Maintaining weight on a cruise?

[sunnydaze]

Is it even possible to maintain weight on a cruise?

 

So - we all know to walk everywhere - no elevators.

Go to the gym every sea day. Walk laps around the deck.

Drink tons of water.

Don't go to breakfast - order fruit from room service (so I don't attack the cinnamon buns);)

 

Any other ideas? Then there's the bloating from the salt + sea air.

[sherilyn70]

Of course it's possible... just don't change your normal eating habbits. It's that simple. :)

[Nalagh]

Is it even possible to maintain weight on a cruise?

 

So - we all know to walk everywhere - no elevators.

Go to the gym every sea day. Walk laps around the deck.

Drink tons of water.

Don't go to breakfast - order fruit from room service (so I don't attack the cinnamon buns);)

 

Any other ideas? Then there's the bloating from the salt + sea air.

 

Just a few more ideas

 

Order dressing on the side

ask for half dinner portions and small cuts of meat

drink water between each course

if you drink wine Chablis has the fewest cals.

[Hulalovestocruise]

:rolleyes: You are most likely eating more but is it possible your exercise has increased? I know I get more exercise on a cruise, we walk when we get to ports, we dance at night, our shore excursions are physical ones, we swim on sea days. Go to the gym and walk the track. At home I work so I am lucky to get an hour at the gym on most days.:)

[smaverick1]

Keeping to your normal eating habits is the best advice if your trying to maintain your current weight. A couple of things that helped me were to load up on veggies and keep an eye on empty calories.

 

At the buffet, half my plate was salad (easy on the dressing). The other thing was to watch what I drink. A couple of cokes or fruity bar drinks is easily the equivalent of dessert. Wine or simple drinks are more waistline friendly than a piña colada or the sugar laden drink of the day. And don't skip dessert. Depriving yourself leads to disaster.

 

If you make good food choices and factor in the increased physical activity from walking around the ship or in port, it's possible to come home lighter than you left. Enjoy your trip!

[Chigirlcruzin]

Of course it's possible... just don't change your normal eating habbits. It's that simple. :)

 

That is not possible. I can't get my whole grain products, the variety of fruits and veggies I normally keep at home, etc. I can't control how food is prepared...I don't know the sodium, butter, oil, etc. I know that no matter how healthy something appears, it's not going to be as "clean" as if I prepared it at home. The sodium in the food is what kills me.

[sherilyn70]

That is not possible. I can't get my whole grain products, the variety of fruits and veggies I normally keep at home, etc. I can't control how food is prepared...I don't know the sodium, butter, oil, etc. I know that no matter how healthy something appears, it's not going to be as "clean" as if I prepared it at home. The sodium in the food is what kills me.

 

I guess it depends on the ship, but I found it completely possible on both Carnival and Royal Caribbean to get whole grain products, fresh fruit and veggies and low calorie spa items. If sodium is what kills you then drink lots of water and once you get home it will flush right back out but you will not have gained weight.

[Northerncheapo]

I did not gain an ounce on our last cruise by doing everything that you already said: no elevator EVER (and we were on the 11th floor), exercised 40 minutes everyday, drank lots of water, walked alot in port and was sensible about my eating. On our line, the calories and fat are actually posted under each appetizer and entree so it made it easy for me to keep track. And, I always order sauces/dressing on the side.

 

If you are in doubt because you can't control how the food is made (trust me, I feel your pain), I suggest an extra 30-60 minutes of exercise a day as a buffer. OR if you don't want to work longer, work HARDER...jog instead of walk or do some exercise machine that burns more calories in a shorter amount of time.

 

Good luck!

[Chigirlcruzin]

I guess it depends on the ship, but I found it completely possible on both Carnival and Royal Caribbean to get whole grain products, fresh fruit and veggies and low calorie spa items. If sodium is what kills you then drink lots of water and once you get home it will flush right back out but you will not have gained weight.

 

Where have you been able to find whole grains on Carnival? I am on Carnival in a few weeks, and I would love to be able to eat whole grains. 12 CCL cruises and I never noticed whole grains. There are plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, just not the variety I keep on hand. Most of the spa items are fish, and I'm highly allergic. I drink a ton of water on the cruise, but I still tend to blow up. It's so annoying.

 

I work out 13 hours a week at home. I only do 60-90 min a day on the ship because I have other things I want to do :) I only take the stairs. Not only is it some exercise, it's often faster, even in my 4-5" heels :)

[2girls2]

It is possible to cruise with minimal weight gain. I followed the advice given on this board. I maintained my eating habits, i.e., no skipping meals, healthy breakfast. I worked out everyday, used the stairs and weighed in every other day in the gym. On the last day, I allowed myself to indulge in some of the treats. Walked away 2 lbs. up, all gone within a week back home; likely water weight gain.

 

I drank mojitos, cosmos and red wine during the cruise. I had the best escargot with french bread to mop up the butter, yum!! I did not feel deprived. It is indeed doable.

[ncovert]

Is it even possible to maintain weight on a cruise?

 

So - we all know to walk everywhere - no elevators.

Go to the gym every sea day. Walk laps around the deck.

Drink tons of water.

Don't go to breakfast - order fruit from room service (so I don't attack the cinnamon buns);)

 

Any other ideas? Then there's the bloating from the salt + sea air.

 

Yes it is possible!!!

 

DW and I went in January and lost 4 pounds each. I cannot speak for other lines but Carnival has several selections for lower cal options. We did not indulge on the pizza or ice cream stations. The hard thing is so many people around are indulging themselves. To date (28 weeks) DW and I have dropped 227 pounds and we are faced with indulgence every day, but have found strength in changing our out look on food and habits of health.

[sunnydaze]

Well - we did a back to back and I'm happy to report that I only gained a couple of lbs in bloating and water weight. Ankles are swollen fr the long flight home. I think walking for hours at every port is what did it. This is the smallest weight gain on any cruise and we were away for a month! I am thrilled, and motivated to lose a few more lbs now. Cruising without gaining iS possible. I ate what I wanted, but exercised it off. It's really quite simple - you need to burn off what you eat - or you'll gain.

[Keith1010]

Order smaller portions and take less than you think you can eat.

 

And just like sipping wine, eat slowly and enjoy each mouthful.

 

Keith

[kimala]

I once went on a 10 day cruise and only gained 3 Lbs. My in laws and hubby each gained 8-10 Lbs. What I did was go to the spa at least 6 of the 10 days and do a very short routine...I would do 20 minutes on the tread mill or the stepper then I would do 10 minutes in the sauna and reward myself with a nice shower in the spa locker room...In my situation this worked well because my hubby likes to sleep in in the AM and I'm conditioned cause of work to get up by 7 ish...so I'd grab the nearest cup of joe and do my spa routine then be back in the room in time to wake hubby up and have Breakfast together. Another thing I did was choose the sugar free desert most nights...I also couldn't resist the ranger cookies on RCL so I would break it in half and give half to the hubby...Hmmm could that be why he gained 10 Lbs????

[FromSJU]

Glad to hear from others experiences. I recently lost 80 pounds and want to keep them off during my upcoming cruise!!!! I plan to stick to the stairs, spa cuisine, and water as much as possible and save indulgences for things I would truly not be able to find at home. And I will also keep in mind there will always be a next cruise where I can eat whatever I don't try this time around :). I will also try to stick to my daily half hour on the treadmill and weigh myself regularly which keeps me in check.

[emmtee]

Keep in mind that water weight isn't the same as fat. If you're up 5 lbs when you get home from your cruise, but you've lost the 5 lbs a few days later, you didn't really gain.

 

I don't get to cruise that much, so I want to enjoy every bit of it. To me, part of the enjoyment I get from a cruise is the food. I'm on vacation, and I don't worry about anything - including calories.

 

However, if I could cruise as much as I wanted, I'd have to rethink things. I'd use the same strategies for the cruise that I used to use for holiday meals back when I was on WW. Don't waste calories on foods you can eat all the time at home. Buffet food on the ship is generally no better than buffet food back home. (The fresh fruit at breakfast is really good, though, and a nice hot cereal would fill you up so you're not so hungry at lunchtime.) The pizza isn't anything special. The same goes for the ice cream.

 

In the MDR: First of all, I'd skip the rolls. And, as much as I love Caesar salad, I'd choose a garden salad with low fat dressing or dressing on the side. I'd stick to clear soups over cream soups. Entrees are the star of the meal, so I'd get whatever I really wanted. I love dessert, so that's another area where I'd splurge and get what I really wanted. On the cruises I've been on, the portions aren't all that large, so there's no need to limit yourself to a half portion. In any case, the kitchen can't really accommodate special requests. You might ask your server to pick the smallest portion, but if you ask for a half portion, your server will likely be dividing it himself and discarding half.

 

One last thing - Women especially are people-pleasers and we've all been trained since we were little kids that we should eat what is put in front of us and clean our plates. That's fine if you're at a dinner party with a set menu and don't want to offend the hostess/cook. But when we're on a cruise with more yummy food than we can possibly eat, we need to adjust our thinking. Every calorie counts, so every calorie should be enjoyed. Sometimes things look better than they actually taste. If you try something and don't like it, don't eat it. Don't worry about offending the waiter. He'll be happy to bring you something else.