Weight Watchers on cruise... Help!!!!

[cruisecop2006]

Anyone have any good ideas on how to go on a cruise and not gain all of my weight back? I have been on Weight Watchers several weeks and i am doing great so far.Going on MOS in a week....Thanks

[flacruiser]

Switch to Core Plan from Flex for the week. Ask the assistant waiter not to offer you bread the entire week at dinner. Wine is less calories than foo foo drinks!

[LAKaye]

There are healthy things available at every meal---you have to make the right choices! You have to be prepared to be strong when faced with huge displays of food, such as in the Windjammer or pool-side buffets.

 

At breakfast you can get skim milk in cartons--take one or two back to your room to get in your dairy. The omelette station guy can make you an Egg Beaters or egg white omelette on a frying pan sprayed with the healthy cooking spray. There is plenty of choices for fresh fruit.

 

Be wise and sensible in the dining room---there are many choices on the menu that can keep you OP.

 

Stay active all day---earn those Ship Shape Dollars and take the stairs whenever you can. The promenade deck on the Mariner is pretty much a wrap promenade---you can get your walking in on this deck at any time of day. The walking/jogging track up above the pool deck is great in the morning, but it can become difficult to deal with if there are many people sunbathing later in the day. The fitness center has fabulous equipment with machines with "how to do it" signs.

 

Go to the Community Bulletin board near guest relations and see if anyone is doing an informal WW meeting during the week.

 

You can totally make this work for you~~

 

Good luck and Bon Voyage!

 

Leslie

[kruzerci]

I've never had to diet really, but one of our tablemates on Mariner was not very large, but she struggled with her weight. She said that she was worried about gaining weight on the cruise, so she just made sure she had somebody with her when she went to the Windjammer to make sure she didn't eat anything that would be fattening or unhealthy, because everything at the buffet was so tempting! Just be careful and you should be fine. If I remember correctly they have weight watchers options on the desert menu, like low fat cheesecake- don't know how they could make that ;) .

[Sheffie]

When you eat, try to eat the fish - they cook a lot of wonderful fish. The sugar-free desserts are good. You can ask for a shrimp cocktail for dinner every night. The veggies are really good. Stay away from those sauces! Take the stairs. It is amazing, but you may even lose weight on the cruise! With all the activity you will be doing, you will be surprised!

[rwillis9]

Well I had been doing a modified version of SouthBeach (still am) and I can truly say I blew it. I was on my honeymoon and at the time taking some medicine for my injured shoulder that made me want to eat like a horse. I gained around 10 pounds. My wife is behind me and she knows to not tempt me like she did last time. I just don't eat a whole lot of bread and eat a lot of whole wheat a grain things. I also did not know that on our cruise I could have asked for grilled chicken, steak, veggies every night. There were a few nights were I just sucked it up and got something that I would never usually get. My wife and I are both making an effort to get out an walk around the ship more and I am going to find my self in the gym some. It always helps to have the person you are with on the same page.

 

You can also post on the loose before you cruise section on here and see if anyone else is going on your cruise. It's great to have the accountability partner.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=149

[telesaps]

Here is what I did - I ALWAYS took the stairs, no matter how many floors. And if relatively few people were using the stairs at the same time as me, I ran up them. I also excercised in the gym the first 5 days or so.

 

Also, I usually ordered the fish entree or the vegetarian entree. I did eat desserts every day, and I didn't really gain any weight. Maybe 1 pound.

 

I, too, struggle with my weight. I am hoping not to overdo it. We are leaving this Sunday on the Freedom!

[DJTexas]

I try to focus on the fact that the cruise is not about food. It's about having fun and relaxing. This truly works for me. I work for Weight Watchers and have to maintain my weight in order to work there. There really are good choices to be made. I also go knowing I might have a little work to do when I get home. I don't want to go wild on the cruise and have a lot to have to work off. A pound or 2 is ok with me. I do take the stairs, try to go to the gym a couple of times and walk the track. Just relax, have a good time. This is another fact of life...we all have to go on cruises! haha

[Tex_Jen]

I, too, struggle with my weight, but have decided that the cruise is not the time to be totally dedicated. Portion control is paramount and take the stairs everywhere. I like active excursions, or, at the very least, walking excursions. Only gained 3 pounds on each of the last 3 cruises and it came off again quite quickly once I got home and back to the usual. I also had the fruity drinks of the day and the regular desserts. Cheesecake is really not that good in the lower calorie version. Tried it the first year when I was trying to be good. One bite and decided I really was too full for dessert anyway. Last year's full fat cheesecake didn't taste any better so I would steer away from that one unless you want to help yourself avoid desserts by getting it.

 

Also, get the salad every night for dinner with your salad dressing on the side and you will limit how much you eat of the entree. Some of the servings are quite large so it can be easy to overindulge unless you use the tricks WW gave you to thwart it.:)

 

Don't forget to "drink enough water to frighten Noah".

 

Enjoy!

 

Jen

[jimbug]

Just remember that your cruise is your vacation - your time to relax and have fun. As a fellow dieter, I know all too well what is like to struggle daily with your weight, but I have made one rule for myself - I eat what I want on a cruise. That doesn't mean I eat the ship out of house and home, but if I want that bearnaise sauce on my steak or that delicious slice of key lime pie, I eat it! Also, I make it a point to be active, whether that be on excursions, or spending a little time in the gym or walking.

 

The reason for this is simple - my very best friend (also a WW fanatic) said her WW leader told her this story...she went on her very first cruise years ago when she was doing Jenny Craig (pre-packaged foods). She took all of those pre-packaged foods on the cruise with her, and was even served them in the dining room. She was absolutely MISERABLE the whole trip because she was so focused on eating those darn Jenny Craig foods, so when she got home, she had a pity-party and pigged out. She gained every bit of the weight she lost that week on the cruise by being "good."

 

As long as you stay active and don't eat twice as much as you should, I believe that it is fine to get back on the bandwagon when you return home. :-)

[KillaFee]

There is another really good thread about this that you should do a search for - it's many pages long and I read the whole thing and got some really great tips!! I joined Jan 4th and have lost 9.4 lbs since, and I'm also really worried about gaining some back while on the Serenade next week!! Again, I got some really great tips on these boards.

Basically, I'm going to stick to rum & diet or "lighter" drinks and tons and tons of water...and just be smart about my decisions. I'm not going to journal while I'm gone but I'll try to make smart choices. I'm a vegetarian, but it doesn't always mean low-fat....all they have to do is add cream (such as a pasta dish or something) and I've blown my points for the day! But my DBF has been following me w/the program and it really helps because when I asked him last night if he was ready for all the yummy food he looked at me and said "no...I'm scared...I don't wanna gain weight!". I thought it was cute. :p . We're also going to walk ALOT and always take the stairs. If I gain 1 or 2, hey, at least WW has taught me how to take it back off!! I also made sure that I have someone from the meeting call me that day to make sure I don't try and skip out of WI the week after the cruise.

I brought this up during my last meeting when the leader asked if any of us have any challenges (food wise) coming up and one of the lifetime members just said "Just think about all the hard work you've done to get where you are and it should be enough to make you think about what decisions to make".

Good luck! I'm right there with ya!

Laura

[IzzBizz's Gran]

Good for you on going to Weight Watchers and trying to keep on program while on the cruise. I too just recently went on a cruise after having reached my goal weight. I've lost a total of 70 pounds over the course of one year with Weight Watchers and I second the suggestion to use the stairs. Also, don't be so hard on yourself while on the cruise. Just try to eat as heathy as possible and remember just because you might slip a little don't give up. Go right back to your regular routine once you get back home and you will be okay.

[QTMichele]

You can do it!!! As several posters stated, keep moving by going to the gym, walking around the ship & ports, taking the stairs, etc. Also, a vacation is a special time and it's hard not to feel "deprived" when everyone else is eating everything in sight. SO... as Tex said, do the portion control thing! Maybe order room service for breakfast most mornings (fruit, cereal, toast, yogurt, etc.) to avoid the temptations of bacon, sausage, biscuits & gravy... When you go to the buffet, limit yourself to ONE plate of food. Period. ENJOY the different selections, but eat smaller portions of the unhealthy ones and larger portions of fruits and veggies. You'll have a wonderful time and you CAN be successful keeping your weight stable on your cruise! :D Good luck!!!

[abridalmaven]

I do not really gain on a cruise, by that I mean other than water weight, which is gone within a day or two. I eat a low carb plan ( for life) the is midway between Atkins and South beach. But with all of the choices on a ship, it is easier than at home and that is because you ask for it, and you have it. I avoid breads ( unless it is a slice of whole grain once in awhile) besides that in my mind wastes carbs (or calories... whichever you count) and concentrate on healthy sources of protein and vegetables ( Potatoes do not qualify in my diet). And I drink like a fish, mostly water, but I also bring sugar free tea concentrates with me. If I eat dessert, it is fruits or the sugar free variety ( and for those of you who think they taste different, just ask the people in my office who polished off all of the homemade cookies I brought in today ... made with almond flour, a little coconut, eggs, stevia and almond oil... no unnatural or processed ingredients). While those suagr free desserts on the ship are not as low carb as my home made ones, it is still less than the fully sugared versions. And I walk more, take stairs and so on. I just drink a glass of wine and avoid fruu-fruu drinks.

 

There will be people who say go off the diet enjoy, but they are not the ones who will be up all night with the acid reflux and the sluggish feelings that returns when I comsume sugar. And then there is the return of the sugar addiction, which I then will have to go into withdrawal when I resume my LC life.

You know you have enjoyed your weight loss, so do not let anyone talk down to you and make light of your accomplishment, just tell the staff what you would like and they will bring it. It is easier than you think. :D

[LisaT734]

I find the Windjammer for lunch can be a difficult place to eat healthy/low calorie. Most entrees are in sauces, gravies, fried or in butter, not much in the way of lean protein choices (sometimes the carved entree is lean, sometimes it's really fatty) Most of the veggies are also in butter or sauces. I'm am an extremely healthy eater and have basically given up on the Windjammer for lunch (breakfast is fine, I get an egg white omelet) I prefer to go to the dining room for lunch. It's a quick lunch (30 minutes and you can wear shorts) and everything is cooked to order so I can get grilled chicken or fish and steamed veggies. I would think as a weight watcher the dining room would give you portion control vs the temptation to load up your plate at the buffet

 

Lisa

[Agilitydog]

Great thread everyone! Thanks so much for all the awesome advice! I'm not on Weight Watchers but am on a pretty intense workout and diet regime, that my friend who does personal training on the side, has set up for me. I'm a Vegetarian too but as the poster above said, that in no way means low cal or low fat, in many instances. I hear that the Vegie food on AOS is often Indian style, which means lots of clarified butter is used.

 

My friend just came home from a Cruise and she had a few tips for me: Again, as someone mentioned above, take the stairs! She said the elevators were really really slow anyway and generally crowded. Don't forget to keep drinking your 8 glasses of water daily and try to book Shore Excursions that are active, as opposed to sitting on a tour bus for 4 hours. Once you get to your port, walk as much as possible. Activity is really the key here. Sign up for a class at the Gym that you've always wanted to try, like Yoga or Pilates. They are geared for beginners and have an extra fee but it's not much. My friend said that they fill up quick though, so sign up early.

 

What has helped me on vacations before is to reward myself with something in place of that cheesecake I passed up at dinner. Buy yourself a little something, splurge for a Spa treatment(too expensive for me but I hear they are wonderful) or have one glass of really good wine instead of a couple of the cheap stuff. And like others said, you're on vacation :) and if you really really want a certain thing let yourself have it. The more you crave something the harder it's going to fight back and you'll just eat other stuff to satisfy it. So have the gorgeous desert but just eat half or skip those after dinner drinks to make up for it. Sigh.. hopefully I can stick to this too but I'm not going to worry. I am soo ready to have fun!!!! 8 weeks to go!:D

[Pomperaugrr]

It is possible to have a great time and lose weight on a cruise. I walk at home once in awhile, but on every cruise, I am sure to walk two miles on the track every morning, while watching the sun come up and the ports getting closer. Take the stairs as much as possible and enjoy only one dessert per day. I have otherwise been able to eat as I normally would and enjoy two cocktails a day. I have lost 3-5 lbs. per cruise doing this. Just stay active and enjoy the "bad" things in moderation. I was on weight watchers during one of these cruises too.

 

Eric

[Suzanne74]

This is a good thread. I agree with abridalmaven who said it is sometimes easier to eat well when the options are prevented in front of you. My main reason I slip on a diet isn't becuase I choose the wrong choices, it is because most fattening, processed high carb foods are the quickest to grab and eat. On a cruise, they offer fresh fruit, veggies, egg beater omlettes, sugar free desserts, fish, etc.... I WISH I had those offerings everyday when my stomach starts to grumble but somehow the snickers in the vending machine seems to be the easiest and quickest thing to find.

 

I do think you should enjoy your cruise and not worry too much. If you get enough exercise and pick some good choices (along with a few bad) you should be fine. If you spend your time figuring out calories, points etc.. it just won't be fun - you are on vacation!!

 

Taking stairs, walk the jogging track during sunrise, take a beach yoga class, take moderately strenuous excursions, pass on bread most nights, eat a salad and shrimp cocktail for predinner selections, pick the veggies over starch, don't drink foo foo drinks all day (maybe limit yourself to 1 or 2 a day) and since there is almost always food available, try and eat 3 small meals instead of just breakfast and lunch. It is better on the body and it might make you less hungry before dinner. I would also do early seating and not late seating. Less calories at night.

 

If you like crystal light, bring their "to go" packets and a case of bottled water. Bring it in a suitcase that you can bring back your souveneirs and extras in.

 

HTH

[misssunshine]

I went on Mariner of the seas after I had lost 40lbs with WW. I went to "kirks boot camp" and several of the step classes and tried to be busy during the 3p.m snack buffet....came back and had stayed the same when I went to weigh in!!!!!GOOD LUCK