Eating healthy on a cruise??

sydkins432

Has anyone attempted this? Are there healthy options besides eating lettuce for 7 straight days?? All I've heard about is chocolate lava cakes and 24 hour pizza. Hoping I can survive!

callsitlikeiseeit

go enjoy. its a vacation. dont worry about it. youll lose it when you get home

ncboiler89

Me? I would say screw and live it up. You paid for it and you only live once. Experience it. Sorry for not answering your question.

ndj1979

enjoy the cruise, try to eat some lighter foods, but have fun and don't worry about it so much...

part of the lifestyle change is learning that it is OK to loosen up around holidays, vacation, etc; it is impossible to always be 100% accurate with tracking...

257_Lag

There certainly are healthy options available everywhere and I might suggest them for breakfast, maybe even lunch but other than that love yourself and enjoy your vacation! Realistically you can't actually do much damage in a week as far as fat goes.

veronicaNY35

I went on a cruise last december and the first day i was trying to eat healthy but then i said screw this i am going to enjoy my vacation and don't worry about it. i had a little of very in moderation and had a great time came back home and didn't even gain one pound. you are very active on the ship and you do a lot of walking. you will be fine just go and have fun

SuggaD

Yes. I cruise a couple times a year and do eat healthy. I also work out every day as usual. There are lots of healthy options. Just have to watch your portions as usual. And don't let the waiters at dinner bring you every dessert on the menu. lol I cruise Carnival and there is always healthy options at every meal.

callsitlikeiseeit

i went on vacation last month and while not a cruise, i still ate all the things, and only gained a pound and a half. it was off the week i came home. go. enjoy. have fun.

and cruises have gyms... and pools and day trips and other activities to help work off food!

YoungIronG

try to survivie! ... there is also a gym on the curise, so at least you have that....
get as much fruit and and take it to your room. empty the mini bar and put it in there. also yogurt and deli meat for the potein

i eat alot of the vegetarian options too. cut down on saturated fat.
you CAN take grilled veggies to go from dinner - they have plate covers! dont be embarrased

24 hr hamburger/hotdog spot- skip the buns and fries.

Krock83

Oh God, I gained 10 lbs on a cruise I went on! Try to combat it with walks around the deck or dancing! I made the mistake of being way too sedentary which was a mistake I wouldn't make again.

Katleskin

One of the main reasons I decided to get my butt in gear and lose weight/get healthy was taking up cruising - the weight would go on and never come off because I was lazy and didn't make an effort to shift it when the holiday was over. My advice - eat what you want, practise a wee bit of moderation (like, don't have 5 ice creams a day, just have 2 or 3 ;-) ) and enjoy yourself. We tend to do a lot of walking in the ports and we make sure to do a few miles a day on the Promenade on sea days. Last summer I put on 4lbs in a fortnight but it soon came off when I got home. Lots of lines offer healthier options (usually indicated by a little symbol on the menus) and common sense will dictate the best choices at the buffets. Don't worry, enjoy yourself - you can't do *that* much damage in 7 days.

Abby2205

I've only been on one cruise (Princess) and there were lots of excellent healthy options at all times. You don't have to eat pizza and lava cakes all the time just because it's there. I did find that the restaurant meals (ie from a menu not buffet) tended to have smaller portion sizes and were served with generous portions of vegetables (of course, you can always order a 2nd and 3rd entree...) I also noted a good selection of proteins (fish, beef, chicken, seafood) at the buffet prepared by lower calorie methods. My mom has been on several on different lines, and she says the food options are similar.

Cristjams

I took a cruise last summer and gained 6 pounds! There's a lot of desserts to tempt you at the buffet style lunch on the Lido decks. My advice is try your best to pick healthy breakfasts and lunches and just enjoy your dining experience. Just watch out for the convenient ice cream cones available 24/7.

ndj1979

Cristjams wrote: »

I took a cruise last summer and gained 6 pounds! There's a lot of desserts to tempt you at the buffet style lunch on the Lido decks. My advice is try your best to pick healthy breakfasts and lunches and just enjoy your dining experience. Just watch out for the convenient ice cream cones available 24/7.

you ate 21000 calories over maintenance...wow!

deaniac83

sydkins432 wrote: »

Has anyone attempted this? Are there healthy options besides eating lettuce for 7 straight days?? All I've heard about is chocolate lava cakes and 24 hour pizza. Hoping I can survive!

Funny you should ask. I returned from a cruise about 2 weeks ago, and it turned out that I actually lost a pound during it. And I wasn't even trying to. I wasn't logging on the cruise (I am NOT paying $70 a day for wifi, thank you), and I was eating what I felt like. Turns out, my body's been retrained. Without even thinking about it, I was picking healthy options: plain yogurt and adding my own fruits to it, eating fruits rather than drinking juice, ordering fish for dinner (Okay, I actually love seafood and fish) and mostly leaving the blab of mashed potatoes on the plate while cleaning up the steamed multicolored veggies. Again, I didn't force myself to do it, it just happened. And to boot, I enjoyed delicious multilayered chocolate cake with a side of vanilla ice cream with each dinner.

But I was also doing a few other things. I almost never took the elevator on the ship. I used the stairs all the time. And I was moving around a lot so I went up and down those stairs multiple times a day. I loved swimming in the ocean when I had the chance. I limited my alcohol intake (two reasons: first, although I have a very high tolerance, I just don't like alcohol that much, and second, the "packages" that are worth it are ridiculously expensive).

It's not like I missed out. I went to on-board shows, danced my heart out at a couple parties, swam in the ocean (did I mention?), hung out with friends, got to see some amazing places.

amayitux

deaniac83 wrote: »

I wasn't logging on the cruise (I am NOT paying $70 a day for wifi, thank you), and I was eating what I felt like. Turns out, my body's been retrained. Without even thinking about it, I was picking healthy options: plain yogurt and adding my own fruits to it, eating fruits rather than drinking juice, ordering fish for dinner (Okay, I actually love seafood and fish) and mostly leaving the blab of mashed potatoes on the plate while cleaning up the steamed multicolored veggies. Again, I didn't force myself to do it, it just happened. And to boot, I enjoyed delicious multilayered chocolate cake with a side of vanilla ice cream with each dinner.

But I was also doing a few other things. I almost never took the elevator on the ship. I used the stairs all the time. And I was moving around a lot so I went up and down those stairs multiple times a day. I loved swimming in the ocean when I had the chance. I limited my alcohol intake (two reasons: first, although I have a very high tolerance, I just don't like alcohol that much, and second, the "packages" that are worth it are ridiculously expensive).

This is what I aim for, a change of habits & a change of mindset. Thanks showing us it can be done.

arditarose

I didn't log on my cruise but I had my maintenance calories in my head.

Honestly, the buffet food kind of stinks so eat your veggies then. There are some "healthy" options on the menu for dinner with less calories, salmon, etc. I chose from a those a few nights, but also ate what I wanted a few nights. I drank, but only a few glasses of wine per day. Some of the desserts weren't great, so I didn't finish them. But some were great so I ate them all up. I also worked out about 5 out of the 8 days in the gym and did a few excursions that kept me quite active. No weight gain or loss.

Resolve2B

Hi! I went on my first cruise on March aboard the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas. I found it super easy to maintain healthy eating patterns because the food choices were so broad! I just ate as I would at home...saying "no" to the breads, pastas and desserts (ok...once in awhile I'd eat a half portion of a dessert if it looked amazing) and filling my plate with meat and veggies preceded by a salad. I still had a couple of glasses of wine in the evening.

Just make a decision ahead of time about how you want to eat and stick to it! Have fun!

TimothyFish

I've never been on a cruise, so I can't speak to the food options, but I'm beginning to doubt this idea that every time you go on vacation or over the holidays you should "enjoy it." If enjoying it means overeating, I think you're setting yourself up for weight gain. It would be better to learn to enjoy eating in moderation and putting in a sufficient amount of exercise.

Alidecker

I went on a cruise and there are tons of options. I tired to eat within reason, but I did enjoy myself and eat the desserts, higher calorie items and drank alcohol. I also stayed active, walking a lot and I took advantage of the gym most mornings. I ended up gaining 1.5 pounds during the week, which came off within a couple days after returning home. I say enjoy yourself,I sure did!

Lois_1989

I loved the fact that all the fruit and salad was prepared for you! No chopping up or peeling. I would go crazy on the fruit and salad, but not stop yourself from the indulgent bits. It was the unlimited cookies EVERYWHERE that put me over my calories. And maybe the alcohol. lol

MonkeyMel21

Anytime I was in the cafeteria area and heading back to my room, I snagged a couple of pieces of fruit, so I'd always have a healthy snack option. Other than that, I mostly ate what I wanted. I was also a little sea sick so I wasn't super hungry very often, lol. I did get two appetizers at dinner each night because they were all so good and exotic, lol, but they were tiny, tiny, servings so it wasn't that bad.

wkwebby

If you are truly scared of putting on too much weight, you can do the dining room area seating for meals instead of the buffet where it is way too easy to overindulge. Then just order like you would in a restaurant. They are really good about the portions in the dining room so you don't have to be conscious about that (one less thing to worry about). I say save your calories for some alcohol!

wkwebby

If you are truly scared of putting on too much weight, you can do the dining room area seating for meals instead of the buffet where it is way too easy to overindulge. Then just order like you would in a restaurant. They are really good about the portions in the dining room so you don't have to be conscious about that (one less thing to worry about). I say save your calories for some alcohol!

jemhh

I've never been on a cruise but I always thought that there were lots of buffets on them. It seems like you should be able to make balanced choices that will allow you to enjoy plenty of treats throughout the week.

We went to Disney (not a cruise) last fall. I didn't track my food and while I certainly ate plenty of stuff that I don't eat during my everyday life, I found that after a couple of days the novelty of having dessert with every meal had worn off. I gained 4 pounds while I was there (lots of cornbread + sweets = carbed up) but that weight was gone within less than a week. I'd say relax and enjoy yourself.

MakePeasNotWar

I have been on a couple of cruises and the key for me was staying active. I chose the hiking/bicycling/snorkelling excursions over the shopping tours and spent beach days swimming in the ocean. It was fantastic!

They also had a decent gym and a running track on the ship, which I used on at sea days.

Asher_Ethan

I think they have a salad buffet as well. Eat a big salad before you splurge on anything so you doing over do it!

leggup

I lost weight on my last cruise. I ate at a buffet every day for lunch and had a seated dinner in the evening. The biggest thing for me was trying a teeensy bit of everything at the buffet before committing to what I wanted to eat. That way I didn't get a huge plate of subpar pasta that I ate because it was there. Also, I didn't drink crazy sugarbomb drinks every day. Those blended drinks can easily be 500+ calories with alcohol. I focused on trying everything and keeping portions reasonable once I found things I liked. I found the seated dinners to actually be normal human portions.

I also started off every day with 15-30 minutes of cardio in the gym. Our ship's gym was beautiful. Starting off the day getting my heart going kept me making good decisions the rest of the day. I also did all of the active things on the ship: water slides, shore excursions (so much walking), rock wall, dance parties, swimming.

dolliesdaughter

What worked for me is that I have 1 drink or 1 dessert per day, not both. Didn't eat between meals. Also, if you only eat 2 meals per day, don't change. Participate in all activities. I do 7 day cruises with 3 stops usually and I snorkle at all stops or do site seeing. I do not eat at any of the stops (never had the traveler runs). On sea days do 2-3 miles on treadmill. Other than that, I enjoyed myself, I journaled my food, but I didn't count my calories. I was particular about what I ate because I did not want to write a lot.

I cruise every winter and have returned home with an extra 2-3 lbs and within a week that is gone, just water retention.

BTW I stayed at an all inclusive resort last summer and came home 3 lbs lighter, following the above. Similar to cruise, FOOD FOOD EVERYWHERE 24 HOURS A DAY. I didn't drink alcohol at all.

RGv2

ndj1979 wrote: »

Cristjams wrote: »

I took a cruise last summer and gained 6 pounds! There's a lot of desserts to tempt you at the buffet style lunch on the Lido decks. My advice is try your best to pick healthy breakfasts and lunches and just enjoy your dining experience. Just watch out for the convenient ice cream cones available 24/7.

you ate 21000 calories over maintenance...wow!

I gained 8lbs on a 7 day cruise........of course it was almost all water weight and I was back to my pre-vacation weight within 4 days of being home, but that shouldn't et in the way of a good story.

OP, go on vacation and enjoy it. 90% of the weight your will gain will be from water retention.

ericaleefitz

Lol.... I made the mistake of getting the drink package and eating terribly.. Because I convinced myself it was vacation and I could relax... I gained 12 lbs .. Totally because I was to lax I knew better and was way disappointed in myself .. I was drinking long islands all day and ordering cheese burgers and pizza room service after 3am.. Did I have a blast .. Yes!!! However I will NEVER be so mindless on vacation again lol... Have fun enjoy it and just pay attention to what you are putting on your mouth