Pride Repo - Fun Without Breaking the Scale

[staceyglow]

Hi, everyone! I am a long time lurker, but haven't posted too much until recently. DH and I are Platinum-level Carnival Cruisers who are about to embark the Pride for the 14-day repo from Baltimore to Tampa. This is my first trip report, and I thought I would do something a little different. 

I love cruising, but I don't usually like what the scale says when I get home. DH and I went on our first post-Covid cruise in August, and even though I didn't gorge myself, I managed to gain 7 pounds in 6 days. Given that we have several cruises lined up in the coming months, I knew that keeping that trend up would not be good for my pants size (or my health)! I decided to challenge myself: I want to enjoy this cruise without feeling deprived, but keeping the effect on my waistline to a minimum. 

My basic plan is to find ways of getting exercise that aren't too un-fun, making the healthier choices when deciding among food options, and trying to limit my dessert intake to a bite or two at dinner. 

Feel free to follow along and ask questions, even if they are just about the ship and not about food or exercise. And if you have any tips or suggestions, please share! 

[staceyglow]

Our trip actually started yesterday. I weighed myself in the morning and had some coffee. We flew in the early morning and changed planes at Midway in Chicago. DH and I ate lunch at Harry Caray's in Terminal A. We split a club sandwich and each had a beer. I should mention that I ate the Southwest snack mix on both legs of the flight, along with the tiny bag of Brownie Brittle on the first leg. 

We waited close to an hour to get our luggage at BWI (which reminded me why I never check bags for a trip of less than 8 days). By the time we got to our hotel, it was 9 o'clock, and we were too tired to go out for dinner, so we called it a night. 

This morning we got up and had a very pleasant ten-minute walk to Starbucks, where we each got a coffee and walked back. To be honest, we are both pretty hungry, but we decided to wait until we get on the ship before we get a meal, given that the food at Starbucks isn't all that great and (and we tend to be cheapskates). 

 

 

 

[groundloop]

I'm in the same boat 😁.  Over the past year I've lost around 40 pounds and am struggling to keep it off, much less lose the 20 or so more pounds to get to my ultimate goal.  I had my first post-Covid cruise last month on Magic and came away 3 pounds heavier than when I left, so not horrible - I managed to get rid of that within a couple of weeks after we got home.

 

I also have several future cruises booked, the next two of which will be on Pride out of Tampa (Thanksdgiving and then the Panama Canal in December).

 

 On the previous cruise I just made it a point to take a couple of long walks every day on the ship,  whenever possible I used stairs instead of waiting on the elevator, and for the most part made smart choices at meals.  As much as I craved Chocolate Melting Cake for dessert I usually had something lighter like a fruit plate.

 

I'm probably going to start visiting the fitness center on future cruises and try to get some time on an exercise bike each day.  I'm hoping to get my wife interested in exercising, but am not holding my breath..... it would be a lot easier to stay motivated if she'd visit the fitness center with me, but I'm determined to stay at it with or without her.

 

Good luck with your endeavor.

 

 

[staceyglow]

Thanks! I plan on using a treadmill or exercise bike as well, especially on the many sea days this cruise has. I also am hoping that there is a scale there. 

[staceyglow]

Getting on board was easy peasy! We had a noon boarding time, got to the port about 11:45,and we were on the boat before 12:00.

 

Lunch was from Chopsticks: Salt and Pepper Vegetables, spring roll, and egg drop soup. I ended up not eating the rice I took.

 

I know there is some fried things in my meal, but I have discovered that all calories being equal, I get less hungry if I eat a smaller amount of something with fat in it than a larger portion of a low fat food. 

[my kids mama]

I can totally relate to this.  I lost 40 pounds about 4 or 5 years ago and have kept if off, within a couple of pounds.  Now I am a health coach and help others.  I agree with you that fat will help keep you more satisfied, so will protein.  It's the carbs that will trigger the insulin response in your body.  Try to save your carbs for later in the day.  Remember that carbs aren't just breads, fruits and vegetables are also carbs.  

An omelette for breakfast, or bacon and eggs can be very satisfying.  Protein and veggies for lunch, like a guys burger, no bun and a salad or some veggies from the buffet or the toppings bar. For dinner, there are alway protein veggie choices in the main dining room.  I find that the veggie sides are usually quite small.  Don't hesitate to ask for more than one. For apps you may want to choose a shrimp cocktail if you are tired of salad.  I usually like the stuffed mushrooms as well.  For cocktails, vodka soda or whiskey Diet Pepsi, what ever is your favorite.  Any of the spirits are great as far as carbs go.  be a bit more careful with rum though.  I believe it's a little higher in sugar.   Champagne is a great choice as well.  A dry red wine is moderate, but a sweeter or white wine is pretty high.  Stay away from the daiquiri's and marg's.  Way too high in sugar. 

 

Moving your body is great, but remember weight loss is about 20% movement and 80% what you put in your mouth.  

 

I hope this helps. Have so much fun on your cruise. We will be on the pride in January!

[drafterdw]

I was on the Pride in Sept. and managed to gain nothing . I ordered whatever I wanted but only ate part. The amount depended on how bad it was for me. I also walked the upper deck for 3 miles everyday which is what I walk at home. We leave on the Mardi Gras in a few weeks a I am planning on doing the same thing. Fingers crossed it works again. 

[staceyglow]

Thanks for the tips! 

I just got back from checking out the fitness center - we have been on at least a dozen Carnival cruises and I have never been in one! I was actually pretty impressed - plenty of machines, hot tub, sauna and a steam room.

I was also pleased to see that they had a scale. I know it might not show the identical weight as my home scale, but at least I can see my day to day changes. I am the kind of person who prefers to weigh every day, as opposed to weekly. I don't get sidetracked by normal daily ups and downs, but if I am up several days in a row, I want to know. 

I have had one beer today so far. DH just asked me if wanted another, and I asked for a diet Pepsi instead. Looks like they may have some special Halloween drinks today. Maybe later I can convince DH to buy one and let me have a sip! 😁

[staceyglow]

We are MDR folk when it comes to most meals (especially dinner), so last night I headed there and ordered shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, and the brisket. I ate all of my appetizer and salad, and about half of my entrée. 

 

Because it was Halloween, they had a special cheesecake dessert, which I ordered, but I must confess I ate a bit more than one or two bites). It was delicious. 

 

After I was finished eating, I experienced a sensation I rarely have after an MDR dinner - satisfied, but not stuffed. It felt great. 

 

After dinner we went to the piano bar, and I enjoyed a hard seltzer. We called it an early night. 

 

 

 

 

 

[staceyglow]

This morning we participated in our tradition of "room service coffee as a wake up call". DH had a croissant as well. After we got dressed, I ventured up to the fitness center to try out the scale. Good news - it says that I am six pounds lighter than what my home scale said 3 days ago LOL. It also never settled on an exact weight because of the movement of the ship. I still think it would be valuable to see my day-to-day changes.

We took a few laps around Deck10 - at 3.5 laps to the mile, I estimate that we got about a mile and a half in from walking. I had gotten over 17,000 steps in yesterday. 

We headed to Sea Day Brunch around 9:30,and I decided to try the Salmon Superfood Salad. It was delicious. It had a variety of interesting vegetables and served with a warm dressing. 

 

I also got my complimentary Platinum drink, and I chose a Bloody Mary. 

 

 

Now here is the first hiccup in my healthier eating plan: DH and I attended a cooking demonstration right after brunch, and I had no idea that they would be giving us so much food! We got samples of soup, salad, chicken, mac and cheese potatoes, and tiramisu. Now I am stuffed. Guess I am going to have to take it extra easy at dinner! 

[Rulers Mom]

Weight has been a lifelong battle for me.  I just lost 20lbs of the 40 I picked up since 2019.  

 

I prefer to bring a small travel scale so I can weigh in privately.  You can find them online under portable bathroom scale.  I also avoid the elevators as much as possible.  I eat what I want but try to watch portions.  

 

[Woodfaerie]

I eat 2 satisfying  meals (when I really want 4), never take an elevator and walk laps around the ship as often as possible. (cardio not vacation speed)  I always bring my gym gear but that is usually a big fail as I might make it twice on a 7 day sailing.  I'll gain a solid 2-3 pounds anyway.  (it's the darn desserts ) When I get home, I just get right back into the swing of things!  

[bobbismith]

How is the cruise going?

Bobbi

[fabby50]

Just like most people, we are returning to cruising.  Did our first 5 day a little over a month ago.  A week after we got back, I weighed one pound less than when we left.  Usually, I do the same as you and gain 5 or so pounds per week when cruising so this was monumental for me!

 

I attribute it to a several things:

We did an hour long walk around the panorama deck every day except on port days, when we walked even more.  Never took the elevators, did the stairs.  We were on a mid-ship deck, so it was up 3 to 4 decks or down 3 to 4 decks to do anything.

I tracked what I ate.  This is the first time I've ever been successful doing this.  I always have good intentions, but I never follow through.  The act of writing it down, even if I was unsure of exact calories or portion size, helped keep me accountable.

Except for 1 lunch and 1 dinner, we avoided the buffet.  When I did go, I had a huge green salad with toppings.  Other meals, I ate what was on offer, but frequently left 1/3 to 1/2 of what I was served.

 

Our next holiday is a 17 night stay at an all inclusive - another trip we have been rescheduling for almost 2 years.  We'll see how I do at that!

[Essiesmom]

Gatun Locks.  Unfortunately, you got liquid sunshine today...

 

 

[Essiesmom]

You didn't spend much time in Gatun Lake.  Must have been the weather.  Not fun, but think...if it hadn't been raining, you would have been just as wet from sweating...  EM

 

[jenny368]

Skip the bread and watch drinking your calories.  Works for me.