A Dieter's Cruise?

[etoile]

Is there such thing as a dieter's cruise?

 

I just returned from a 7-night trip and we were served so much good food. I was chatting about it with some diet buddies elsewhere online, and it occurred to me that it IS possible to maintain a diet while on a cruise - they serve salad at most meals, and you can skip desserts. But then you'd be missing out on part of what you're paying for! Part of the reason a cruise is expensive is because they cook all that fancy food.

 

So that got me thinking...could there be such a thing as a Dieter's Cruise? The food would ALL be low-fat and smart eating (rather than just one or two items per meal) and maybe it would even cost less because they're not serving as much food. Has this been done before?

[Belle]

Would most people go on one?

 

Most ships have a Spa Menu..Low Fat..

Now Carnival has Low-Carb Menus, food

served without potatos and rice ect.

 

We could all be good on a cruise, they offer all the "good"

food we need but there is the TEMPTATIONS of ALL the other

FOOD!

 

Even have a gym for exercising and a track for walking.

Have all the water to drink too....

 

WE could Diet but DO WE? Cruises in our minds our..

 

FUN..SUN..FOOD..DRINKS..ECT!

 

We think it's only a week or two..WE WILL DIET WHEN WE GET BACK!

 

PS There has been cruises with Richard Simmons, think Atkins too..

But it's on a regular cruise with all that food but you follow the guidelines

of the diet and you have people with you in the same "boat"!

[bUU]

This will be our first cruise since we've become fit. (Indeed, it was the photos from the trip on which we took our last cruise that prompted us to get fit in the first place.) Your perspective is of great interest to me (us) since we don't intend on ensuring major fitness-regrets from this trip.

 

Barring injury (I think I broke my toe yesterday, but it seems to be better today, so there is hope I'll be okay by Friday), we plan on getting a LOT of exercise during our upcoming cruise(s). As a matter of fact, we intend, in recent years, now and forever, to make physical activity a major focus of every vacation we take. I suppose if we do another trip like our Egypt tour, it might have to take a back seat, but short of that depth of history, every other vacation shall substantially focus on exercise. Jogging around the deck, the gym, and then physical excursions at every port (snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, more kayaking, etc.) Walking tours instead of bus tours. Walking to beaches instead of cabs. Nothing sedentary.

 

The food is a secondary concern for me, since I feel that it much more in my control (regardless of how consistently I have applied that control). Salads, sure, though salad dressing is hazardous. Fish, fish, fish. No sauces. Fresh veggies, and more fresh veggies. Dessert? Fresh fruit, of course. I might try a bite or two of something rich, but I really would be ill, at least inside, if I ate a whole confection or pastry.

 

I'm paying for a vacation, for a cruise, for a chance to see and do and experience -- not to eat. Y'gotta eat to live, and to have energy to do all the things we want to do, but beyond that, food is a back-seat passenger on our trips. As long as it is relatively well-executed and decently healthy, that's enough. More than that is just a waste, IMHO, since it works against my maintaining my fitness.

[PINEVIEW01]

bicker you have a very healthy attitude toward cruiseing. I have some of those "pre" photos. While after two years I'm still not to "goal", I have managed to drop 80 pounds. I went on a cruise 1/03 I had started my new WOE. I was able to stay mostly on program. Wasn't very active though. Couldn't eveny walk up stairs, had to crawl for muster drill. By my 11/03 cruise I was able to slowly walk up those stairs and was almost 70 pounds liter than in January. I was with my husband on this one and he keep me on Pogram.

 

This year I went with my youngest daughter. We walked NO before cruising but, I was to sedate on that one. This past September I went on a 15 day cruise with my oldest daughter. I was acitve but went off my WOE.

 

I could say a cruise is one week out of the year to eat drink and be merry. But, if I want to cruise as often as I do a cruise can not be a excuse for me to overindulge. My whole life has to be more active. I would do an Atkins cruise and was trying to find one.

[Belle]

It just takes willpower!

 

There's all the food to choose from, we can make the right choices and have lots of the "right" food to eat!

 

There's a gym to workout in. Lots of deck space to walk around. Pools to swim in. Stairs to walk!

 

There's water to drink!

 

We have no excuses!

[etoile]

Belle, I agree with you that we CAN lose on a cruise...but then it's a waste of part of our ticket cost. As I mentioned, part of the cost of a cruise is all the good food they serve. So if you don't eat it, that's a waste of money. I'd rather have a dieter's cruise that costs less because they're not providing rich food! Just my opinion...

[Belle]

Gaining or losing is a personal chocie.

 

My choice is to eat everything..exercise and come back weighing the same as I left.

If that doesn't work, gain only a couple of pounds and lose them in a couple of days..water weight.

 

Everyone has to make the choice for them selves! All I say is Bon Voyage! Have a GREAT time however you choose to eat on your cruise!

 

Maybe the powers that be read the cruise critic and will have a weight loss cruise for the ones that want it!

[etoile]

Now that's a great idea, Belle! I wonder if there are cruise industry people who are reading this thread...

[bUU]

From what I've read, RCI isn't aimed at gourmands -- the food is satisfactory, and for me that's perfect. No sense in investing big bucks in the food (they expend about $10 per day per passenger), when what we really need are great activities and comfortable accommodations.

[etoile]

$10/day, is that all?! It seemed like more! I guess they get a lot of food in bulk.

[bUU]

I guess so. It was interesting: They had to reveal that in their annual report. What a shocker for folks who thought that a good portion of their cruise fare went for food.

[gymbrat33]

I had always wanted to go on a fitness cruise, but they were never scheduled in the summer and holidays when I'm able to take time off since I'm a teacher. The first thing that I found out before booking a cruise was if there was a gym on board. Sure enough there was and I've been on 4 cruises since with a 5th one booked. I always find out whereever I travel if there is a gym at the hotel or close by. On the ship I workout everyday and eat a low fat diet. I don't eat anything fried. I eat chicken and fish. (no red meat) and ask for the dressing on the side for pastas and salads. I do eat chocolate desserts on the cruise, but I do not eat anything fried. I usually gain a pound when I return.

[Sandycruise]

Is there such thing as a dieter's cruise?

 

I just returned from a 7-night trip and we were served so much good food. I was chatting about it with some diet buddies elsewhere online, and it occurred to me that it IS possible to maintain a diet while on a cruise - they serve salad at most meals, and you can skip desserts. But then you'd be missing out on part of what you're paying for! Part of the reason a cruise is expensive is because they cook all that fancy food.

 

So that got me thinking...could there be such a thing as a Dieter's Cruise? The food would ALL be low-fat and smart eating (rather than just one or two items per meal) and maybe it would even cost less because they're not serving as much food. Has this been done before?

 

I know that Yoga Journal puts on a yoga cruise every year, but I suspect they only have a special menu offered for them. I also imagine that alot of them succumb to temptation. I've noticed vegetarian lines and such on the buffet at NCL.

[bUU]

They did a Yoga cruise in March 2004, but I don't see a 2005 cruise mentioned anywhere. I suppose it may not have gone over very well?

 

There is apparently a yoga-oriented cruise in Norway, planned for July 2005, though: http://www.cruisenorway.com/yogaschedule.html

[Cruise Miriam]

Okay, it IS possible to cruise and lose. Some of the original people on this board know that every time I cruise, without fail, I lose weight. My secret? I'm not sure. I sometimes eat two entrees, but unless I can have fresh berries, I don't eat dessert (I don't ever eat them anyway). I think part of it is the sea air and part of it is I think I'm much more active on a cruise -- walking around the ship and ports. I do not use the gym, never have.

 

Getting some sort of exercise seems to be the ticket for most people, whether it's using the stairs instead of the elevator or using the gym.

[Sandycruise]

Okay, it IS possible to cruise and lose. Some of the original people on this board know that every time I cruise, without fail, I lose weight. My secret? I'm not sure. I sometimes eat two entrees, but unless I can have fresh berries, I don't eat dessert (I don't ever eat them anyway). I think part of it is the sea air and part of it is I think I'm much more active on a cruise -- walking around the ship and ports. I do not use the gym, never have.

 

Getting some sort of exercise seems to be the ticket for most people, whether it's using the stairs instead of the elevator or using the gym.

 

WOW! Do you do low carb maybe? That would be the only explanation. I actually found that low carbs can be easy on a cruise if you just set your mind to it. SO many choices!

 

This is a little twisted, but I used to work in a medical rehab.. We had several amputees who would stay as inpatients while learning to use their prosthetics. Well, one meeting we discovered that a patient had lost over 15 pounds in two weeks. We knew he'd lose with all the exercise with the new "leg", but 15 pounds was alarming. Turned out a new nurse had weighed him the first time with his new leg on! The second time he had the leg off because it was bothering him. So, the question for you is...are you possibly leaving something on the ship? :eek:

[Cruise Miriam]

WOW! Do you do low carb maybe? That would be the only explanation. I actually found that low carbs can be easy on a cruise if you just set your mind to it. SO many choices!

 

This is a little twisted, but I used to work in a medical rehab.. We had several amputees who would stay as inpatients while learning to use their prosthetics. Well, one meeting we discovered that a patient had lost over 15 pounds in two weeks. We knew he'd lose with all the exercise with the new "leg", but 15 pounds was alarming. Turned out a new nurse had weighed him the first time with his new leg on! The second time he had the leg off because it was bothering him. So, the question for you is...are you possibly leaving something on the ship? :eek:

Sandy, your post made me laugh, twisted as it was. Yes, I do low carb -- that's my WOE. It is pretty easy.

 

As far as leaving something on the ship? Only a few pounds each time - it's not a lot. The most was five pounds over two weeks. The least amount was two pounds. I do think it's the combination of low carb and moving around more than at home that does it for me.

[Runner Girl]

I've found that since I've started watching what I eat all the time, I now prefer to eat healthier fare and I'll choose it on the cruise. Sure, I indulge some, but I've found that I don't enjoy that overstuffed feeling. I'll enjoy my cruise more if I don't feel like a stuffed sausage with the casing about to burst.

 

Bicker, how about running a marathon in a port of embarkation then boarding the ship for 7 days of celebration? That's what DH and I are doing in New Orleans. The Mardis Gras Marathon will take place at 7:00 am on 2/27. We'll run the marathon and embark on the Conguest that afternoon!

[bUU]

That is impressive, RG!

 

I'm hoping this broken toe heals fully-enough that I can be as physical as I'm hoping to be on our January cruise.

[PINEVIEW01]

That's what DH and I are doing in New Orleans. The Mardis Gras Marathon will take place at 7:00 am on 2/27. We'll run the marathon and embark on the Conguest that afternoon!

You go girl! I'm in Awe. I couldn't even finish a five mile race when I ran.

[BuilderMan]

I've found that since I've started watching what I eat all the time, I now prefer to eat healthier fare and I'll choose it on the cruise. Sure, I indulge some, but I've found that I don't enjoy that overstuffed feeling. I'll enjoy my cruise more if I don't feel like a stuffed sausage with the casing about to burst.

 

That's exactly what DH & I did on our June cruise and have continued to do so (with the exception of Thanksgiving which I have outlined on another thread :eek: ) since we started our WOE. We feel so much better this year than we did at this same time last year. Healthy eating pays off in more ways than one!

 

We also walked and tooked the stairs almost all the time and we worked out in the gym several days too. We came back with "minimal" damage which we lost within about 1 week afterwards. We never deprived ourselves of any treat on the ship, but we made pretty good choices at meal time.

 

I think the key here is to keep moving and make good food choices.

 

Lynn