Weight Gain

[LukeyC]

Does anyone have any tips on how to not gain weight on a cruise?  

Edited December 15, 2019 by LukeyC

[K32682]

The answer how not to gain weight on a cruise is the same as the answer on land:  Eat less, do more. 

[plaz70]

Don't consume more calories then you use.

[davekathy]

31 minutes ago, LukeyC said:

Does anyone have any tips on how to not gain weight on a cruise?  

Moderation when eating or drinking. Discipline yourselves but don't deprive yourself of what you eat and drink.  Use the stairs as much as possible. Do a few early morning laps on the walking/jogging track. 

Edited December 15, 2019 by davekathy

[mom says]

39 minutes ago, LukeyC said:

Does anyone have any tips on how to not gain weight on a cruise?  

As others have said- it's not much different than at home. Watch what you eat and drink. Get lots of exercise. But you may also find (especially if you are a woman), that some of that weight gain is due to fluid retention. Happens me on every cruise. Good news is it's gone in a couple of days after returning home.

[GUT2407]

Eat sensibley just home from an 8 night cruise actually lost a little weight.

[DirtyDawg]

We use the stairs and avoid the elevators. 

[Dixe Lee]

We make a concerted effort to stay well hydrated with water Plain ole water We also eat in moderation and with all the food choices available it is really easy to eat healthy and yet in moderation We use the stairs as much as possible and walk, walk, walk. With the added exercise we don’t feel guilty if we overdo a meal. I usually lose a couple of pounds but have never gained. 

[Kartgv]

We're usually able to limit weight gain to 1-2 pounds, even on longer cruises - it seems after awhile the novelty of constantly available temptations wears off and we eat less as the cruise goes on.   Portion sizes in the dining rooms are not huge and we're pretty disciplined in the buffets.    We also walk much more than at home, drink lots of plain water, and usually stick to less damaging alcoholic drinks such as dry wines and an occasional Martini.

[cb at sea]

Eat as you do at home....don't eat more just because it's available!

 

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, LukeyC said:

Does anyone have any tips on how to not gain weight on a cruise?  

On our last two transAtlantics, we ate two meals a day on seadays -- late breakfast just before buffet closed, and early dinner just after MDR opened (or the time for anytime dining opened anyway). If you drink more alcoholic beverages than you do at home, because no one has to drive (!) -- enjoy one "boat drink" and then switch to something low-carb, maybe "Captain on a Diet". Or if you don't have a taste for Pina Coladas, just still to low-carb drinks all the time. Google is your friend!

 

ETA: also refuse the bread basket and have cheese plate for dessert.

Edited December 15, 2019 by crystalspin

[ldubs]

I eat more on a cruise but I also exercise a lot more.  I make sure I get to the gym every day possible.  

[Joebucks]

The most important thing is to put aside the word "free". Stop over-consuming because something is free or already paid for

 

- Stay away from unlimited drinks. You don't need them, no matter how much of a value you think the drink package is. Your mixed drinks can easily be 200-300 calories each. If you must drink, find some different options. I stick mostly to whiskey. 100 cals each and no sugar.

 

- Be reasonable with your food choices. You can actually enjoy most of the things on the ship without regret as long as you do it in moderation. Don't eat just because it's there. Don't snack all day. For example, I am not a big dessert person, so I don't need dessert with my dinner just because it is there and free. I love a good breakfast burrito, but I don't need to load up with extra hash browns and bacon on the side. I try to minimize eating outside of my normal meals. That doesn't mean I don't have an occasional late-night pizza though.

 

- Use the stairs. I almost always use the stairs unless I need to move like 10 flights at once. For one, I don't want to wait around and cram in elevators with a bunch of other people. For two, it forces me to get at least some exercise which can be hard to dedicate time to when you're on vacation. I probably do about 25 flights a day. Not to mention walking all around the ship all day.

 

- Drink water. My favorite drink in the world is a cold can of Coca Cola. It doesn't mean I need unlimited or to drink a ton of them.

 

My average cruise I gain 0-1 lbs, and I often don't frequent the gym during it either.

[gwblank3]

On 12/14/2019 at 8:26 PM, LukeyC said:

Does anyone have any tips on how to not gain weight on a cruise?  

Skip all other beverages for water and tea. Eat modest portions and don’t eat between meals. Limit desserts. Use a pedometer, iPhone Heath App, or Fitbit to track exercise and set goals. Don’t use elevators. I usually try for a minimum of 10,000 steps and 20 flights of stairs each day. On a big ship, like the QM2, that isn’t difficult. On a smaller one like the Wind Star, I need to consciously use the promenade deck. Choose your cruise line carefully. I avoid buffets, so look for controlled portions. Cunard tends to have moderate portion sizes in the regular dining rooms. On Hurtigruten, they honored and remembered my request for smaller portion sizes. Oceania usually gave portion sizes that were much too large and never customized anything. Windstar cooks are very responsive if you talk to the executive chef, which is easy because they have a limited number of passengers. Princess, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian tended toward a one size fits all approach with excessive portion sizes. Remember that the basic cruise market is “the newlywed, the overfed, and the nearly dead.” The overfed make up a big part of the market, so most cruise lines cater to big appetites. Also, alcohol and soft drinks have lots of empty calories. Note that research has shown that diet soft drinks do not seem to help avoid weight gain. I don’t know how that works.

[George C]

Wife rarely gains weight on cruises, she eats healthy mostly seafood. I gain a few pounds . 

[JOVERNITE]

I'm 100% in agreement with everyones suggestions. One thing that really helped us was to have breakfast in the MDR when available (lunch too if available).You order off a menu and you chat with other cruisers at your table (you sit at whatever table they have or you can ask for a smaller table). Less emphasis on food and more on conversation.  We say no to the bread when offered. 

 

Breakfast in the Oceanview Cafe is a minefield for us.  Way too easy to pick up a croissant or pastry.😉

 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 12/14/2019 at 9:19 PM, DirtyDawg said:

We use the stairs and avoid the elevators. 

At our age 1 maybe 2 decks at most. Knee joints and back problems. But we still try. 

[musicgal]

Well, thinking about your caloric intake while you cruise is not really the approach I would take-  If you want to be at a certain weight after the cruise, lose about 2 to five pounds before you cruise, and enjoy the cuisine on board which you've paid for ahead of time. Five real pounds is about a month of easy dieting.

The other advice is very good.  I think that taking the stairs, limiting your alcohol and sharing desserts (if you are traveling with a spouse) are good ways to minimize weight gain. Another easy way to rev up your metabolism is to soak in a hot tub for 15-20 minutes.  It has the effect of raising the amount of calories you burn for a while after the soak.

 

This article talks about it-  I just copied the title author and date- but you can put that into a search engine and find it pretty easily.   

New Research Suggests Hot Baths Could Boost Your Metabolism

written by

Chloe Burcham

 

Updated Apr 29, 2019

Edited January 21, 2020 by musicgal