. Combination of cardiovascular and weights. Never gain on a cruise and I do like to eat.

[mamaofami]

I never gain weight on a cruise. We order room service for breakfast so I won't be tempted to eat a lot of extra food I shouldn't eat. Every once in a while I have a croissant.

 

Lunch is always a salad and fruit. For dinner I try to order what's healthy. I only taste the desserts unless it's the volcano cake at the Pinnacle and then, sorry to say, I eat the whole thing.There's always a fruity appetizer and sometimes I order that for dessert. There's loads of good healthy food on a cruise and you don't have to gain weight.

[Avista]

I usually skip lunch. Have a nice breakfast and then the early dinner. Works out well for me. If I go to the dining room at noon, I eat, so I just stay away.

[cruz chic]

I'm pretty active at home, but don't have an exercise regime. A friend that I cruise with sometimes works out daily, and onboard, and does the stairs, and does the P-deck laps, and watches what she eats, and she still gains weight. (She and I developed the "only use the stairs, NEVER use the elevator" routine for ourselves a decade or more ago, after being trapped in a non-functioning elevator with a bunch of really crabby people :) )

Well I'm glad that some people do gain as easily as I do. On a cruise....I do deserve to gain weight. At home....no...but I still do at times.

[fierball]

I had no problem gaining weight on any cruises. The key to not gaining weight is you have to make yourself exercise and burn off the calories that uou eat. I have done a few 20 day cruises and have even lost 10 lbs while on the cruise. It is so easy to eat what ever they bring you or you can try to eat a salad every other night and walk 3 miles a day. Trust me it works. Good luck

[Kween Karen]

I do make a special effort to be down in weight prior to my cruises. For some reason I don't seem to gain much on cruises. On my last one I gained 2 pounds in 67 days and I ate whatever and whenever I wanted to. I think my secret is I never stepped foot in an elevator in all of those days. My cabin was on deck 2....so MANY MANY times a day I climed from deck 2 to the lido on deck 8. Seemed to work.............:)

[highland cruiser]

I have always agonized over weight gain during a cruise...until I realized that I do not have to eat everything I see!! So breakfast is a poached egg and fruit...lunch a salad and then I enjoy the dining room experience for dinner. After all, I can diet at home.

We also walk...walk...walk..up and down stairs as much as possible and around the deck a several times a day.

Last cruise I gained about 3 pounds but after a few days at home and back to the "real world" it came off quickly.

I guess that the bottom line is to enjoy the cruise, enjoy the meals...as who makes some of those meals at home...and work it off when you get home. Happy cruising!! Can't wait until my next cruise! :D

[indigosails]

I tend to pack on the pounds. (Sigh.) We cruised 28 days last summer and I only put on 4 pounds, which I thought was phenomenal, and I took them off within a few weeks after returning home. I am 60 and definitely not skinny.

 

Here are my strategies:

 

Walk around the deck every day (30-45 minites).

 

Skip the white food (bread, potatoes, rice, sugar).

 

At dinner, eat whatever you want but only half of it. Small portions. Quit the clean-plate club.

 

Allow yourself one dessert per week. You don't need dessert every day or every meal. But if you only have one, you will savor every bite.

 

Good luck.

[rochelle_s]

I have asked my waiter on the first night if I could have vegetables (such as carrot and celery sticks) placed on the table each night. So while at the table with my tablemates, discussing our days and the evenings menu, with the bread basket being passed around its easier to decline that delicious bread (even if I am hungry) and nibble on my veggies instead. I do break the bread rule when escargot is on the menu :).

 

The regular delivery of vegetables is probably easier with fixed dining but I'm sure it would be possible in anytime dining as well.

 

Another 'lighter' dinner is having an appetizer replace the main course.

 

As many others have pointed out making your cruise as active as possible helps immensely.

 

One thing I don't do though is beat myself up over whatever it is I have, I am on vacation after all and I think some splurging just goes hand in hand.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time....enjoy your cruise.

 

Rochelle

[dfish]

I also can pack on the pounds easily and I'm diabetic so that adds an additional challenge to the food question. On my last cruise I came home 2 pounds lighter and I think it was because of the activity level. I treated myself several times with no blood sugar problems, but made a point of using the fitness center regularly, taking the stairs instead of the elevator and walking the promenade deck after meals.

 

In ports I look for active excursions rather than bus tours. If possible, I just walk the city as much as I can.

 

I generally stick to my "meal plan", but I did have ice cream a couple of days and I did eat the entire chocolate volcano cake in the Pinnacle grill (followed by 4 laps around the promenade). I usually skip the potatoes, rice, pasta and bread. In the MDR I order the vegetables from the available always part of the menu and fill up on them rather than those other things.

 

Debbie

[SwissMyst]

Back to the math on calorie burning:

 

One pound equals 3,500 calories

 

10 minutes of climbing stairs = 90 calories burned = one thin cookie

 

One hour walking at 3 mph (342 cal) = one chocolate lava cake (350 cal)

 

Heck, I am only one flight of stairs away from my Lido powder sugar donut. This is not going to work.

[bob brown]

Whenever I cruise, I usually gain about a pound a day, because I eat much more than at home. When I get home and resume my regular diet, I lose the weight, but it takes about three times as long to lose it as gain it.

 

Some mention using the stairs. I do. One thing that makes me chuckle is people that will use the elevator to get to the gym. And no, I don't mean handicapped people.

[DrTee]

Whenever I cruise, I usually gain about a pound a day, because I eat much more than at home. When I get home and resume my regular diet, I lose the weight, but it takes about three times as long to lose it as gain it.

 

Some mention using the stairs. I do. One thing that makes me chuckle is people that will use the elevator to get to the gym. And no, I don't mean handicapped people.\

 

 

How do you know someone is not disabled? Not all disabilities are visible. Someone could have MS, or have recently had a hip or knee replacement, etc. They may be going to the gym to do some kind of physical therapy, but they cannot do a lot of stairs.

[cruz chic]

Back to the math on calorie burning:

 

One pound equals 3,500 calories

 

10 minutes of climbing stairs = 90 calories burned = one thin cookie

 

One hour walking at 3 mph (342 cal) = one chocolate lava cake (350 cal)

 

Heck, I am only one flight of stairs away from my Lido powder sugar donut. This is not going to work.

 

Thanks for the info on walking the stairs. This pretty much proves what I was saying. If people are using that as an exercise regime and not gaining weight, then count yourselves lucky. You've got a good metabolism.

[cruz chic]

Some mention using the stairs. I do. One thing that makes me chuckle is people that will use the elevator to get to the gym. And no, I don't mean handicapped people.

 

I've been guilty of that. I'm one that doesn't think using the stairs is a workout. Generally I go on the elliptical for 30 minutes to an hour. Walking up the stairs for 2 minutes doesn't add to that. I usually work out longer then anyone that in the gym with me. I've seen a few people get on an elliptical for 2 minutes and leave because it's too difficult. I wonder if they took the stairs up:D.

[bob brown]

How do you know someone is not disabled? Not all disabilities are visible. Someone could have MS, or have recently had a hip or knee replacement, etc. They may be going to the gym to do some kind of physical therapy, but they cannot do a lot of stairs.

My bad. I was afraid my statement would get such a response. I should have known better. No offense, sorry.