Eating healthy on a cruise??

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  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    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
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
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    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! :smiley:
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
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    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! :smiley:
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    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
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
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    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
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
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    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
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    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
    dolliesdaughter Posts: 544 Member
    edited May 2015
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    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
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    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
    ericaleefitz Posts: 9 Member
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    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

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