Advice for not gaining weight on a cruise

[PrincessLuver]

Eat all meals possible, in the dining room, where you have your portions controlled. (unless you ask for seconds) :D

Drink plenty of water and it will help you feel full.

 

We do a lot of walking but find that if we eat Breakfast and Dinner in the MD and lunch in the International Cafe that the controlled portions really help with weight control. If I go to the buffet somehow my mind tells me I can have a least two of everything..:eek:

[Mommypig]

I guess I am weird but I tend to lose weight on cruises. My doctor loves that. I think it's more that I am a finicky eater and the food I am comfortable eating is more plentiful at home.

 

I am an early riser normally so I will go up to the buffet around 6:30 and have an omelet or some fruit and cheese. But if I am feeling homesick I might indulge in some frosted flakes (we tend to go on cruise/land tour trips of at least two months).

 

Lunch is a great big salad in the buffet. Sometimes finding a protein I like for the salad is hard, but generally I can find something. I might have a dessert or two, but they make the portions so little that eating a variety is not so painful to the diet. If I don't have a dessert at lunch I might get a cookie or two from the IC in the afternoon.

 

Then at dinner in the MDR I always get a serving of steamed broccoli. We let our waiter and head waiter know that we want this the first night. I am a fairly boring eater, don't like a lot of sauces, etc on my food, so I look for something a tad boring. My default menu is two shrimp cocktails, and then for my main course I will have an appetizer size portion of fettuccini Alfredo and mix my steamed broccoli in it. I generally will have dessert.

 

We have the daily fruit delivered to our stateroom and try to use that for hunger cravings instead of checking out the buffet or IC.

[Arizona-Cruising]

Weight- so we weigh ourselves before the ship leaves it gives us a starting point.

Then of course we take the stairs, and purposely took the stairs up extra time or two. We book the Lido deck so it makes you excerzixze more.

 

When I ordered the dinners I pushed away the rice and higher carb portions this way I could enjoy the desert more. We avoid the Horizion lines. If we do the court I order the omelet with egg whites and no cheese just veggies and some fruit on the side. It seem to help this last 10 day cruise we were happy to see that we gained less then 5 lbs. Guess giving up the 11pm cheesecake runs worked...... just substituted cookies instead.

Good Luck :)

[Nezmo]

Great thread with some nice points of view.

 

I'm somewhere between "it's a vacation" and moderation with a leaning to the former. I think if I vacationed more often I may tend to the latter but cruising is usually a huge treat for us so we tend to not worry too much.

 

One thing to note - we are all different and can be affected by food and drink to varying degrees. What works for one may not for another.

[Van1982]

I never gain weight on a cruise...my husband averages 1 pound of weight gain per day cruising so weight gain is normal if you don't police yourself.

 

My secret:

- daily exercise (get up early and hit the gym for a minimum of 30 minutes)

- always eat a high protein breakfast (never skip breakfast, eat a protein rich breakfast like greek yogurt or hard boiled eggs within an hour of waking)

- take advantage of the sauna in the lotus spa on a daily basis for at least 30 minutes, I tend to go just before bedtime

- drink tonnes of water to flush out the extra salt that is in your food (cruises always use way more salt in cooking than most people would at home)

- eat high protein, low carb meals (eat all the seafood, meats, cheese you can handle but skip the breads and starchy sides)

- save the cheats for the last day (on a 7 day cruise, I spend the first 6 days eyeing desserts I want then I go ahead and have them on the last day if I still really want them).

- avoid the sugary beverages (I stick to a glass of red wine with dinner rather than a margarita pool side)

- Do not take the elevator, always use the stairs. I get sea sick so I try to book cabins on the lower levels now which helps because there are more stairs to climb to the buffet.

- In every port, force yourself to do a full loop of the tourist shopping zone. I find if I do that I am easily walking 5-10km in every port.

 

I hope that helps. We cruise several times a year so I tend to really be careful about the weight gain. However, if you rarely cruise, don't feel too guilty about just indulging and working the weight off after your vacation.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Van1982

[Steelers36]

Make it a point to lose 10 pounds before the cruise so when you gain 7 your still ahead 3 pounds. :)

 

I do everything I can to limit the weight gain on a cruise but at the same time one of the best parts of cruising is the food IMHO.

 

I always take the stairs (up and down) and hit the gym daily. But I also hit the international cafe for that delicious chocolate mousse and will have 5 courses at dinner (2 appetizers, why not!?).

 

Usually gain a few pounds but most of its water weight and I'm back to normal within a week.

 

First time I have seen a fellow fan handle on CC! Double Yoi!!

Edited July 21, 2015 by steelers36

[Paula_MacFan]

I disagree with SKNIGHT above. We took a 26 day cruise recently. My dh gained 0 pounds.:eek: I gained 2.5. We took the stairs. Sometimes we were on deck 5 to see what was on the menu for MDR and then walked all the way up to deck 16 to see what was in the buffet. Then either ate there or walked down to deck 5 for MDR. On sea days we walked for about 30 minutes. When weather was bad we walked the hall where our cabin was. He ate much more than he normally does whereas I tried to limit breakfast to something like I would normally eat (cereal. sometimes a bagel and lox). Lunch I would try to eat small. We were usually in HC but sometimes in Alfredos getting pizza. Dinner was mostly MDR. I usually got a salad and a main meal along with dessert. At first I was always eating a roll but then cut back to either nothing or one of the breadsticks.

 

We don't drink so no calories with water.

 

I agree with YOU and disagree with the previous poster's statement that taking the stairs and walking doesn't matter. OF COURSE it matters! That's why people have FitBits on counting their steps everyday! The more you move, the more you burn. We never take the elevator and always take the stairs, walking everywhere. We usually have a cabin all the way aft too, so that's a lot of walking.

[PescadoAmarillo]

But if I am feeling homesick I might indulge in some frosted flakes (we tend to go on cruise/tour trips of at least two months).

Thank you for saying this. I thought I was the only one who got homesick.

 

When you cruise for two (or five) months, there is a realization that what you wear on Day 1 must fit on Day 150. That provides huge motivation to enjoy the food in moderation.

[Bubba54]

This is what works for us. We get up and I walk on deck my DW goes to the gym. We eat a late breakfast 10:30/11:00ish. Then early Dinner 5:30/6 ish. We try to stay away from carbs after 3PM. Dessert every 2 or 3 days. It's take all our will power to not eat the bread basket empty but we try[emoji4].

[baggal]

As has been said before: stay away from the buffet; portion controlled meals in MDR are very helpful; order dessert only at one meal per day (your choice) but only eat half; avoid sugary frou-frou drinks that are loaded with empty calories.

 

Exercise as much as possible and have a great time!

[GUT2407]

Plenty of "Lite" options.

 

Use the stairs.

 

Walk a lot.

[IBsaved]

Take the stairs and only eat 2 meals a day and of course walk instead of ride when you can...don't cover your salads with dressing as this can sometimes be more fattening than a hamburger! Have water instead of juices, no lattes and if you drink alcohol ask for the mixer to be a diet soda or club soda. Hidden calories are in sauces, dressings, mixed drinks, creamed soups and most of all desserts!

[Pam in CA]

I've never, ever gained weight on a cruise. I don't do the gym nor do I do power walking or run up the stairs.

 

Here's what I do:

 

-- I try everything but finish only what I really like.

 

-- I allow myself to be picky.

 

-- I often ask for meat entrées to be served without sauces, order steamed vegetables instead of buttery or creamy sauces, and if I can't decide or really like anything on the menu, I'll order a salad with grilled chicken, which I love.

 

-- I stop eating when I'm no longer hungry rather than when I'm full.

 

-- I'm not a dessert person (unless it's chocolate) but do order ice cream with chocolate sauce. Take a few tastes and I'm done.

 

-- I do what I do at home: if I eat a big lunch, I eat a lighter dinner.

 

I've never felt I was denying myself anything since if I really want it, I'll order it. My "treat" is if the ship has an Alfredo's, I love my pepperoni pizza. :)

[YumYumSweetiePie]

Sometimes being with a crowd results in eating more, not sure if this is an issue for you or not but it's something to think about. That is, one person likes salty stuff so while you're by the pool they'll bring fries and everyone will take a few. Then there's the person with the sweet tooth that always orders dessert so you join them. The party person who wants drinks throughout the day that you also have a few drinks with. You get the picture, by the end of the day you've taken in a bunch of calories you didn't truly care for. What I've tried to do is to focus and indulge on what I really like and just keep others company while they indulge in what they like.

[caribill]

Forget that Norman Love ever existed.

[dickinson]

Forget that Norman Love ever existed.

 

:eek::eek::eek:

[melody hounddog]

Thank you all for helping me not gain too much on my cruise in two months. I don't mind gaining a couple pounds, but my last cruise I got carried away.

 

I have received such wonderful advice from everyone. I will make sure and reread all your posts before I leave.

[Esprit]

While all of these suggestions are lovely, as well as basic common sense, we are all forgetting the fact that IT'S VACATION!!!

DH and I are strong proponents of "moderation in all things", while still enjoying life.

.

 

Apologies if this has been suggested already.

 

Drink Champagne instead of wine. Far less calories so you can get drunk whilst staying slim. Works for me anyway!

[tetleytea]

Yes, it's vacation, and you can take advantage of that to lose weight. There's a big difference between walking 10,000 steps on a treadmill vs. 10,000 steps in Copenhagen.

[Corinda]

Stairs

[elliair]

Hi Everyone

 

My next cruise is coming up and I don't want to pack on the pounds like I did on my last cruise. I know the usual "take the stairs", and "skip the bread bowl, etc. But I am looking for specific dishes in the main dining room that are diet friendly, yet tasty.

 

How are the Lotus Spa dishes?

 

I have a few favorites that I must have, like the Eggplant Parm, Escargot and French Onion Soup. I love to try new things and like just about anything, except the cold fruit soups.

 

Anything you really like for lunch in the MDR?

 

And please, if you never gain weight on a cruise, skip to the next thread.

 

Thanks!

 

Fill up on salads first, then stick to the meat and vegetable dishes. However, I can't pass up that Parmesan cheese bowl filled with Fettuccine., or the onion soup. I can basically live on the soup. Then walk the stairs or promenade deck. I usually walk around the promenade deck 8 times right after breakfast - or 1 hour of walking. The elevator should not be in your vocabulary the whole cruise.

[tetleytea]

MHO, but when the ship is sailing, I tend to think the elevator is OK. The rocking of the boat probably stresses your knees doing the stairs more than what the calories are worth. Especially going downstairs.

[Sayra]

On our last cruise, I successfully lost 4 pounds by getting an upper respiratory infection.

 

But I don't recommend it. The cruise was much less enjoyable as I was sleeping 12-14 hours a day and didn't feel like eating anything.

[Happy2cruise]

Stairs

Everyone says stairs, stairs, stairs but what about passengers who have mobility issues and are not able to do stairs:confused:

[tetleytea]

That's just a weight-loss question in general; not just cruises. You can't jog, so how do you lose weight. I do, however, believe going downstairs in an attempt to lose weight when the ship is sailing will cause mobility issues sooner. Just a little twisting in the knees will hurt you if repeated enough.

Edited July 21, 2015 by tetleytea