Ship Sails Sunday - Scared about weight gain!

laurie62ann

My family and I set sail for a seven day cruise on Sunday. I've worked so hard to lose 60+ pounds. I just love food so so much!!! I'm freakin out about gaining weight. I've packed my running gear and plan on taking the stair all the time.... But the food!! I know it's going to be ever where. Any little tips or suggestions would be helpful. Did I mention there is going to be food.

carriecarrot

Hey

The good thing about all that food on a cruise is that there is usually a ton of variety. Meaning, you should be able to easily find healthy but delicious options. Of course, there are going to be some decadent treats that I can't expect you to stay away from. It's a cruise after all and you're there to enjoy yourself. My advice is to indulge, but try not to indulge every day and at every meal while on the cruise... it can be tempting. But try to mitigate some of the damage by eating healthy sometimes,and indulging in others. Remember, that this is temporary, and even if you do gain a pound or two, your life will return to its normal routine and you will lose the weight again.

dubird

Are you planning a lot of excursions? I know I was a little worried when I went on one, but between the excursions and all the walking we did on the ship, I didn't gain anything. Didn't lose anything, but I figured not gaining was a good enough goal for vacation! XD

bwogilvie

I haven't gone on a cruise, but I have been at work events where there was food from morning to night. My advice:

* Eat three meals a day. Promise yourself that you will not graze outside of those meals. If you have lunch around 12 noon or 1 pm, and then a late dinner, have an afternoon snack if necessary.

* At your meals, eat moderately. If it's a buffet, take a plate, fill it with what seems reasonable, and then don't take seconds. If it's a meal with table service, order reasonable options. Don't deprive yourself; you are on vacation. Have an indulgence if you want. But indulge strategically.

* Don't drink too much booze. It lowers inhibitions, adds calories, and (at least for me) strengthens the munchies the next day. Again, don't deprive yourself, but know your limits.

* Be content if you maintain your weight, or even just if you gain a pound or two. You know that you've taken off over 60 pounds, so if you gain a little bit back, you have the tools and knowledge to lose it again. And don't be shocked if the scale reads more than a couple pounds higher when you get back. If you eat at maintenance or slightly over, your body will replenish its glycogen stores, which will add a little bit of carbs to your muscles but fur times their weight in water will also be stored. Plus the food is probably saltier than your usual diet. The combination means that you can put on several pounds of water weight, which will disappear in the week or two after you get back.

If all that seems too complicated, you can just follow Dr. Yoni Freedhoff's advice in The Diet Fix: ask yourself, "How much of this do I need to eat to feel satisfied?" Then eat that much, but no more.

Have fun!

Lasmartchika

Enjoy your cruise.... you didn't gain 60+ lbs in 7 days before... it won't happen this time. By this time, you already know how to portion control... You'll get back into your groove when you get back. Simple. Enjoy your vacay, DON'T STRESS!!

Ninkyou

I think you need to remember that a 1 week vacation is not going to make you gain 60 lbs back. I mean, at most, you'll come home what? like 3 lbs heavier with *maybe* an additional 5 lbs water weight, which will disappear in a few days.

Don't sweat it. Be mindful of what you're eating, but otherwise enjoy yourself and relax. You're not going to undo all of your work.

arditarose

Hey. I went on a cruise last summer and literally didn't gain an ounce. I was just getting started on weight loss so I wanted to have fun, but really wasn't in the mood to be set back-at all. Here are some things I did/kept in mind

-Worked out in the gym 5 out of 8 days
-Kept busy and on my feet on excursions
-Chose from the "healthy" menu (salmon, steamed veggies, etc) for dinner a few nights a week, but had what I wanted a few nights a week as well.
-I ordered dessert. Sometimes I chose the lighter option, sometimes I chose the most gooey one if it was a favorite.
-If something didn't taste great-I didn't finish it. I it was good, I ate it. If it was freaking amazing, I had two.
-Drank a half bottle of wine every night, but only about 2 cocktails during the day the whole time.
-Smoked salmon and a slice of toast for breakfast Yum.
-Danced
-Filled up on veggies for lunch

I checked my maintenance calories before I left and because I had been logging already, I had a pretty good idea of what it felt like.

arditarose

Also, the food is not that great so...there's that. At least not on Carnival.