How much exercise do you do not to gain weight on a cruise?

[cruzin4us]

Do I have to jog like 10 miles a day not to gain weight?

 

Do I just need to walk the stairs?

 

What are your tricks to keep the dreaded weight off???

[Cachecara]

The answers are going to be varied depending on age, sex (gender-not how much you have on the cruise--although I guess that would also fall under exercise :p), metabolism and your starting weight and what you eat/drink and how much.

 

I try to go to the gym 4-5 times during a 7 day cruise and do some type of aerobics for at least 30 mins and usually 45-60. I take the steps 95% of the time while on the cruise, rather than the elevators. I don't find myself depriving myself of any foods/drinks and gained about 5 lbs on each cruise.

 

On my next cruise, I am going to try to reign myself in with the alcohol and desserts--but then I say this each time before I go. That way I won't have to work so hard to get that extra 5 back off once I get home.

[greydog]

Go lite at breakfast and even lunch. Just because everything is laid out for the taking, stay with moderation. PAYOFF: eat, enjoy every morsel at main DR dinner, washed down with nice wine, one or two desserts. quality vs. quantity

 

Go easy with booze outside of meals. Pina colada is about the highest calorie drink.

 

Walk or exercise a full hour a day - we do alot of walking on own in ports to help burn the calories.

 

This practice resulted in only 2 lbs gained over 16 nite transatlantic on Galaxy this May and I never felt deprived. On earliest cruises, it was kid in candy store and gained 5-6 lbs in a week.

 

Bon appetit

[tom_uk]

I try to go to the gym 4-5 times during a 7 day cruise and do some type of aerobics for at least 30 mins and usually 45-60. I take the steps 95% of the time while on the cruise, rather than the elevators. I don't find myself depriving myself of any foods/drinks and gained about 5 lbs on each cruise.

 

Wow.... I'm impressed!

 

I don't do anything especial, and I never go to the gym. We do tend to walk up & down the stairs on board rather than take the lift, and we certainly walk around a lot ashore, for an hour or 90 minutes at a time, typically. The result is that we do add some weight during the cruise, but a week of sensible eating when we get home seems to get rid of it.

 

Oh, and I suppose we do discipline ourselves to not eat huge breakfasts or lunches. That way we really enjoy dinner.

[cruzin4us]

Go lite at breakfast and even lunch. Just because everything is laid out for the taking, stay with moderation. PAYOFF: eat, enjoy every morsel at main DR dinner, washed down with nice wine, one or two desserts. quality vs. quantity

 

In the past, this has been my rule of thumb.......usually breakfast (lox & without the bagel....) not much if anything for lunch and eat what I want for dinner.

 

I found taking the stairs (except for fomal night when my shoes are killing me) is the ticket too.

 

I like the treadmill, but I don't like it if it is too hot in the gym, and I've found that to be the case many times.

 

I'll even do a jog/walk if the weather is condusive.

 

My problem is I just LOVE food :D The dinners are what kill me........

[usha]

We use the stairs instead of the elevators. I also use the "halfway" rule. When the food on my plate is halfway gone, I stop. (DH does not use the halfway rule)

[Tatka]

I don't exersize diring vacation, quick gained weight comes off very fast when you return back to your daily exersize at home.

 

I try to use stairs as often as possible though.

[naked]

Clearly the answer is related to how much you take in.

 

I have never gained a single pound on a cruise. We hit the gym for 60 minutes every day.

[caviargal]

I work out every morning, just as I do at home. Intensely.

 

I will also often take a class in the afternoon so I can enjoy a chunk of cheese for dessert.

 

I do not overeat, no desserts, no sauces, no fats, no foo foo drinks.

 

I stick to my low fat, lean protein regimen and I usually do ok.

[cruzin4us]

caviargal ~ This is why you are probably thin, and this is why my weight ticker doesn't move very much!

 

I wish I had your dicipline!!!!!

[greydog]

I work out every morning...

I do not overeat, no desserts, no sauces, no fats, no foo foo drinks.

 

I stick to my low fat, lean protein regimen .

 

Hey C-gal - I think Paul Prudhomme has put out a contract on you (and M. Roux is chipping in) :eek: - you'll ruin their business. But assuming they miss, you'll probably outlive most of us, so good for you.

 

BTW, a little red wine is supposed to be healthy - some french guy told me that, or was it italian?

[reklawr]

When we cruise, I eat and drink a lot. I don't cruise to eat moderately.

When we get home I eat sensibly, Exercise regulary and drink very seldom.

[caviargal]

Hey C-gal - I think Paul Prudhomme has put out a contract on you (and M. Roux is chipping in) :eek: - you'll ruin their business. But assuming they miss, you'll probably outlive most of us, so good for you.

 

BTW, a little red wine is supposed to be healthy - some french guy told me that, or was it italian?

 

Yes, I forgot to add that red wine of any origin is an important of my personal regimen.:)

 

On a cruise, I do indulge a bit more in the fruit of the vine. Hopefully, the stairs make up for it.

 

cruizin4us: not thin but good for me, a size 8 sometimes 10 but dropped 150 pounds 25 years ago and not willing to go through that again.

[Longboysfan]

Exercise at least 1 hour a day.

20 minutes run.

20 minutes gym - sit ups and weights.

20 minutes swim.

Then hot tub it for a few.

 

Also - no Elevators are to be used.

 

Eat whatever you want.

[cruzin4us]

How big is the jogging track, anyone know?

[naked]

about 14 laps a mile. Not recommened for running any faster that 10/min miles.

[cruzin4us]

about 14 laps a mile. Not recommened for running any faster that 10/min miles.

 

Not too worry, I doubt I run anywhere near 10 min miles....lol

[greydog]

Not too worry, I doubt I run anywhere near 10 min miles....lol

 

Don't forget to 'gross up' your miles. In your 10 mins on track the ship covers about 3.5 miles (so always jog while ships moving, not in port) so you actually cover about 4.5 miles in those ten minutes. And I think its even more if south of the Equator, and if you add in Einstein's "space/time continuum" factor, you're even getting a milli-second younger to boot. So Damn the calories, full speed ahead!

[cruzin4us]

I like you Greydog :)

So in other words, if I cruised for about 2 months straight, I'd probably lose the rest of my weight?

[BocaRoo]

Here's what I do to keep off the lbs.:

 

~ Walk 30 minutes daily around the track at about 6:30 p.m. - not much foot traffic at that hour (we always choose late seating).

 

~ Always take the stairs while on the ship - except on formal nights in very high heels!

 

~ Work out every other day in the gym for approximately 30 minutes. I bring a copy of the workout I do from my local gym.

 

~ Eat 3+ meals each day, but limit the portion size! Have a little of everything you want - just keep the amounts MINIMAL and you'll be fine.

 

This worked well for Kevin & me last April. We enjoyed everything and didn't feel we missed anything. I gained 2.5 lbs. but took it off in about 4 days, so it was really temporary weight.

 

Bon Appétit!

[MBMiner]

I go on 14-day cruises and never use the elevator, sometimes taking considerable effort going from Deck 1 to Deck 11 after returning from port! Also, soon discovered the afternoon teas can be deadly, eating all those goodies an hour or so before dinner. Swore off them long ago!

Bruce

[misha1]

I do the opposite of everyone...I lose 10 pounds before I go and enjoy whatever I please in whatever quantity I want while vacationing. I have never gained more that 6-7 pounds and it seems that I have that gone within 2 or 3 days upon returning home. Must be water weight.

[idssms]

DW jogs 8 miles a day on ship (as she does at home daily) normally very early on upper designated deck.

 

I walk for an hour everyday on the walking deck prob 4+ miles.

 

I still gain weight tho. Wife never gains weight on a cruise.

 

Don

[Jumbie]

Walking an hour/day burns maybe a couple hundred calories (technically kcal but the common term is just to use cal) depending on the speed walked at and the individual's weight. It can range anywhere from 150 cal/hour for an approx 160 lb person walking at around 2 miles/hour to over 400 cal for a 200 lb person walking at 4 miles/hour.

 

Now factor in that 1 pound of weight gained takes an extra 3500 cal and do the math.

 

Of course, every little bit helps and if no exercise was done - the stairs not taken, no walking, etc. even more weight would be gained but it's nuts to me (granted a 26 year old male) that people consume an extra 3500+ calories/day in order to end up gaining 5+ pounds during a 1 week cruise.

[Jumbie]

I have never gained more that 6-7 pounds and it seems that I have that gone within 2 or 3 days upon returning home. Must be water weight.

 

It has to be something. Weight can also fluctuate greatly over the course of a day depending on what you've eaten, if you've umm...gone to the bathroom, time of day, how much sodium is in your system (water retention), etc.

 

It's best to weigh yourself at the same time of day under the same conditions if possible e.g. first thing in the morning after evacuating.

 

Unless you are extremely obese (it's easier to lose weight rapidly when there's a LOT of it to lose) or under a medically supervised very low calorie diet, it's generally not possible to lose that much weight in such a short time. Based on what I posted before with 3500 calories = 1 pound, you'd have to cut around 12000 calories/day to have accurately lost that much weight in only a few days and I highly doubt you're doing that.

 

With the short-term dieting you're presumably doing before your cruise, your assessment of at least some of it being water weight (that was gained once you went on the cruise and started eating normally/in excess again) is probably correct.