Upcoming Cruise......

MommaSarabear

OK.....I seriously have some major motivation.....I just found out from my hubby that his work is giving everyone 2 tickets for a 4 day cruise to the BAHAMAS sometime in 2015......He said they are going to section everyone off in groups that will go sometime between April to August. If we end up going in April, I have roughly 4 1/2 months to drop some major weight!!!!!! Hoping we can go closer to August.....August will be our 10 year wedding anniversary and we never got to go on a honeymoon so this trip is PERFECT (plus it will give me a few extra months to drop some more pounds). No more excuses from this girl, I'm getting up every morning to get in some cardio, I'll brave the cold if I have to. I WILL be at least 250 by the time we go on the cruise. My head is seriously spinning right now....I've never been outside the midwest, let alone on a ship in the ocean!!!!!!! So happy and feel like I'm dreaming right now. I know the healthy way of losing is slow and steady but I would like some ideas for some quick ways to drop 10-15 to get me on the right track.... Thanks everyone.

waltcote

For me the first 20-25 pounds was easy. The rest took a little longer or so it seemed so. Yeah I exercised regularly but being very strict on my calorie counts is what I think made the difference. Measuring accurately and not fudging on anything. Just being aware of what goes in my body is what helped me so much. Enjoy the cruise. That will probably be a test in itself.

concordancia

If you are over 250, the first ten pounds probably won't take very long. Some things that will help, though:

-Cut way back on starches and sugars. There are two major ways to do this, which one is best for you depends on your personality. 1) Eliminate all your starches from one meal each day. For example, instead of meat, veg and rice for dinner, just have the meat and veg - use an extra serving of veg to help you fill up. 2) Just cut out all starches and added sugars for a week or two. This can be really hard, but if you have cravings, it can help eliminate them, especially if you cut out fruit for those two weeks, as well. After that, add back in whole grains and fruit, but not for every meal.
-Do NOT worry about going super low fat. Just make sure that most of your added fats are healthy ones, like olive oil, avocado and nuts.
-Get *some* kind of exercise every day, even if it is just 5 minutes. Make that at least 2 sessions of strength training and 2 sessions of stretching each week (I didn't put cardio, because that is what most people think of, that is important to your health, as well).

Finally, when you don't feel like doing it, just remember how much more enjoyable the cruise will be if you can actually join in on the activities. A cruise ship is just a big floating city that you will have to walk around to see the sights. Plus, there are probably shore activities available that will involve walking, if not more strenuous effort. If you can find out the size of the ship, you could use that to set some walking goals for yourself. If you start a program like Couch to 5k, you could even set a goal to jog around the decks.

logg1e

What an amazing piece of luck, you sound very excited (and I don't blame you).

I advise "slow and steady wins the race". Just stick to your calorie goal, day-in, day-out. No need to cut anything out. Eat back half of your exercise calories.

Lasmartchika

WOW A CRUISE, NICE!!

I second what logg1e said... no need to cut anything out, as long as you stick to your calories. Food is not bad at all. I eat ALL my favorite foods and I'm losing weight. Only smaller portions of what I was used to.

Enjoy your cruise... next year!!

middlehaitch

Oh oh a cruise, how exciting. My favorite reason to keep healthy.
I count my calories and exercise just so I can get the most out of my annual cruise. Next one (my 6th) - March, Singapore to Dubai! So excited already.
-
- Strength train, you may get to zip line.
- Swim, or learn to, snorkelling is fun.
- Walk, all those shops in port
- Zumba, be ready to burn the extra calories in the night club.
- Cardio, all those stairs.
- Eat at a calorie deficit now so you can 'sample' all the on board and ashore delights.

It really is worth starting now so you will be in the best shape possible for even an early cruise. You will enjoy it soooo much more if you are able to participate in rather than watch all the fin activities.

Sorry to gush so much, I just love cruising.
Cheers, h.
Oh if you know nothing about cruising check out cruisecritic dot com. It has a great forum covering all kinds of topics including ' loose before you cruise'.