First cruise since weight loss- need advice!

[notblondee_dreds]

I lost close to 50 pounds over the past 6 years and I have to practice portion control. I usually stick to 1/2 cup portions to control my weight. But one of the most important tools I take on a cruise is my scale. It helps me to monitor not only my weight but also keeps my baggage weight on track.

Since November I have changed my diet drastically and took control of my diabetes and lost 30 pounds and 6 dress sizes. I work out almost daily alternating cardio and strength training.

 

Question- this is my first cruise since losing the weight. I have no intention of "skipping my diet" while cruising. Does anyone have suggestions for food choices on board that are healthy, while not being stuck with the salad bar every day? I treat myself to sugar free jello- wondering if they offer any low cal, sugar free dessert options on board?

 

thanks!!!

[Hollyann]

All the advice sounds terrific. The one thing that I would add is that if you are having a "splurge" and find that it does not taste FANTASTIC, don't eat it. It IS ok to be wasteful. Not on purpose, but just because it is in front of you, do not feel like you have to eat it all - especially if it is not as fantastic as you were thinking it would be. I LOVE desserts, but find that about 50% of them do not end up tasting good enough that I want to have to struggle to re-lose the weight for. As for the other 50%, yes - an extra week or two at Weight Watchers to get back to goal after the cruise is worth it - at least for me :rolleyes:

Edited February 21, 2014 by Hollyann

[avalon007]

We did a 3 cruise stint on Radiance last year for a total of nearly 5 weeks, 27 days of which were consecutive & we didn't put on any weight of note.

 

My advice is to stay well away from all those 'diet' foods, the chemical sweeteners in many make your body react in ways that only lead to weight gain.

 

Portion control is a big one. Just eat several smaller meals rather than 3 big ones.

 

Don't go near the Soda or the creamy cocktails - bad news.

 

We found that whilst on the American leg of our cruise much of the pre prepared food was full of high fructose corn syrup which everyone knows is horrible for you, luckily it's not something we use over here in Australia.

For example the yoghurt at breakfast in the WJ was just a sweet pudding with no mention of any beneficial bacteria or real fruit in it. It's absolute garbage food so stay clear of anything like that.

 

Avoid too many high GI carbs & opt instead for healthy protein, take some unsalted nuts on board with you to snack on as they don't sell any on board that are not full of salt or have sugar added I found. :rolleyes:

 

Try doing some 'hit' at the gym, high intensity for 15-30 seconds - the sort of intensity that makes you want to drop to your knees & beg for mercy - interspersed with a minute or two of less frantic exercise, & do this for a max of 20 minutes all up. This will rev up your body to burn fat for 24-48 hours.

 

Alternate your gym workouts between HIT & muscle building on consecutive days.

 

Drink lots of water, water is the what your body needs to flush out fats & drinking more water actually reduces fluid retention.

 

Try not to eat the bread rolls or use too much creamy dressing on your salad, everything in moderation as they say.

 

Hope that is helpful - most of all have fun & still enjoy the odd treat.:)

[sr5242]

thanks for all the great advice! I probably cannot use stairs much as I'm traveling with my mother who is very unsteady on her feet so I have to be next to her much of the time and she's dependent on the elevator.

 

And I did have an experience that scared me off of rich desserts. Over xmas I was at an all inclusive and had a piece of rich chocolate cake and was sick all day! shaking and dizzy- my body had detoxed from sugar and couldn't handle it!

 

Looking forward to trying all your tips!

[temple1]

Congrats on the weight loss. You obviously know how to lose weight so I won't tell you how to do that. ;)

 

I have my own weight concerns - but on our last cruise I did not gain any weight and normally do not gain more than a pound or two even when cruising with DS and we make a greater use of the bars.

 

The good news is in the MDR even if you do not want grilled chicken every night - the regular selections on the main menu are not huge portions. You can try some of your guilty pleasure foods without killing the diet because the portions are smaller than in the average US restaurant. You can also request veggies and other extra items to pad your meal selection. :D

 

If you decide to go to the WJ buffet it has many wonderful fresh fruit and veggies to make your own filling lunches and breakfasts. Fresh fruit, yogurt and cereals are plentiful in the morning and for snacks during the day.

 

I avoid the sugar free deserts because I am afraid they might have sucralose in them but they do look tempting. Although, as you are well aware, sugar free is not fat free.

 

As others mentioned there are always stairs! Lots of stairs if you are not wanting to spend a lot of time in the gym. If you are comfortable with your current meal plan and can safely navigate local restaurants, you will hopefully be successful on board. Just don't make yourself feel deprived.

[CRUISNDIVA]

Congrats on the weight loss!

 

I've adopted a clean eating lifestyle as well and absolutely love it and love how I feel!

 

Can anyone tell me what the gluten free options are like onboard?

 

Do they offer natural based sweetners (stevia) or should I be bringing my own?

 

Thanks!

[Mapleleafforever]

It's actually very easy once you get over the sugar addiction. Just stay away from all desserts, especially the sugar free ones that are laden with artificial sweeteners. Also avoid diet soft drinks like the plague. Minimize bread and pasta and maximize protein and veggies. Also move more. Simple.

[katrina915]

It's a mindset: do you want to lose, stay the same or gain a little on the cruise?

 

I wanted to lose weight on 14 day Nov cruise and this is how I did it:

-weighed myself first day in fitness center (not extremely accurate, but sets tone)

-wore pedometer and walked stairs and treadmill until it was 15,000 steps

-brought snacks from home that could stay in room and take on excursions (tuna pouches, protein bars, etc)

-ate in WJ in morning and lunch: hard boiled eggs, fruit, salad, vegetable egg beaters, turkey, took fruit for later, etc

-tracked what I ate since this is what I do at home

-ate dinner in MDR and first night told them that I wanted double veggies without fat and meat/fish without fat for entire cruise. Each night, talked to waiter about next day's dinner

-didn't eat desserts since I don't at home (except fruit)

-ate fruit in WJ mid afternoon

-drank water. Not a drinker anyways.

 

I would just try to stay as close as you can to what you are currently eating and realize that you are on vacation. Even if someone is completely healthy and they overindulge, they may have GI issues. But a diabetic would have more serious consequences.

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

[Chip and Dale]

Congrats on the weight loss!

 

I've adopted a clean eating lifestyle as well and absolutely love it and love how I feel!

 

Can anyone tell me what the gluten free options are like onboard?

 

Do they offer natural based sweetners (stevia) or should I be bringing my own?

 

Thanks!

 

Hi

 

In my opinion the GF options have gone down hill with the new menus. I used to enjoy eating GF and was presented with some really enjoyable options, however, with the new menus that has ended and they will often change the sauce to GF and throw on a baked potato rather than whatever the potato or pasta option would have been. I don't eat baked potatoes. You need to ask and if you are GF then you should email special needs to let them know. They have pretty good GF bread anytime you would like it, they will make GF french toast (my favourite for breakfast) and GF pancakes, they will also do GF mini muffins if you ask and you can usually have them substitute GF Pasta (rice) when requested. You need to be vigilant if you are celiac (I'm just allergic to wheat), some waiters and head waiters are not always as cautious as they should be so you need to be cautious.

 

As far as natural sweeteners, I don't believe that they are stevia or xylitol, you can ask, but from experience the crew are not always very well informed when it comes to things like this.

 

I will check back to see if you have any additional questions. Hope this helps.

Dee

[MrsPete]

All the advice sounds terrific. The one thing that I would add is that if you are having a "splurge" and find that it does not taste FANTASTIC, don't eat it. It IS ok to be wasteful. Not on purpose, but just because it is in front of you, do not feel like you have to eat it all - especially if it is not as fantastic as you were thinking it would be. I LOVE desserts, but find that about 50% of them do not end up tasting good enough that I want to have to struggle to re-lose the weight for. As for the other 50%, yes - an extra week or two at Weight Watchers to get back to goal after the cruise is worth it - at least for me :rolleyes:

This is one of my weaknesses. I should listen to your advice!

[SamboniMan]

I have also lost about 50 pounds over the past several years... and I have cruised many times.

 

Other than all of the great advice already posted here, I have one other cruise rule...

 

I don't use the elevators. I take the stairs instead... it's an easy way to keep moving. If I do this religiously, I don't feel so badly when I have a little bite of something that I shouldn't!

[icat2000]

My suggestions dont eat the bread, those are evil rolls. Skip deserts even those sugar free crap ones, walk as much as possible and do the stairs if your able too.

[FireStation46]

I lost a ton of weight. Congrats on your weight loss too. I will just take it easy aboard ship. The lighter versions of yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast; lunch a light salad; dinner keep the fish or chicken skinless and to 4 ounces, quinoa if they have it etc. I gave up the diet cokes, that was hard. Gave up beer too. No caffeine. Bigelow teas OK. Crystal light in different flavors. I have more energy so on my next cruise I may find myself more active walking, swimming etc. I may have a glass of wine at dinner but just one. You got to a good point so far just stick with it. Good luck!

 

 

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[kdzkatz]

For all of you that are doing different things to get yourselves more healthy I encourage you to look into water kefir. It is very helpful in balancing your gut. You make it yourself once you buy the kefir grains (we got ours off of amazon) and feed it sugar water. A couple days later you have water kefir and you then put the grains into a new batch of sugar water and begin the process again. I could go on and on but if you google it you should be able to find quite a bit of info on it. It is amazing stuff. It's really good for you and it is very affordable. In fact the grains procreate so the 5 tablespoons we started with have turned into well over 100 tablespoons. We have sold off some of the grains to pay for the sugar. So it is pretty much free for us the sales of the grains supports our kefir habit.