Looking for Healthiest Options on Harmony

[letscutitout]

Suggestions for eating healthy on Harmony???? (Besides using common sense)

I do want to enjoy myself but

my diet has gone so well the past 4 months. Woo Hoo!

I'm nervous. Suggestions?

My son said " just don't eat!"

Edited September 22, 2019 by letscutitout

[Ourusualbeach]

12 minutes ago, letscutitout said:

Do you know if Harmony has the Tutti salad bar?

Yes.  Sea days in the MDR

[Ourusualbeach]

Skip the bread and desserts and use the stairs not the elevator.

[crzndeb]

You probably know what is healthy and what isn’t. You probably know that sugar is not. But since you are on a cruise, eat certain things in moderation..if you want a cookie, have a cookie, not 10.

It really is what your body reacts to. Is it calories or is it carbs? One week is not going to kill your diet. Enjoy yourself, and get back on track when you get home.

[Anita Latte]

Hardest to accomplish suggestion...eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full. You don’t have to clean your plate and you don’t have to order every course. And if the wait staff brings you out something you didn’t order...because they are known to bring extras...you are under no obligation to eat it. 

[Yorkvillain]

38 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Skip the bread and desserts and use the stairs not the elevator.

 

This. And skip the soups. 

 

And take advantage of the Harmony’s outstanding gym. 

[Mikew0805]

I find that eating healthy on a cruise is very easy. Everything is made for you, so no bad choices because you are tired from a long work day, etc. I have lost weight on my last 4 cruises. Calories in... Calories out... Everything in moderation, and walk as much as you can. 

[garnetpalmetto]

The Solarium Bistro is also a solid option with some healthier fare.

[Nado44]

Salad bar at the Park Cafe.

Tell your MDR server, "I'll be looking for the healthiest options all week. So please do advise. And no desserts all week. And please don't ask or offer." They'll totally understand and remember.

 

Willpower is also key.

[Mason9]

On 9/21/2019 at 8:36 PM, letscutitout said:

Suggestions for eating healthy on Harmony???? (Besides using common sense)

I do want to enjoy myself but

my diet has gone so well the past 4 months. Woo Hoo!

I'm nervous. Suggestions?

My son said " just don't eat!"

Although there is plenty of temptations on the ship, there are many healthy options Portion control is the key. That and common sense.

[TeeRick]

There are so many dining options and choices on Harmony that it is really up to you to find or order the right foods for your situation and preferences.  Not a problem.  

[3CatsInMA]

On 9/21/2019 at 10:08 PM, garnetpalmetto said:

The Solarium Bistro is also a solid option with some healthier fare.

I agree!  If the menu varied a bit, we could go there almost every night.

[orville99]

DW needs to eat gluten free, and I'm on meds to control my cholesterol, so eating smart is essential. We stay away from anything fried, and gravitate to grilled or baked proteins (fish, chicken, etc) and avoid most things swimming in sauces (lots of salt and hidden fats and starches). DW used to eat the GF desserts until she realized that they were loaded with sugar. even with those limitations, we've never gone hungry (or gained weight) on a cruise.

[Djsmrs]

I had the same concern on my last cruise - I fast until lunchtime - so missing breakfast was easy (just coffee), but before every meal I had a plate-sized salad with no dressing, or a good helping of crudité.     This took away my “must-eat-so-hungry” feeling (which almost always ends up in a bad food choice).    Then after I had finished, I would go get some fish or chicken, and maybe a small bite of something (or 2 or 3) I wouldn’t normally have.  (Mac and cheese is my heaven).  Just enough for a taste.   This way I didn’t feel like I was denying myself.  Skipped desserts and fruit.  Sugar is your enemy.  Mind you - I did have a soft serve froyo on the pool deck most days.  No weight gained on a 9 day cruise.  

 

Oh.  And stairs.  Unless it was more than 12 decks.  (So basically never used an elevator 🤣🤣)

 

Salad is your friend at the start of your meal 🙂.  Bon Voyage

[orville99]

4 minutes ago, Djsmrs said:

I had the same concern on my last cruise - I fast until lunchtime - so missing breakfast was easy (just coffee), but before every meal I had a plate-sized salad with no dressing, or a good helping of crudité.     This took away my “must-eat-so-hungry” feeling (which almost always ends up in a bad food choice).    Then after I had finished, I would go get some fish or chicken, and maybe a small bite of something (or 2 or 3) I wouldn’t normally have.  (Mac and cheese is my heaven).  Just enough for a taste.   This way I didn’t feel like I was denying myself.  Skipped desserts and fruit.  Sugar is your enemy.  Mind you - I did have a soft serve froyo on the pool deck most days.  No weight gained on a 9 day cruise.  

 

Oh.  And stairs.  Unless it was more than 12 decks.  (So basically never used an elevator 🤣🤣)

 

Salad is your friend at the start of your meal 🙂.  Bon Voyage

We go the other way - Hearty breakfast; light lunch; and then a light dinner.

[thrifty99]

On 9/21/2019 at 7:36 PM, letscutitout said:

Suggestions for eating healthy on Harmony???? (Besides using common sense)

I do want to enjoy myself but

my diet has gone so well the past 4 months. Woo Hoo!

I'm nervous. Suggestions?

My son said " just don't eat!"

Are you doing any particular or special diet program (keto, Atkins, etc.)?

 

I have also tried recently to focus on healthier eating while cruising.  Especially since we are beginning to take 3-4 cruises annually.  On a 7-night cruise I would typically gain 5-8 pounds.  On our recent April Harmony cruise this is what I planned and what I actually did:

 

-  Run my morning 5k either in the gym on a treadmill or on the track.  I run 3-5 times a week when at home so I wanted to try and do this daily knowing that I would be eating more.  Actual results... did this 4 of the 7 days so I felt pretty good about this.

 

- Take the Stairs.  If my destination was within 6 flights I would take the stairs.  Actual - I did this all week and took the stairs for even longer flights.  

 

- Skip the free ice cream machine.  It was always a fun perk to get my 1 or 2 ice cream cones daily on the ship but decided to skip it for this cruise.  Actual - did not have any ice cream cones and didn't really miss it.

 

- Avoid temptations.  We typically would go by the Promenade Cafe every day and see what treats were in the case.  Once you get there and see it, hard to resist getting something.  Decided to not even go into the Promenade Cafe.  Actual - did not go once to the cafe and didn't miss it.  

 

- Skip the bread at meals.  Wanted to keep my carbs lower as they tend to be my biggest enemy in my diet.  We asked the waiter at each meal to not bring out any bread so we were not tempted.  Actual - did not have or miss the bread at meals.

 

- Breakfast.  I don't eat breakfast at home usually so wanted to continue that on the cruise.  In the past I would feel like I had to eat breakfast to get my money's worth for the cruise $$ paid.  Actual - did not eat breakfast this cruise, well mostly.  I do enjoy my morning coffee so made a stop each morning to the Diamond Lounge for some coffee.  Twice during the week the donuts in the Diamond Lounge beat me down and I had one.  

Note:  if you do want breakfast, I'd suggest the Solarium as they have a healthier breakfast buffet.  

 

- I wanted to avoid breaded / fried food as much as possible.  Actual - I did pretty good compared to past cruises.  I like the roast beef sandwich at the Park Cafe for lunch.  Decided I would get the beef without the bun.  Still had the great beef flavor and enjoyed this a few times for lunch.  Skipped the chips and if still hungry would get a little salad.  A couple times during the week after a late show we did stop at Sorrento's for pizza.  In the past I would have eaten 2-3 slices.  Limited this to just 1 slice for a late night treat.  

 

- Dinners:  We did a few Specialty dinners and I wanted to enjoy my dinners.  The goal was to cut back a little from my normal dinner eating of past cruises.  In the past if I saw 2 appetizers that looked good, I would get both.  Sometimes we would get 3 desserts between the 2 of us if we were having a hard time deciding.  As already mentioned, also skipped the bread before dinner and tried to avoid any breaded / fried entrees.   Actual - I held to my goals pretty well.  An added benefit was not feeling so bloated sitting in a show after dinner.

 

At the end of the week, we decided this was one of our most enjoyable cruises we had ever taken.  Everything went smoothly and we felt good about ourselves at the end of the week. 

[vacationlover_mn]

On 9/21/2019 at 7:36 PM, letscutitout said:

Suggestions for eating healthy on Harmony???? (Besides using common sense)

I do want to enjoy myself but

my diet has gone so well the past 4 months. Woo Hoo!

I'm nervous. Suggestions?

My son said " just don't eat!"

Actually, one thing that worked well for me 🙂.... a healthy breakfast (I go to the spot where they make your eggs fresh any style, and also grab a piece of toast), and then for every other eating occasion, I just eat till satisfied, not “full”.  If I get hungry later, I grab a snack.  I try anything I want, but don’t feel obligated to clean my plate.  I usually gain maybe a pound, but don’t feel deprived 🙂

[CatlinSTJ]

My husband was diagnosed with type II diabetes a couple of months before our last cruise and we really worried about how things would go following his diet and managing medication onboard.  It turned out not to be a concern as there were so many options.  A typical breakfast included eggs and fruit.  For lunch he would make a salad and add protein of some sort.  Dinner he used common sense, but never went without and usually had a couple bites of a dessert with me. We walked a lot and took the stairs as much as possible.  (He lost about 30 lbs the first few months and was taken off insulin before we cruised, thankfully.)  A little bit of willpower goes a long way, but there are plenty of healthy options available.