Diet strategies

[keltic]

I suppose someone ever thought about it before. I am relatively fit and can keep my weight at bay at home. It´s a bit pointless on a cruise. Is it possible not to gain weight on cruising?. What´s your favourite strategy?. I try not to have carbohydretes, just have cakes once a day, and use the gym daily. Sometimes it´s not enought. I have discovered a natural thing over here (natural and tested) which taken 30 minutes before every meal makes your organism block the 50% of the fat taken.

 

What do you do?.

[Senoj84]

I really don't have a strategy but I'll tell you what I do. I really just eat whatever I want because cruising is the only time of the year that I can really eat what I want without having to worry about the price or whatever else.

 

When I'm on the ship, I do take the stairs (to burn calories) a lot because the elevators are always packed and there is always a line. I also walk around the ship several times during the day and when we stop at ports I make sure I walk and sight see for at least 45 minutes to an hour to burn calories. I did this last year and didn't gain a pound. I didn't know about this my first year of cruising and I did gain about 5 pounds or so.

[SMSACE6]

4 years ago I lost 57 lbs, then over a couple of years I put 25 of those pounds back on. I have been struggling to lose since, or even just to maintain. I dont make excuses for myself though as Im sure the reason I dont lose much anymore is that I no longer do my daily walks. I got lazy. So last year on my cruise, I walked the track daily, several laps, at least once and sometimes twice a day. I have never been a binge eater, and dont do that on a cruise either, however I dont deny myself anything that I want when I am on vacation. So, next week when I go on my next cruise, I will once again, have those treats that I love, but I will walk that track daily, and hope that I can keep from gaining. Last year I actually was down a couple of pounds when I got home!!! So...I say make friends with your walking/jogging track! And for those who like gyms, make use of those too. Im not a gym person! Most of my cruises have been on Carnival, and I can highly recommend their "spa cuisine". They have desserts made with splenda, ( I know some folks dont like splenda ), but I love their diet lemon, orange and coconut cake, and the items on the MDR menu from the lower calorie selections "spa cuisine" dont taste like diet food! JMHO:)

[cb at sea]

I pretty much eat the same way I do at home...I don't "pig out" just because it's there. Small portions of pretty much whatever I want....portion control is really the key. Most folks eat way too much of each item...

[keltic]

I usually exercise on a cruise, but I do love the suggestion of eating small portions. Makes sense. Thanks a lot for all th advises.

[Hlitner]

Diet a bit before your cruise and diet a little after your cruise. But, while you are on a cruise be a wild person and just eat and drink anything you please! Its all part of the fun,

 

Hank

[terigo]

My strategy is to eat whatever the heck I like and make sure I bring 3 different size clothes... for the beginning, the middle, and the end of the cruise, at which time some unkind soul will probably be stamping "Goodyear" on my butt.....

 

Cruising is not dieting time for me.... it is fresh rolls and butter, cream sauces, ice cream in the afternoon, and late night pizza time for me....

Jeez, I think I just gained 5 lbs talking about it! :D

[crewsweeper]

Drink a couple of glasses of water wait waiting in the buffet lines or before you go to the MDR for dinner. Walk past the buffet and pick a couple or 3 things you'd like to try. Take small servings. Take advantage of the fresh fruit at breakfast. If still hungry go back and try something else. In the MDR, use your table mates and pick something different for each so you can sample. Or if there is a dish everyone wants to try, order it for the table. Stop eating when you feel full, like a 7-8 on a scale of 10 with 10 being a large Thanksiving type dinner.

 

Don't even try to count calories. If you're active on shore, keep active on ship, but don't overdo things. You only burn up 6-8 calories walking a flight of stairs and a trip around the largest ship's deck will probably burn less than a 100 calories, so don't even try to con yourself into thinking that walking or taking the stairs justifies an extra dessert. If you want an extra dessert and you're not full, eat one.

[kew852000]

My strategy is to eat a light breakfast and lunch and then enjoy all the tasty and heavier offerings at dinner. For example for breakfast I will eat an egg white omelet and for lunch soup and salad at the buffet. And I work out at least every other day at the gym.

[0hlovely]

On our cruise i was still attending weight watchers meetings.. I maintained the 10 days we were gone :)

 

I didn't deny myself anything.. just used portion control

Use the stairs.. you may be dying at the top.. but it works.

Have the cheese platter instead of the dessert in the MDR ( i actually preferred it)

if you are craving something sweet, get a mini ice cream by the pool!

 

Either way.. you are on vacation. enjoy yourself. worry about it when you get home !

[keltic]

Thank you so much for your kind resposes. It seems that most people who have answered my post go for the "small portions" strategy. Great idea. I tended to eat as much as I liked of my favourite stuff, and then give up some meals, which was at the end pointless.

 

I wouldn´t have any problem concerning to diet and weight if I hadn´t a knee problem in which gaining weight is not a convenient thing.

[keltic]

I am back with 2 pounds less. Well, I will summarize what I did:

 

-No carbohydrates with main meals, just with tea time and breakfast.

-No dessert for lunch (or sometimes sharing it with my girlfriend). Plenty of salads and veggies with fish (something I usually do at home).

-Stick to thee "sugarfree option" for dinner desserts.

-Limited amount of alcohol, but taken everytime I felt like

-Plenty of daily sport options (sometimes just long walks at destinations).

 

I didn´t have to starve or go on diet as I was on holiday, and did. But most important thing was small portions.

 

Thanks anyone to have shared your views about it.

[heidikay]

I am back with 2 pounds less. Well, I will summarize what I did:

 

-No carbohydrates with main meals, just with tea time and breakfast.

-No dessert for lunch (or sometimes sharing it with my girlfriend). Plenty of salads and veggies with fish (something I usually do at home).

-Stick to thee "sugarfree option" for dinner desserts.

-Limited amount of alcohol, but taken everytime I felt like

-Plenty of daily sport options (sometimes just long walks at destinations).

 

I didn´t have to starve or go on diet as I was on holiday, and did. But most important thing was small portions.

 

Thanks anyone to have shared your views about it.

 

Congratulations I think that is awesome.

 

I usually gain but not much. I walk a lot. I try walk laps if it is a sea day. I go to the gym. And I don't over eat. I try to keep most of my eating limited to meal times. I also don't drink much. I'd rather eat my calories.

[marshhawk]

My first cruise with Carnival I was so full the first day, by the time we got to the Bahamas, I was done with food. The elevator system stunk on the Sensation so I did the stairs all the time! On the Legend , we were two decks below the Lido, so I walked up two flights for coffee every night, and for lunch, but since I now am on a somewhat serious diet due to health reasons, I can honestly say that I will stay away from the buffets. MDR forces me to make wiser choices, not load the plate. We are staying on a lower level, so getting to the restaurant and the Lido will be a much longer hike. And yes, I took a great dress for the second formal night on the Legend , and could not fit into it by day 5. ARGHHH! So this time we are really going to remember what I should not eat. Oh I will have dessert, but not the bread and butter, not the seconds I usually used to eat. I have lost 30 pounds in the last 5 months, I do not want to undo what I have done.

[J&DfromTheVillages]

Congrats!!! I've come down a few myself - but not done as well as you! I can understand why you are soooo not wanting to backslide on your cruise. I feel the same way. Exercise alone wasn't enough to keep even on our last cruise, so, this time I'm hoping to incorporate portion control along with lots of water, daily exercise, and limited alcohol. We love cruising and have a 12 day Southern Carribbean and a 14 day River cruise already scheduled in the next few months, so I simply MUST come up with a strategy that works! Good luck to us both!

Judy and Dan from St. Louis:)

[JustinPlusLauren]

I usually try to lose a bit of weight before the cruise since I will tend to put on a few pounds during the cruise! I won't deprive myself of any of the delicious food on board since I'm on vacation! I'll just lose the extra few pounds I put on once I get back home! :)

[bangzoom6877]

I'm a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, but I will admit...when I go away on vacation I go all out with the food. We only go on one vacation a year, so for that small period of time I eat what I want. I had lost 45 pounds on Weight Watchers, and have kept it off for 3 years now. (I joined 4 days after giving birth to my younger son)

 

My mother lost 80 pounds on Weight Watchers. She has kept it off for over 4 years now. She cruises at least once a year, and she tries to make wise choices. She isn't into beef, and she loves fish so she usually orders the fish at dinner. Many times the fish entree is the healthiest entree on the menu anyway. During the day, she'll have either the "light" breakfast offering, or an egg white omelette with lots of veggies, and she gets some fruit to go with her breakfast. She somtimes has 2 or 3 strips of bacon with her omelette too, as she loves bacon very much (who doesn't?!). At lunch, she goes for salad, and any healthy offerings at the buffet. She doesn't eat fried foods (she's not into them anyway). As for drinking, she enjoys herself but she will drink something lower in calories. She won't touch margaritas or daiquiris, too sweet for her. She usually will have either a bloody mary or a glass of wine, one or 2 drinks and that's it. At dinner, she often gets the sugar-free dessert, but she also sometimes gets one of the regular desserts and takes a small taste of it. If it is something she REALLY loves she will eat the whole thing. She doesn't touch the bread basket either. And she stops eating her food when she feels satisfied and still comfortable. She also walks the jogging track every morning. She walks a lot at home for exercise and she likes to do that on vacation too.

 

I eat everything in sight on cruises, I have no self control. The last cruise we went on was in 2006 and I gained 9 pounds on an 8-night cruise! But I ate a lot of baked goods, drank the sweeter drinks like daiquiris and margaritas, and ate dessert all the time. I do exercise on vacation though. On cruise ships I use the gym. In regular hotel rooms we usually book a suite at a hotel) I bring my workout DVDs and our small portable DVD player and work out in the room. On our cruise this coming July on the Explorer of the Seas, I will be bringing my DVDs and small DVD player and use the aerobics room when there aren't any classes going on. I don't think that will be a problem because I will be working out at 6am before my husband and kids are awake. Sometimes on a cruise I try one of the aerobics classes, but I prefer the workouts I normally do at home.

[boopsahoy]

My strategy is to eat whatever the heck I like and make sure I bring 3 different size clothes... for the beginning, the middle, and the end of the cruise, at which time some unkind soul will probably be stamping "Goodyear" on my butt.....

 

Cruising is not dieting time for me.... it is fresh rolls and butter, cream sauces, ice cream in the afternoon, and late night pizza time for me....

Jeez, I think I just gained 5 lbs talking about it! :D

 

HAHA! I always bring "fat pants" for the day I am going home and I wear the tighter stuff in the early days of the cruise!

[bangzoom6877]

HAHA! I always bring "fat pants" for the day I am going home and I wear the tighter stuff in the early days of the cruise!

 

I've actually seen people disembark on the final morning of the cruise, wearing their PJs because "nothing else fits"! ;)

[SMSACE6]

My usual "diet" strategies didnt work for me this last cruise, most likely because I did not follow them. I took the elevator and never once visited the jogging/walking track. While I did not binge eat, I did eat 3 square meals a day, with some occasional snacks (pizza, etc). This time it all came back to "bite me"! 8 day cruise with 2 precruise days in Florida, equalled 7lbs:D. Gone now of course, and yes I think it was worth it.:)

[bangzoom6877]

My usual "diet" strategies didnt work for me this last cruise, most likely because I did not follow them. I took the elevator and never once visited the jogging/walking track. While I did not binge eat, I did eat 3 square meals a day, with some occasional snacks (pizza, etc). This time it all came back to "bite me"! 8 day cruise with 2 precruise days in Florida, equalled 7lbs:D. Gone now of course, and yes I think it was worth it.:)

 

That's what happens to me on vacation...I gain weight, but it comes off quickly after coming home. As long as you go right back to eating healthy again, and correct portions, it should come right off. The main thing is to be able to discipline yourself once you get home.

[pinkmaija]

If it's not anything special, or something that I really want, I'm not going to eat it. Like french fries - I can get those anytime and anywhere, so I am probably not going to eat those. If I really really want some, then I probably would have a few. But only for a taste.

 

I'm not going to "waste" calories/work on pointless, crappy food I can get anywhere. But I'm not going to totally deprive myself, either....if that makes sense. Protein at every meal, veg at lunch & dinner for sure.

[pinkmaija]

Diet a bit before your cruise and diet a little after your cruise. But, while you are on a cruise be a wild person and just eat and drink anything you please! Its all part of the fun,

 

Hank

 

 

That sounds like binging.....eeek

[bangzoom6877]

That sounds like binging.....eeek

 

I feel the same way as you do...I have tried strict dieting in the past before a big vacation, and found that I probably gained more than I would have, if I had just stuck to my normal eating before I left. So I decided no more yo-yo dieting before a big vacation like a cruise. It works out better for me. I still gain some, but not nearly as much as if I "crash-diet" before going.

 

I like to enjoy food on vacation, within reason. I also like to include protein at each meal, and at least one veggie at lunch and dinner, sometimes breakfast too (veggies in an omelette, for example). The bread basket is a big issue for me, and always has been. I am going to try and avoid going overboard with that one on our cruise in July. I also love all the fresh fruit on cruise ships, so I stick to that during the day as well. One thing's for sure...I may gain a few pounds on vacation, but I make sure to get all my fruits and veggies in each day. It's just something I am used to on a daily basis at home, so I do it on vacation too.

[BrytEydBelle]

I have only done one cruise so far, next one in May, and I was terrified I was going to gain weight. I had hit my weight watcher lifetime member status in January and cruised in February, but I managed to actually lose .2 pounds! I definitely wouldn't cruise expecting a loss, but there is no reason one couldn't cruise and maintain or even just gain a pound or something reasonable like that.

 

I took the stairs everywhere and did an hour on the elliptical machine in the gym every morning. For food, I didn't go crazy, but I did definitely eat....a brief description of what I ate:

 

Breakfast: Cereal, eggs, bacon, fruit

Lunch: Fruit, either a slice of pizza or grilled cheese or half the fried fish, usually a cookie to top it off

Dinner: Stuck to Chicken dishes for the most part, fruit appetizers and chocolate melting cake every night for dessert! I didn't eat the entire thing (most nights) but more than half each night.

 

I also had a few fun drinks, pina coladas, etc. and while in port at Key West I had a half of a slice of frozen chocolate covered key lime pie. And I had a few bites at the chocolate buffet..

 

I guess what I am saying is that exercise is your friend! While you can't exercise and have three desserts, an hour of cardio should allot you one dessert. Definitely worth it in my opinion.