Best ideas to not gain weight on a HAL cruise?

[adventuregrrl]

We leave next week and I'm having something of mixed emotions. While I'm very excited for our cruise, I've lost nearly 25 lbs since January and I don't want to gain it all back on my cruise. :)

 

I can't find calorie counts anywhere online. I do know that HAL has Spa Menu options and sugar free desserts, but I don't know what those calorie counts will be. My weight loss is mostly thanks to really keeping track of calories through the free Lose It! smart phone app. Does anyone know if HAL makes its nutritional info available anywhere?

 

Absent HAL nutritional info maybe someone knows where I can find current menus and I can estimate what the calories might be. I also plan to do lots of walking and may even make it to the gym.

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

[KirkNC]

We leave next week and I'm having something of mixed emotions. While I'm very excited for our cruise, I've lost nearly 25 lbs since January and I don't want to gain it all back on my cruise. :)

 

I can't find calorie counts anywhere online. I do know that HAL has Spa Menu options and sugar free desserts, but I don't know what those calorie counts will be. My weight loss is mostly thanks to really keeping track of calories through the free Lose It! smart phone app. Does anyone know if HAL makes its nutritional info available anywhere?

 

Absent HAL nutritional info maybe someone knows where I can find current menus and I can estimate what the calories might be. I also plan to do lots of walking and may even make it to the gym.

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Avoid breads, pasta and dessert plus walk a lot. I have had cruises where I did not gain any weight. It is easier to do in the Med where it is so port intensive.

[pascalburns]

can not help on the calories counter,but too keep the weight

off DO NOT TRY AND EAT EVERYTHING ON THE SHIP,use the stairs

and go to the gym:)

[Love the beach]

Always use the stairs and stay away from those chocolate chip cookies (my weakness)!!

[cec5248]

Try website http://www.livestrong.com/. You can also get this as an app on a smartphone.

 

Also, we never use elevators on the ships and use a pedometer on my smartphone to make sure we walk enough to do some good. I always eat a big salad for lunch, generally avoid bread, and limit desserts to one per day. I've actually lost weight on port-intensive cruises because we walk so much.

[MilliesMom]

Congratulations on your weight loss.

 

We've been on 10 cruises and it was only the first one that we gained weight on. I think the first one was so overwhelming and we wanted to try it all. :eek:

 

Now we don't feel the need to eat every course offered, do lots of walking, and dancing and walking.

 

We found in many cases the desserts look better than they taste. We don't drink a lot of alcohol or regular pop either. Empty calories.

 

When we first board the ship, we try to take the stairs going up when possible and always going down (exception is formal night). My knees won't hold up too long going up the stairs, but have found going down the stairs works pretty well.

 

Do you have a packaged food item that helps you get thru the munchies or need for something sweet? For me, the problem solver is protein bars ... so I always pack a few and some sandwich bags. That way I can have 1/2 of a bar and save the rest. I am very brand loyal, so always bring my own from home.

 

The biggest thing to remember ... you don't need to try it all or if you do, only take a bite or two.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

[sail7seas]

Congratulations on your weight loss. Well done.

Having accomplished that, by now, you probably have a very good idea of calorie/fat/carbs/protein...... in other words, you most likely understand good nutrition now (if you did not before your accomplishment).

 

I suggest you use that knowledge to guesstimate the calories in what is offered and will find it relatively easy to do. I read menus very carefully and ask if I'm unclear. I'll ask if there is butter or olive oil, if there is sour cream or cream or yogurt in the dish.......

 

Maintaining the weight loss is, hopefully, for the rest of your life which means it's up to each of us to evaluate what we suspect is the better choice from a menu. You know if it says grilled or broiled or surely is better than deep fried. :D

 

You'll find it relatively easy to evaluate which dish to order. IMO

Have a great cruise and should you gain 2 or 3 pounds, don't stress. Get back on your good eating program immediately when you return and those pounds should be gone within a week to ten days.

 

I successfully did that for many years and a great many cruises....... then I got old, developed health issues and gained weight but now I'm on the way back down. :) We have five cruises booked and I'm not worried about maintaining and continuing to lose. It's very do-able IMO.

 

 

[CtheW0rld]

i have lost 170+ pounds (and kept it off) following one simple rule: move more, eat less.

 

eat what you want, but remember portion control is key. take the stairs. walk around. just move.

[baggal]

Having lost 25 pounds you already know what to do. Just stick to your regular eating habits, stay away from alcohol for the most part, and remember that the cruise is not about food but a way to see the world.

 

And if you do stray, it will be much less than you think. The 25 pounds won't come back on in one week. Don't be too hard on yourself - have a wonderful time!

[3rdGenCunarder]

Congratulations on your weight loss. Well done.

Having accomplished that, by now, you probably have a very good idea of calorie/fat/carbs/protein...... in other words, you most likely understand good nutrition now (if you did not before your accomplishment).

 

I suggest you use that knowledge to guesstimate the calories in what is offered and will find it relatively easy to do. I read menus very carefully and ask if I'm unclear. I'll ask if there is butter or olive oil, if there is sour cream or cream or yogurt in the dish.......

 

Maintaining the weight loss is, hopefully, for the rest of your life which means it's up to each of us to evaluate what we suspect is the better choice from a menu. You know if it says grilled or broiled or surely is better than deep fried. :D

 

You'll find it relatively easy to evaluate which dish to order. IMO

Have a great cruise and should you gain 2 or 3 pounds, don't stress. Get back on your good eating program immediately when you return and those pounds should be gone within a week to ten days.

 

I successfully did that for many years and a great many cruises....... then I got old, developed health issues and gained weight but now I'm on the way back down. :) We have five cruises booked and I'm not worried about maintaining and continuing to lose. It's very do-able IMO.

 

 

 

I agree with what Sail says about estimating for yourself. Think about the kinds of foods you've been eating and look for similar foods on the ship. If something is served wtih a sauce, you can ask if the item can be served without the sauce.

 

A lot of people say to stay away from the buffet because it's too tempting. But I find I do better at the buffet. At breakfast, I can load up on fruit--there's always beautiful fruit on the buffet. I take that first so it looks like a lot of food. Then I have some scrambled egg for protein, and stay away from pastries. I do a similar thing at lunch. I build a big salad, and maybe have some cheese and crackers to go with it. If you can practice self-control, you can make healthy meals at the buffet. One trick I use is to learn which stations have the foods i want. I don't even LOOK at the hot foods. I don't need to know if there are mashed potatoes or things that have been battered and fried. If I don't see them, I can't want them.

 

Then I eat pretty much what I want for dinner in the MDR. Desserts at dinner tend to be small portions, so you can give yourself a treat once in a while. (Cakes tend to be bland and not worth the calories.)

 

You can get coffee, tea, ice water 24/7 at the Lido (Iced tea, too, I think), so you don't need to buy sodas if you're thirsty. (I'd rather have water than something loaded with chemicals, but that's just me)

 

And walk--HAL ships have lovely wrap-around promenade decks and somewhere there will be a sign to tell you how many laps equal a mile. Take the stairs whenever possible. (Like MilliesMom, I break this rule on formal nights if I've got a long skirt and high heels)

 

I think a lot of people gain weight on their first cruise because they want to get their money's worth. But there's no value in pigging out and gaining weight, especially after you've done so well on your diet. So congrats on the weight loss and I hope you can make lots of healthy choices on the cruise!

[arewethereyet]

A lot of good advice in this thread. Since we cruise maybe two times a year, I don't worry too much about my diet while on the ship. A little portion control goes a long way. When DW and I are together we always use the stairs down, and elevators up only if we are going more than 4 decks up. When I am wandering around alone, I do not use the elevators. I also exercise year round, so during a cruise I allow myself some slack.

 

Weight control is not rocket science (no offense intended to anyone). It's diet and exercise. It's no secret. Control how much you eat, and use your body (sounds easy, right ;))

 

Listen to Seas. She apparently cruises often enough that she has a plan that works for her.

 

Oh yeah, I do sometimes take a Garmin Forerunner GPS (wrist mount) to keep track of how much we walk in ports. One day in Quebec City, we walked a little over 7 miles (that's a lot folks).

[Olive1950]

On my cruises, to avoid weight gain, I try to:

 

1. Drink a lot of water

2. Use the stairs instead of the elevator

3. Either workout in the gym, or walk at least 2 miles

4. Walk around town instead of taking a cab

5. Don't snack between meals

6. Veggies and salads at lunch and dinner; lots of fresh fruit in the morning

7. Get 8 hours of sleep. I don't do shows anymore

8. I don't eat everything that is served. The portions are way too large

 

I normally don't gain weight on a cruise either.

[adventuregrrl]

Thanks for the really great input and many good ideas!!!

[sandij]

Eat in the main dinning room, I find they don't overfill the plates and I am quite full, but if I go to the buffet it's up to me and I want to try everything. And use the stairs.

[josie724]

Congrats on the weight loss....BELIEVE me I know how hard it is.

 

But ONE SURE WAY of not gaining weight is to let me go in your place. :D:D

 

All the above is great info. Go enjoy and have fun.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Congratulations on the weight loss.

 

We actually have gained weight the last couple of years while at home.

 

One year due to a major disaster with the house we could do virtually nothing.

 

Last year when I had a bad accident and wasn't moving much except in physical and occupational therapy for the better part of year.

 

I can no longer handle stairs -- but do try to walk as much as possible even with a walker.

 

But we watch what we eat on the cruises. HAL's desserts are not good -- JMO - so no problem with that -- and we don't even like the bread pudding.

 

Just eat normal like at home.

 

Ask for dinner entrees without the sauces.

 

[josie724]

Congratulations on the weight loss.

 

We actually have gained weight the last couple of years while at home.

 

One year due to a major disaster with the house we could do virtually nothing.

 

Last year when I had a bad accident and wasn't moving much except in physical and occupational therapy for the better part of year.

 

I can no longer handle stairs -- but do try to walk as much as possible even with a walker.

 

Sorry to hear that KK....hope you're getting better.

 

 

But we watch what we eat on the cruises. HAL's desserts are not good -- JMO - so no problem with that -- and we don't even like the bread pudding.

Just eat normal like at home.

 

Ask for dinner entrees without the sauces.

 

 

Now I know where the KRAZY part of your name comes from.....now that's just KRAZY talk, and don't let Sheila hear you ;) :D

[LindaM]

I didn't gain weight on our last cruise, which was extremely rare. I drank too much, because it was included. I would skip some of the courses and only had a few bites of the potato. I would only eat part of the roll. If I ordered desert, I would only eat half or less. They say after the first few bites you don't really appreciate it as much anyway. I stayed away from pastries at breakfast, and tried to be careful at lunch, too. And, we always took the stairs!

 

The HAL desserts really aren't that good and not worth the calories. My weakness on HAL are the chocolate chip cookies! And, bringing cold pizza and a cheese plate to the cabin!

[Roz]

I'm a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers, and just back from an 8-day vacation, 4 of it spent on the Zuiderdam. I weighed in this morning at my meeting, and my weight was only up 6/10th of a pound, which I just consider a normal fluctuation. Here are things I do on my cruises to keep the pounds at bay:

 

1. Use the stairs and walk the outside deck (weather permitting).

2. Concentrate on what WW calls "Power Foods" at breakfast and lunch. For example, oatmeal, poached eggs, fruit, salads, steamed vegs, lean meat, fish, and poultry, etc.

3. Limit dessert to once a day and limit myself to one alcoholic drink per day.

4. Choose more active shorex or just walk around the port area.

5. Write down everything I eat, although I don't count points. Keeps me accountable and prevents food amnesia.

6. Check out posted menues ahead of time so I know what I'm going to order before I sit down.

 

I hope this helps. Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

 

Roz

[GeorgesGal]

My thoughts: USE THE STAIRS EXCLUSIVELY - no elevators

Drink lots of water

Have sauces for everything served on the side. That way you can taste and decide if they are worth the calories

Drink lots of water

Salads - again, dressings on the side so you can decide how much to put on

Drink lots of water

Desserts - if you must, check them all out and decide on one. One bite to see if it, also, is worth the calories. If yes, indulge; if not, leave it behind but DO NOT GET ANOTHER!

Drink lots of water

In port, try to avoid excursions that require long bus trips; instead walk around the port area for a couple of hours, or take a taxi to some place worth seeing that is a shorter distance away by vehicle. If you walk around enough, you might even be eligible for a ----

REWARD! A glass of wine before dinner

 

Something I have found helpful in keeping off the pounds is having a late breakfast and skipping lunch but having a yogurt and a piece of fruit in the afternoon. This really works best because to sit down and have even a low cal lunch can add 5 - 700 calories a day. Then in the evening have a normal dinner.

 

And congratulations on your weight loss so far!! Keep up the good work.

And did I say DRINK LOTS OF WATER.

[Seago2]

I have the same fears and have actually taken off a bunch of weight since my last cruise at the beginning of March.

 

I can only tell you what my plan of action is:

 

Eat every single meal in the MDR. That right there will cut your intake in half. I am off of carbs in a big way and not paying any attention to calories or fat. The weight is just falling off. I'm walking away and it's falling on the sidewalk after me :):). So.... I am gong to stay away from pasta, bread, potatoes, fruit, sweets, cakes- all the bad stuff. I have the ceremonial menus given to us on Westerdam and it is very easy to find low, low carb offerings at every meal.

 

The stairs thing- I always felt I was doing some good by using stairs, but I knew it was only because I hate to wait even one second for an elevator. The truth: you burn like 3 calories per flight. Here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/295787-how-many-calories-do-you-burn-walking-up-stairs-for-20-minutes/. 150 calories for 20 minutes of nonstop, hard star climbing. You could probably expend more yelling BING0 and shooting your hand up :p.

 

I have thought long and hard about exactly what you are stressing about. Three cruises since September have put 25 pounds on me (because it's not just the cruise, it's the cruise-style eating that follows me home).

 

I understand that some people can say "just eat less". But for some people, myself included, it goes waaaayyyy beyond that.

 

Also, there was a girl on CC named SFSheila. Great girl but I haven't seen her lately. Anyway, she has a website, not trying to sell you anything as I recall, which is really helpful for cruise weight control strategizing. Sugar Free Sheila- http://www.sugarfreesheila.com/. She also has some very nice cruise pics.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for the really great input and many good ideas!!!

 

 

Do yourself a huge favor and wear a pedometer.

I often wear daily at home and almost always each day on a cruise.

Walk, Walk, Walk....... that is the best exercise for general wellness. It is not the highest calorie burner but it provides so much benefit it is amazing.

 

Walmart has a 'simple simon', pedometer without all the nonesense some of the clunky ones have. You easily set the length of your stride and it measures distance and number of steps you take.

 

When you've gotten to 10,000 steps per day, you've done well.

DH and I walk regularly for exercise and when on cruises, really make a point of pounding down the miles and enjoying every step as we see wonderful things etc

 

[kazu]

we always eat in the MDR for dinner (ok Ward - go ahead and flame away:D)

 

One thing they have is fabulous salads - you decide the dressing and how much to put on.

 

Portions are very tasty but reasonably sized so it's easy not to get carried away (unless they have escargots:D)

 

I'm a big believer in a taste of anything - in other words - there's no harm as long as there are no extremes and I have found the waiters very co-operative in this.

 

My first cruise I put on 10 pounds (oh the pain to lose that). Normally, even on a 20 day I put on 1 pound:) Considering the splurges I do, it's not hard to lose that 1 pound once I get home.

 

You're on a cruise for heavens sake - have a taste (taste only) of a few things. As my mother used to say - it's not what you eat - it's how much of it you eat:D

 

have a great time - you don't have to count calories - just use some common sense:)

[muffin]

Congrats to you...How wonderful it will be to come home refreshed and ready to get on with your life a slimmer person.

 

A couple of ideas I use with success.... first night in the MDR i ask for a plate of crudities to be placed daily on the table when we arrive. It usually has celery sticks, carrot sticks, pepper pieces, perhaps small tomatoes, zucchini slicks etc. I sit as far away as I can from the bread basket or move it, and eat the veggies instead. Our table mates love the veggie plate too, there is always far too much for just one person.

 

I find the amount of veggies on an entree plate is very small. I often order a plate of steamed vegetable from the " always available" list, or just ask for it ( depending on the line). I always get it if I ask.

 

Desserts. I have one dessert a day, but never with a meal!! Mid afternoon on a sea day I will get myself a lovely dessert and hot cup of tea and really enjoy it all from a great view spot. Put all your attention into the the delightful taste of whatever it is. OR, on a port day, I may do the same thing later in the evening. Another piece of this is to eat just SOME of the dessert.... it is the first 2 or 3 spoonfuls that pack the most wallop. Savor them. then put the plate across the table or ask a server to remove the leftovers before they get eaten!

 

In the MDR I end my meals with a cappachino coffee. Very nice ending with the froth and using a spoon to eat that!

[luvcruisn']

USE THE STAIRS EXCLUSIVELY - no elevators

 

This advice will work for some, but if one has hip and knee problems, stairs can be difficult. I concur with many of the posters - eating lots of fruit and vegetables, and doing lots of walking both on board ship and in ports. Sometimes I would have the fruit appetizer for dessert.

 

On my last cruise, it was very windy some days, so I walked inside down the corridors, instead of outside on the promenade deck.

 

KK- You are fortunate that you don't like bread pudding. I love it, but try to eat small portions. It was Passover on my last cruise, so I couldn't have bread pudding for 8 days, as we don't eat anything made with flour during that time. Otherwise, I would have indulged a lot more than I did.