Scared of Gaining Weight..HELP!

[kkecu2006]

Hello Everyone! Glad I found this sight...you all are fantastic! I am sailing on NOV 22, on the Eurodam...and I have never successfully gone on a cruise without gaining weight. Does anyone know anything about healthy food choices onboard? I know Carnival has "low calorie" options...does HAL?

 

Thanks so much!!

 

:) Kelly

[haligonian37]

My best advice is to eat what you want, enjoy your cruise......and most importantly, make use of the wrap around promenade deck! A friend of mine has successfully lost weight (totally inadvertently) on every cruise she has been on by talking the stairs instead of the elevator and making use of the wonderful promenade deck. It is one of my favourite things to do while on board......even in Alaska!

[rpjkw11]

I've never gained weight on a cruise and have actually lost a couple of pounds at times. My 'system' is as suggested by haligonian37. I love ships and I spend the better part of the first few days exploring, which means lots of walking around, besides doing 'laps' on the Promenade deck. I never use the elevator when I have less than 6 or 7 decks to traverse; either direction. While DW and our cruising buddies bemoan the weight they gain, I seek cover and smugly relate my weight status.

 

Bob

[mamaofami]

When we went on our first cruise, I heard some people getting off the ship talking about how they had gained 10 pounds and I vowed that would never happen to me.

Just watch what you eat. For breakfast, we always order room service so I don't have to deal with the vast array of temptations. For lunch, there is always a salad bar in the Lido and you can add some protein to your sald and use oil and vinegar. Stay away from the pizza and ice cream in the afternoon, but don't forget to sample the bread pudding. A little goes a long way. The main dining room has grilled chicken and salmon on the menu every night. You can also have a salad. I order fresh fruit for dessert and have no trouble getting it, even if it's not on the menu for dessert. Sometimes it's there for an appetizer and they bring me that. However, with all that, there are some desserts that I do try. Just a few spoonfuls if I'm careful. It's really possible not to over eat. Just relax, enjoy, and walk.

[PathfinderEss]

Eat like you do at home and then go to the gym. You actually could loose weigh.

[sail7seas]

HAL offers all the fresh fruit and veggies you could want.

They have high fiber cereal for breakfast with low fat and skim milk.

The make eggs and omelettes to order.

They have wonderful salad bars at lunch.

There is always a fish choice, a grilled chicken choice, a veggie burger.

No need for any special menu IMO...... it is all about personal self control and good choices.

They serve heart healthy choices.

They have sugar free desserts.

ETC

ETC

 

It is up to each person to make good choices. Absolutely no one will force you to eat anything you do not want and there is no reason you need to gain weight.

 

 

 

 

 

[Marie321]

I had a series of 4 strokes last January and I have 100% of my left carotid artery blocked. I now have to be really careful about what I eat--low fat, low salt. I dropped 30 pounds and I still want to lose 25 more.

 

I did cruise over the summer. Every menu, there were choices I could make that were within my personal guidelines. As a previous posted said, I ate chicken and salmon, no sauces or butter. For breakfast, I went the oatmeal and fruit route. I love the fresh fruit offerings. For lunch, I also enjoyed the toasted sandwich bar where I could specify the type of sandwich and veggies I wanted and I bypassed the chips and got fruit instead. We ordered fruit for our room.

 

Rather than taking the elevator, I used the stairs. Notice the different art pieces in all the stairwells on your way up or down. We walked a lot on excursions (we were in Alaska). We made use of the promonade.

 

I came home with no weight gain. I felt healthy and proud of myself. I don't drink, so there was no change there for me.

 

I think you have to make a major mind change and don't take the attitude of feeling "deprived" for eating healthy. Rather, feel "empowered and proud" for eating healthy. Enjoy the wonderful service and the joy of getting out of town and exploring new areas with a loved one rather than making the eating experience the goal. Be glad your health is such that you CAN cruise, and make it your goal to stay that way. I don't agree with other posters who say to "Just eat whatever you want and enjoy your cruise." That attitude can do some people a lot of damage.

[OTRlady]

I am diabetic and also have a high risk of heart disease, so I need to control both carbs and fat--especially saturated fat. While this is always a struggle, I have found our cruises to be the easiest times and places to stick to what's good for me.

 

There are always salads, fresh fruits and vegetables, vegetarian dishes, etc. to choose from. Since you have control over your day, you can schedule extra exercise if you just want to try a dessert or two. For me, it's about balancing the food, my activities, sleep time, and strangely enough, my attitude throughout the day.

 

We cruise for 2-3 weeks at a time, and I have never gained weight on a cruise. On a Panama Canal cruise a few years ago, I actually lost 12 lbs. If I have difficulty losing weight, it's not the cruise lines' fault, it's what I do between cruises.

 

You should have no trouble maintaining your weight on a cruise if you want to, and no need to fear cruising because of the food.

 

Go for it!

[sail7seas]

I love fruit and veggies but sometimes get tired of all the prep.....all the cutting up of fruit and all the trimming, washing and preparing/cooking pounds and pounds of veggies each week.

 

What a treat to be aboard and the wonderful HAL chefs do all of that for me. All I have to do is ask for/help myself to the wonderful selections of fresh fruits and veggies. That is all part of enjoying my cruise to the fullest.

 

To choose what I like from the salad bar that I didn't have to bring home from the grocery store, clean and prep...... just eat and enjoy. :)

 

[CowPrincess]

IIRC, there's a "spa" choice each night in the dining room. There are also sugar-free dessert options in the Lido buffet (with a sign). We find we walk a lot on board, use the stairs ALL the time, and eat no more than we would at home, generally. We haven't gained weight, though I do understand that not everyone's metabolism is the same. And yes, yes, yes to all the fruit and veggies that are available.

[jcrandle]

You could also check the daily programs and see if in addition to a "Friends of Bill W" meeting, they offer a "Friends of Richard Simmons" session!

[the_dylaness]

I am so impressed with everyone on this board that maintains (or even LOSES!) on a cruise. My thoughts are this... I've never lost weight on any of my 5 cruises (all were a week except one was 12 days) but I've never gained more than 3 pounds or so. I think it depends a LOT on what your normal eating habits and activity levels at home are... for example...

 

situation 1: someone who gets average exercise, average american diet, eats out a few times a week

 

situation 2: someone who eats out less frequently, cooks almost everything they eat, eats low fat as the default, exercises pretty regularly

 

If you send person 1 to a cruise ship where there are lots of active shore excursions, promenade deck, stairs to walk and similar foods (ok well more desserts!) to what they would have at home PLUS lots of fresh fruits already washed and cut up, they seem likely to lose. If you send person 2 who probably gets more exercise at home than on the ship and the food is heavier than their normal cooking, they are going to have a hard time maintaining.

 

I certainly do not mean to imply that those who maintain or lose have unhealthy habits at home but just that how your cruise compares to your normal life can make it hard to maintain or lose if it's much richer than what you're used to. I am really jealous of all those who come back SKINNIER! (And yes I always take the stairs unless I'm in heels on formal night!)

[kryos]

Hello Everyone! Glad I found this sight...you all are fantastic! I am sailing on NOV 22, on the Eurodam...and I have never successfully gone on a cruise without gaining weight. Does anyone know anything about healthy food choices onboard? I know Carnival has "low calorie" options...does HAL?

Yes, HAL has many, many healthy choices. But my advice? Don't eat like there's no tomorrow onboard, and you won't gain weight. I never do and believe me, I don't diet ... don't deny myself anything I want onboard. I just eat sparingly and when I am full, I stop. Period.

 

For breakfast on most days I had the same thing I have at home ... a bowl of cereal ... either cooked or dry, with some milk and fruit on top. Lunch I usually skip. Why? Because I'm not hungry. Dinner I eat what I want, but don't stuff myself. The result? Well, I just returned from a 40-day vacation (4-day Carnival cruise and a 35-day HAL cruise) and I LOST about 7 pounds. And, I denied myself NOTHING. I just didn't try to eat everything in sight. Believe me, it works ... and you feel better too.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

You could also check the daily programs and see if in addition to a "Friends of Bill W" meeting, they offer a "Friends of Richard Simmons" session!

LOL ... all kidding aside, though, I'm surprised the cruise lines don't offer something like this ... a group of people who get together each morning on deck for some exercise. Sounds like an activity that would go over pretty big on a HAL cruise.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[coho ken]

People over eat on a cruise because it is all paid for up front! :p

[sail7seas]

Yes, HAL has many, many healthy choices. But my advice? Don't eat like there's no tomorrow onboard, and you won't gain weight. I never do and believe me, I don't diet ... don't deny myself anything I want onboard. I just eat sparingly and when I am full, I stop. Period.

 

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Rita...... Not fair to say that to someone, especially someone you don't know.

 

Everyone metabolizes their food differently. Everyone burns their calories differently.

 

What you can and cannot eat to maintain your weight is individual to you and no one else.

Some of us have to be very much more careful about what we eat than what you describe.

 

We are all different and hopefully most of us know our own bodies and our limits and boundaries.

[Pam in CA]

I have never gained weight on a cruise -- and have never denied myself or felt I was denying myself. My "trick" is to try everything but finish only what is really, really good and not feel guilty about leaving food on my plate. I also stop eating when I feel no longer hungry, not when the plate is clean or I'm stuffed. At dinner, I order an appetizer (usually something like a shrimp cocktail), soup, salad, entree and dessert (usually a sherbet or a few spoonfuls of ice cream). During the day, I eat lots of salad, adding veggies on the top, and perhaps an entree if it looks good. I stay away from the pizza and cheesy pastas, often getting something from the Asian side such as a satay or stir-fried chicken. Again, I finish only what is very good (to me.)

 

I'm not big on exercise but I do always walk down stairs instead of taking the elevator.

 

On my Prinsendam cruise, I saw people in the buffet with three plates filled with food and they were literally two-fisting food into their mouths. I have no doubt that they waddled off the ship a couple of sizes larger than they boarded.

 

To maintain or lose weight on a cruise, just use common sense: finish only what's great and stop eating when you're no longer hungry -- kind of like a pleasant fullness without feeling stuffed.

[O2B@C]

There was another recent thread on this issue that had a lot of good tips in it. Many have been repeated here, but you might want to check it out:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=873816

 

Good luck - and enjoy your cruise!

[kryos]

Rita...... Not fair to say that to someone, especially someone you don't know.

I never told the OP what to eat. I just said don't eat like there's no tomorrow. Then I offered an example of what I typically ate. I never said the OP should follow my eating style. That's my style ... what's comfortable for me.

 

Of course, we all have to follow medical directives with regard to our food choices, that's a given. All I am saying is that we don't have to deny ourselves good meal choices at the risk of gaining weight.

 

I think I ate pretty healthy on my last cruise. Sure, I "splurged" and had some things I probably shouldn't have. But the point of my post is that it is entirely possible to go on a cruise without gaining weight if you just "think" before shoving something in your mouth. I think that advice would apply to everyone, regardless of medically-necessary dietary restrictions, don't you?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[luxurysailer]

The key to not gaining weight is self restraint, which is not equivalent to total self denial. Moderation in all things will enable you to eat sensibly and not gain weight.

[Cranberry Seas]

Rita...... Not fair to say that to someone, especially someone you don't know.

 

Everyone metabolizes their food differently. Everyone burns their calories differently.

 

It's hard to hear for many people, but countless double-blind clinical studies have shown that, while there are certainly differences in metabolic rate in humans, they are not statistically significant. There is only about a 100 calorie per week difference in "metabolism" between thin people and obese ones. This includes persons who believe their obesity is due to thyroid problems.

 

100 or so calories per week only amounts to about 1/3 of an average donut. That is not, in all truthfullness, the difference between what obese people cosume per week, versus non-obese.

 

Simple formula for not gaining wait on a cruise? Don't eat more calories than you burn off.

[fun*n*sun]

It's hard to hear for many people, but countless double-blind clinical studies have shown that, while there are certainly differences in metabolic rate in humans, they are not statistically significant. There is only about a 100 calorie per week difference in "metabolism" between thin people and obese ones. This includes persons who believe their obesity is due to thyroid problems.

 

100 or so calories per week only amounts to about 1/3 of an average donut. That is not, in all truthfulness, the difference between what obese people consume per week, versus non-obese.

 

Simple formula for not gaining wait on a cruise? Don't eat more calories than you burn off.

 

I'm sure you didn't mean to be insulting but people with thyroid problems don't just "believe" they have them, they do. I do. There are blood tests that test the level of thyroid hormones, and those of us with low thyroid must take replacement hormones every day for many health reasons including, but not limited to, weight.

 

I have had my battles with weight and have maintained a healthy weight during most of my life, but I have to work at it. I have friends, one I've had since highschool, who have never have to give their weight a thought and eat whatever they want, don't excercise and manage to stay very slim. There are many many studies showing many many things about weight, many of them coming to exact opposite conclusions. People's hunger levels, enjoyment of food, genetics, hormonal balances, ability to exercise due to medical problems. life experiences and many other things effect weight.

 

Yes the best way is to maintain your weight is not eat more calories than you burn, but assuming that everyone has the same experience you do, that you know how they perceive hunger and appetite, what their life has been like and assuming that they are just greedy or lack self control is very condescending. Some people who stay naturally slim feel they are somehow superior to those who don't or who have to work at it, I guess I'm lucky that my friends aren't like that.

[Cranberry Seas]

Some people who stay naturally slim (snip)

There is really no such thing as "naturally slim". People who are not overweight are people who don't eat more calories than they burn.

 

I personally dont know anyone over 30 who doesn't work damn hard at staying fit.

[yankeejim]

I will be on the same cruise....Join me for a 3k walk on the promanode(sp) on sea days. Walk tour Old San Juan, snorkle at turks and St Thomas, you won't gain any body fat.

[Pam in CA]

There is really no such thing as "naturally slim". People who are not overweight are people who don't eat more calories than they burn.

 

I personally dont know anyone over 30 who doesn't work damn hard at staying fit.

I disagree. I know people whose metabolism is such that they don't gain weight easily. Obviously, anyone who consistently overeats is going to gain weight but there are some people who are able to eat at levels that the rest of us can't. Maybe because their metabolism makes them naturally more active but whatever it is, there are some people who just don't gain weight pretty much no matter what.

 

As for me, I'm well over 30 (try more than double 30) and I don't work damn hard at staying fit. I'm healthy, happy and still lose weight every time I'm on a cruise. :)