Watching my weight !

[CowPrincess]

I've been thinking about the "stair climbing" since I replied, did some googling (I could have waited for SwissMyst :) ) and have decided that in our case, we already eat pretty indulgently at home. So while I think taking stairs does help, our actual onboard calorie intake is not significantly higher than it is at home and our activity level is similar. But I'll keep using the stairs anyway :)

[10DogMom]

I gain about a pound a day but lose much of it within a few days of getting home because it's mostly water gain (and... blush... irregularity). But because I know I will have those problems, I do lose weight before a cruise, so I can still fit into my clothes by the end. Otherwise, it'd be all sweatsuits the last few days...

 

I have 6 months to lose 5 more pounds... but losing during the winter (I do better exercising outside) is tougher.

[SwissMyst]

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.

 

Metabolism is real. I never needed to ever count calories and could always have the second dessert. Then at midlife, things totally changed. I still find it astounding now to see how little I need to eat to just stay even, let alone lose those extra midlife pounds that took me up two dress sizes in just a few years. Blink and bulge. I have at least learned I can eat a lot less and not feel hungry and honoring now if I eat too much ( which in the US is eating "normal" portion sizes), there is digestive distress to pay.

 

So some how my body metabolism now requires a hugely different number of calories for maintenance and that means now in buffet lines or pre-set dinner choices I have to really, really be careful about portion sizes. I love the taste and appeal of food and flavors and if something is good I really do want to eat a lot of it and savor everything about it.

 

But now, even when something is really, really good the portion size has to be greatly reduced and the memories have to be enhanced and savored instead. This is the "secret" to how the French continue to enjoy grand dining but never gain weight. One sublime chocolate will send them into ecstasy while we trans-continental Phillistines often don't stop until the whole Godiva box is gone.

 

And oh yeah, the French do walk a lot more than we do too. :( So while metabolism can be viewed as good, or lucky or changed all it does is re-set the calories in - calories burned ratio in context of other changes also going on in our lives. Burning up less "nervous" energy as we get older and happier is a real factor too that "changes" the metabolism.

 

And then the worst one is once those pounds come on, it does make routine exercise in our lives more onerous. Think of carrying a 25-50 pound bag of cement up five flights of stairs compared to stacking that same midlife extra 25-50 pounds on to our body like some of these new "carryon travel coats" seen advertised in the WSJ and see how much fun it is to take on those five flight of stairs.

 

So the unfairness for which there is no easy solution is the more weight we put on, the harder it is to exercise in our daily routines and the more weight we take off, the easier it is to be active. Bummer. But just like the national budget problems at some point discipline and sacrifice and accepting our own unique metabolism demands is the only answer.

 

Pass me that powder sugar donut, I promise I will take those stairs and in my case I promise I will take the stair down from my deck and then turn around and go back up those stairs to the Lido. Yeah, right. :rolleyes:

 

But the easy rule one keeps hearing about is if we just eliminate 250 "extra" calories a day from what we call our "normal" diet, we will lose weight over time. What is extra and what is essential is for all of us to decide. Me walking the mile downtown for a Peet's Mocha Freddo is a calorie wash. Me walking downtown and not having the Peet's Mocha Freddo would start paying off over time. But then why walk down town?:o

[dfish]

Another part to metabolism is that the more you lose, the less you need to maintain. As far as stairs go, I take them many times a day and don't always have a treat when I do them. Every little bit helps.

 

The good news is that exercise will up the metabolism for a short while. So, keep to the stairs.

 

Deb

[Losnab]

Last New Years Eve I was a party and a dear friend of mine looked wonderful and lost some weight. I asked her how she did it...Easy she said I gave up bread, potatoes, pasta and rice.

 

OK, I thought I can do that - even though we were leaving the next morning for our cruise. So believe it or now I started my diet on the cruise. It was easy - no bread on the table and we chose extra vegetables with our meals. I was never a food snob and ate everything - but starting to eat this way made me much more picky - and there is nothing wrong with being a little finicky.

 

I must say I felt good immediately, but it took around 5 months to loose the 20 pounds that I needed to.

 

I know there are lots of versions of the low carb diet but my version is to replace potatoes & bread with healthy food like extra veggies, and mashed beans.

 

Kind of simple, but I feel great. I ran into my daughters friend this week - she told me I look better now at 50 then I did when I was in my early 40's.

 

Good luck to you and enjoy your cruise.

Just booked ours for Feb - wahoo!

[mexico5]

Friday I started my packing which means trying on everything just in case...well I know the 40's are supposed to be tough for the women but I went from 102 up to 115 in a few months so my 2 formal dresses no longer fit!! I am only 5'2" so it really shows on me too...so I made a mad dash in the storm up to the mall and cha ching...found 2 "bigger" dresses:eek:

 

I have never gained weight on a cruise but who knows now! It probably helps that I don't eat meat or desserts but I do tend to drink a bit more vino than usual on the cruise!

[unfdoug]

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.

 

I love the way you broke this down! I finding taking the stairs really helps me. I did a sailing a couple months ago and took the stairs, in fact declared the elevator off limits. I actually lost weight. For me that was awesome cause I LOVE to eat.

 

My last cruise on the Euro, I gained 4 lbs though :(

[ccruisequeen]

On our last cruise, I tried to lose weight before, but couldn't. However, I walked the ship a lot during the day with my walker, & used a scooter at night to get from restaurant to theater, and only gained 2 lbs, which I have since lost.

 

Now comes the fun part-- the Holidays, & then a cruise! Wish me luck!;)

[world~citizen]

HAL has a wonderful variety of food. You can gain or even lose weight as you choose.

 

I only eat salads at lunch and an intelligent breakfast, then sort of throw caution to the wind at dinner, with dessert every second day. I can maintain weight that way and still eat terrific food.

 

Stay active of course.

 

Nothing says you MUST gain weight on ships.

 

Smooth sailing...

[SwissMyst]

How many others here grew up with "clean your plate, there are starving children in Europe". (post WWII)

 

Plus a depression era parent thrift ethic if you paid for it, you need to eat it when you see all the variety of offerings on cruise ships. ;)

 

I took a French cooking class a few years ago and the young French chef cut out perfect filets from a slab of salmon and then proceeded to scoop up the trimmed away pieces and toss them in the garbage can.

 

I let out an unexpected gasp of horror that he was throwing this perfectly good food away and it brought back the irony that his young "european" who I had been trained to believe was always starving, was now in fact throwing food away. Cognitive dissonance and he, because of his young age and relative european affluence now, didn't even know what I was talking about.