BluexMoon

A rough estimate is that you can consume about 2,800 calories to maintain 180-200 pound weight if you are a 40 year old male. This is just sitting around, no exerecise. Lots of variables in here, but that is an estimate. You can debate all day the variety of fad diets out there, but if you have even a remotely balanced diet (i.e., you can't eat 2,800 calories of just snicker's bars), then it is pretty much calories in versus calories out.

 

I track everything that I eat, and I mean everything (I know, I know, perhaps a bit over the top). I normally average about 2,000 calories a day. On the cruise, I averaged 3,300 calories/day, and a good amount of that was from alchohol. I ran around the track 30-45 minutes a day, and used up 310 calories per day on average. I didn't count the stairs, as the exercise associated with that is really insignificant (I only rode the elevator one time -- when I got on the ship with my luggage, going to the 7th floor). So, I ate about 190 calories per day over my stability number of calories. One day, I ate a whopping 4,600 calories (okay, I drank some of those!).

 

Imagine my surprise when I got home to find that I had gained 10 pounds on a 7 day cruise!! Don't ever weigh yourself the day you get home. I weighed myself four days later -- the result? Same weight as when I left. My guess is that the salt content of the food on a cruise causes people to gain tremendous amounts of water.

Alcohol also makes one retain much water.

My 5lbs were real weight gain. I already deducted the 2-4lbs that was gone within 48 hours.

I have a real slow metabolism, so I gain weight very quickly and easily when I veer from my strict eating plan.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not huge, only a size 10 at 5'9", but I have the potential.:eek:

I have no clue how many calories I consume on a cruise, and don't want to know:eek:

As far as weight gained, I gained 5lbs on a 3 night cruise in 00, 5lbs on a 4 night cruise in 03, and 5lbs on an 8 night cruise in 04. So, for me I guess it's not the length of time, I'm just allergic to cruising: it makes me break out in 5lbs of fat.