Dining Healthy on DCL

[zenjenn]

I am in weight loss mode and I do not want our cruise vacation to mess it up. In the past, vacations have been a key turning point in my weight control efforts, making me "fall off the wagon" in a way that unfortunately continues after I return from travel. I'm determined to enjoy myself on this trip and NOT sabotage the success I have had.

 

I've Googled DCL menus but so far I haven't found anything about nutritional content or reviews from a health-conscious perspective.

 

I would really like to plan in advance what I am going to order and have the calories pre-calculated as much as possible. I understand it is travel and I can't control everything in advance, but as much as possible would be nice. I also still want to enjoy my food and choose some nice meals with healthy but tasty options (even an occasional dessert if it falls within my calorie allowance.)

 

I know it may seem a little OCD to those of you without food issues, but for me it is not as simple as just following the dining out advice of nutritionists. I either overeat, or get overwhelmed looking at the menu and undereat by ordering undressed salad greens and a few ounces of chicken and do not enjoy my dining experience. My best experiences eating out healthy are when I know what I can order and plan in advance and can enjoy something nice, confident that it is part of my plan.

 

Any resources anyone knows of? We will be on the Disney Wonder, btw.

[ducklite]

None of the menus offer nutritional values, but if you've been watching what you eat and measuring portions for a while now you are probably good at eyeballing portions and knowing what the calories and fat for them are.

 

The menus are all online, so you can get a good idea in advance.

 

You can always order grilled chicken or fish and steamed veggies and ask them to hold all starches. Order safe appetizers like shrimp cocktail. Skip dessert, and splurge with that little piece of chocolate left on your pillow.

[Shmoo here]

I am in weight loss mode and I do not want our cruise vacation to mess it up. In the past, vacations have been a key turning point in my weight control efforts, making me "fall off the wagon" in a way that unfortunately continues after I return from travel. I'm determined to enjoy myself on this trip and NOT sabotage the success I have had.

 

I've Googled DCL menus but so far I haven't found anything about nutritional content or reviews from a health-conscious perspective.

 

I would really like to plan in advance what I am going to order and have the calories pre-calculated as much as possible. I understand it is travel and I can't control everything in advance, but as much as possible would be nice. I also still want to enjoy my food and choose some nice meals with healthy but tasty options (even an occasional dessert if it falls within my calorie allowance.)

 

I know it may seem a little OCD to those of you without food issues, but for me it is not as simple as just following the dining out advice of nutritionists. I either overeat, or get overwhelmed looking at the menu and undereat by ordering undressed salad greens and a few ounces of chicken and do not enjoy my dining experience. My best experiences eating out healthy are when I know what I can order and plan in advance and can enjoy something nice, confident that it is part of my plan.

 

Any resources anyone knows of? We will be on the Disney Wonder, btw.

 

You can request a special diet (low sodium, low fat, gluten-free, etc) at DCL. In that case, you will meet with the chef and your head waiter the first day to set up your eating program.

 

:)

[zenjenn]

Oh I can DO that? That is fantastic! Do I have to set up an appointment or do I just talk to my server my first eating? (This is my first cruise.)

 

I am good at eyeballing portions but I have issues with food. I can portion control while cooking but I struggle if it is on my plate. And often those "lighter choice" menu options in restaurants make me skeptical - turns out they are 600 calories instead of 1200 while I aim for 300-500 calorie meals. I know in the past I have guesstimated restaurant meals and have been WAY off when I check their web site when I get home - the sauce was deceptive, they cook with a ton of butter, etc.

 

So I could, for example, tell the chef-water to limit meat portions to 3-4 oz, cook without butter, replace all starchy sides with steamed veggies, and no more than 1-2 tbs of sauces? Or is that an insane request?

[Shmoo here]

Oh I can DO that? That is fantastic! Do I have to set up an appointment or do I just talk to my server my first eating? (This is my first cruise.)

 

I am good at eyeballing portions but I have issues with food. I can portion control while cooking but I struggle if it is on my plate. And often those "lighter choice" menu options in restaurants make me skeptical - turns out they are 600 calories instead of 1200 while I aim for 300-500 calorie meals. I know in the past I have guesstimated restaurant meals and have been WAY off when I check their web site when I get home - the sauce was deceptive, they cook with a ton of butter, etc.

 

So I could, for example, tell the chef-water to limit meat portions to 3-4 oz, cook without butter, replace all starchy sides with steamed veggies, and no more than 1-2 tbs of sauces? Or is that an insane request?

 

I don't know first hand how it actually works.

 

On our Med cruise we had a gentleman at our table, I don't know what his diet situation was, but every night they would bring out the the next evenings menu and go over it with him to preorder (in case anything could be adjusted from the way it was usually prepared so he could have it). Almost every night he had steamed veggies instead of whatever was on the menu.

 

:)

[OceanLiner]

Oh I can DO that? That is fantastic! Do I have to set up an appointment or do I just talk to my server my first eating? (This is my first cruise.)

 

I am good at eyeballing portions but I have issues with food. I can portion control while cooking but I struggle if it is on my plate. And often those "lighter choice" menu options in restaurants make me skeptical - turns out they are 600 calories instead of 1200 while I aim for 300-500 calorie meals. I know in the past I have guesstimated restaurant meals and have been WAY off when I check their web site when I get home - the sauce was deceptive, they cook with a ton of butter, etc.

 

So I could, for example, tell the chef-water to limit meat portions to 3-4 oz, cook without butter, replace all starchy sides with steamed veggies, and no more than 1-2 tbs of sauces? Or is that an insane request?

 

You should be able to get this without a problem, so don't worry to much about this issue, but you will need to wait until you are on the ship to really get the results that you want. Communicate that you are looking for "spa" cuisine. Also, BEWARE that there is food everywhere and route yourself away from the buffet areas. My other tip is to watch out for lunch and the buffet, and have a portioned lunch in the main dining room.

[ducklite]

I'm not sure that they will be able to give you the actual portion sizes you request, but they will be happy to give you a "small piece" of meat or fish. They will gladly leave off all the starches, put sauces on the side, etc.

[TOlson70]

The menus on the Magic had a section that featured healthy choices as well. I actually lost a pound on our cruise in January, I didn't go nuts eating but I didn't watch it real close, it was all the walking I did while on the ship that helped me!

[zenjenn]

The menus on the Magic had a section that featured healthy choices as well. I actually lost a pound on our cruise in January, I didn't go nuts eating but I didn't watch it real close, it was all the walking I did while on the ship that helped me!

 

Last time I went to Disney World.. we ate like pigs. PIGS! My mother treated us to the Deluxe Dining Plan.. oh my. I wasn't calorie-counting at that point and pretty much ate whatever the heck I wanted. I fully expected a 5 lb weight gain at least after our week-long trip.

 

Yet, I did not gain a pound. Usually I'd at least see a scale change just due to water-retention from high-sodium restaurant dining, if nothing else! I can only attribute it to the immense amount of walking I did (I am a WDW fiend, I do all the Fastpast runs, etc, so my feet pounded that pavement a LOT!)

 

Cruise activity can't possibly be equal to a WDW trip, though. :o

 

I was considering whether I'd be active enough where strictly ordering the "lighter selection" choices and letting it go at that would be sufficient. I looked over all the menus and every restaurant has a lighter selection option that I would enjoy.

[TOlson70]

I can't sit still while on board, especially on sea days. I was walking miles a day on the ship, and then on port days, even more. You are right, not close to the walking you do at a WDW trip.

[Host Mick]

You can request a special diet (low sodium, low fat, gluten-free, etc) at DCL. In that case, you will meet with the chef and your head waiter the first day to set up your eating program.

 

:)

 

My wife learned a simple trick. She orders "heart healthy" and in restaurants that understand it, they put sauces on the side, cook with less oil and reduce or eliminate salt. She then can salt it herself and control the sauce portions. I don't know if they use that specific term aboard the Wonder but I'd like to find out.

 

I'm a power tourist also. I go to WDW with my touring plans and a packed schedule. I eat reasonably and with the miles of walking and limited snacking can usually break even on the weight. The ships are the same. Food is everywhere but the activity level is higher compared to my desk-jockey lifestyle.

[Leo41]

I have weight issues and have learned to deal with cruises, but my advice is not to rely on the staff but to be pro-active yourself.

 

I, too, count calories, and I'm pretty good at estimating. The portions are usually small, so that's not a problem, but the meals in the dining room tend to have a lot of rich sauces, so you might be better off ordering from the 'light' menu--there's a choice of chicken, salmon, or steak every night--unless you see an entree that looks OK--I usually find a few of those on every cruise.

 

The real problem is the temptation of the abundance of delicious food all around you, especially at the buffets. You just have to deal with it if you want to control your weight.

 

That's what I've done on our cruises, and I've never regretted it. I've also dined in Palo and had the occasional dessert. I just focus on making good choices .

[wdw1972]

In January I did a 10-night cruise after getting serious about losing weight in late December. Like you, the last thing I wanted to do was derail my progress. So, I watched what I ate....I indulged (reasonable portions) in those things I truly loved but otherwise skipped bread/butter, desserts, snacks, etc. I drank more water than wine, too <g>. I also BRISKLY walked 5 miles every morning....very fast pace. Bottom line, I enjoyed my cruise immensely and didn't gain a pound (didn't lose anything either).

 

Bottom line, it comes down to the choices you make....limiting your calories to a reasonable/healthy level and increasing your activity (calorie burning).

 

Sue/WDW1972

Noordam 11/16/12

Ryndam 3/3/13

DCL Dream 11/10/13

[chipmaster]

Dining Healthy as eating low fat, low salt, low meat diet?

 

Or, dining healthy in the sense of not eating too much :D You are going on a cruise where food is all you can eat from morning to night :eek:

 

One lifelong habit to try is to learn to eat in moderation, difficult with the supersize everything and especially on the ship where you can have seconds of everything. Take many European or even some in the Far East, their diet actually is high in fat, sauces or other things we would call unhealthy but they eat in moderation and seem to do fine till the American mindset of supersizing decended... :D

[RainyJ]

My doctor gave me some tips to help with my weight loss goals during our upcoming cruise. She told me to use the smaller plates in the buffet, like salad plates instead of bigger dinner plates. She also told me to take advantage of any fitness classes offered onboard. She wants me to try one new class each day to mix it up and keep it fun.

 

Good luck :)