Cruise Eating
Ellitamaria
Posts: 34 Member
Hello!
I am going to be going on a cruise next week (first time) and that means tons and tons of food! Any tips and suggestions on how to make the best choices possible?
I am going to be going on a cruise next week (first time) and that means tons and tons of food! Any tips and suggestions on how to make the best choices possible?
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Replies
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Enjoy yourself.0
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I try and stick to the dining room for the major meals - serving sizes aren't too big..and I try to avoid the fruity alcoholic drinks by the pool or limit them to one a day. Besides that just enjoy! You can get back on track when you get home.0
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To counter that, I would say I found the dining room on the last cruise to have immense portions. I actually ate less at the buffet when people weren't staring at me to choose a starter, main, and dessert (and comvincing me to get dessert every time). I could literally have a little bit of everything, and mostly fruits & veggies.0
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I agree with this. If you follow your calorie goal for 51 weeks out of the year, I see no reason to stress about eating for a vacation. If you are so concerned that not having some kind of plan will actually add stress, then you can follow some very basic tips. Try and eat more protein. Going for a larger portion of protein and cutting down on sides almost always saves on calories. It usually keeps you full longer as well. Just because they offer food 24/7 doesn't mean you need to eat food 24/7. If you usually eat 3 meals a day, try and do that on the cruise. Don't eat 6 just because its offered. When it comes to alcohol, liquor and 0 calorie mixers will help keep the calories in check.Enjoy yourself.
Again though, its 1 week. You are not going to undue a years worth of work in a week so just enjoy yourself. You can worry about food all you like when you get home.0 -
I actually end up losing weight on cruises, even going to the buffet. I actually find the buffet easier because I can control what I eat, and how much I eat. Even in the dining room in the evening, knowing that there isn't a large dining bill coming at the end makes it easier for me to not finish everything. On all of our cruises (we've only been on RC) there are always menu notations on the low calorie/low fat options, even on the dessert menu
Most importantly, have fun, take the stairs and explore all of the ship!!! 0 -
The easiest way is to make sure I keep moving. I will want to indulge a bit, so by using a cheap pedometer I can work on getting 10,000+ steps in a day by exploring the ship. When the ship is docked at a port I am not interested in, I take a long swim in the empty pools. Leaving the ship involves walking and swimming and hiking, even! Go for the active activities! They also have gyms, but I know many people don't have the motivation to work out on vacation (me, that person is me). At dinner, I rotate between the tastiest sounding option of fish, lobster, chicken, veggies, etc.. It is always really tasty! I will have one dessert and one drink a day if I make my steps. I drink lots of water (I pack my own large bottles of water to refill/replace as needed) and wear sunscreen to avoid dehydration. When I am dehydrated, I always crave sodas and sugary drinks. At night they have clubs to go dancing, and interactive entertainment and that keeps you moving, too!0
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Enjoy yourself.
This.
On both of my cruises (both party style, rather than traditional), I would typically eat lunch on the deck where they served pizza and burgers, and I would go to the restaurants for dinner. Typically ate the buffet for breakfast.
Don't feel obligated to eat everything you take or are served. This will keep portions under control and you can enjoy the food.0 -
My husband and I cruise a lot. I usually don't even attempt to log while we're gone. I just try to make good food choices, eat sensible portions, and visit the gym for a 30-60 min workout on the days at sea. I almost always lose or at least maintain. Good luck and have a great vaca!0
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For me I would just enjoy and would try to not go with the whole 24/7 eating, follow my usual eating habits of 3 main meals and an afternoon snack.
But seriously enjoy and don't feel guilty!0 -
Take advantage of the gym and fitness center... plus do a lot of walking (ships are HUGE). I also find that the buffets are better at helping me control things, like portion sizes, as opposed to the dining room.0
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As others said enjoy yourself first and foremost - all that food available is just fabulous, speaking from experience I usually gain 7lbs on a 2 week cruise but in recent years I be a little more mindful, I enjoy everything I just watch portion sizes and came back recently from one with just a 2lb gain. For me personally its hard to lose pounds gained on holiday so I prefer to be more mindful these days. I would say though, if its a one off just enjoy it and you can tackle any gain when you return.
And the dining room is where you get the most fabulous food but in small portions, I never hold back there - its just too wonderful to pass up 0 -
Eat all the food. That's half the fun of a cruise!0
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While it's important for overall health to eat reasonably and get some exercise each day - there is no point to doing that if you aren't going to enjoy your life. Just make reasonable choices but don't worry about it the whole time, it will ruin your trip.
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We cruised in May on Carnival and I maintained. Typically we would do the breakfast and lunch buffets and then dinner in the dining room. The buffets are easy and have lots of healthy choices and never feel the need to eat everything they serve you in the dining room.
We found that we did alot of walking and we limited our drinking to just one or two a day (don't buy the unlimited drink option if you are trying to lose/maintain lol) so even with the occasional late night panini or pizza or ice cream, I still managed to maintain.
And yes the food in the dining room was delicious. I tried several things I normally would have passed on so feel free to try new things.
Just have fun and enjoy your cruise!0 -
I just got back from a cruise. I always took the stairs, never the elevator, and I used the gym facility. My excursions were pretty active. I ate sensibly from the buffet for breakfast and lunch. For supper, I ate in the dining room, had all three courses of whatever I wanted, and I drank like 2-3 beers per day or maybe rum and pineapple juice. I gained maybe three pounds while I was gone, but I was on vacation and needed a break. I got back Saturday and I've already lost two of those pounds.0
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While it's important for overall health to eat reasonably and get some exercise each day - there is no point to doing that if you aren't going to enjoy your life. Just make reasonable choices but don't worry about it the whole time, it will ruin your trip.
This. Enjoy the food. I just came off of a cruise this past Saturday. I was on vacation in Florida for 4 days prior to that. I decided I would enjoy vacation and refocus when I got back. With that being said, I tried to make decent choices....tried. When I got back, I was up 4 pounds. Since then, 2 are off. I am glad I enjoyed vacation and didn't stress my family out because I was stressed over finding the healthiest meals. I am also glad that when my son wanted ice cream at 2am, just he and I, that I went. I did eat frozen yogurt instead, though
Also, not sure which cruise line, but if it's Carnival, at the buffet line near the pool, they will cook you a grilled chicken breast or veggie burger if you ask. Takes 4 minutes. It's written very small on the menu at the front of the line. Happy cruising!
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do walking laps around the boat every day to burn those extra calories off.0
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What cruise line are you taking?
We were on Celebrity in December, and the ship had a breakfast/lunch restaurant geared specifically towards healthy dining - fresh fruit smoothies, poached salmon, etc. It really made a difference in helping avoid the bloat typically associated with cruising.
If you have traditional dining, you also have the option of ordering appetizers as your entrée, or ordering off menu. Our dining menus also indicated which options were of the healthier sort.
Many lines also offer complementary room service, and ordering in for coffee/fruit/poached eggs early in the morning also helped us to keep from overeating when faced with the bacchanalia of treats that is the buffet. Be smart, keep tracking, and don't be afraid to treat yourself occasionally. After all, it is a vacation! 0 -
I went on a 7 day cruise...and after every meal, I walked all the decks which took 40 minutes.Ellitamaria wrote: »Hello!
I am going to be going on a cruise next week (first time) and that means tons and tons of food! Any tips and suggestions on how to make the best choices possible?
I ate most anything I desired, and after 7 days all I gained was 5 pounds.
We had a great time, and I deprived myself of nothing.
Sometimes life is to be lived.
have a great cruse!
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What cruise line are you taking?
We were on Celebrity in December, and the ship had a breakfast/lunch restaurant geared specifically towards healthy dining - fresh fruit smoothies, poached salmon, etc. It really made a difference in helping avoid the bloat typically associated with cruising.
If you have traditional dining, you also have the option of ordering appetizers as your entrée, or ordering off menu. Our dining menus also indicated which options were of the healthier sort.
Many lines also offer complementary room service, and ordering in for coffee/fruit/poached eggs early in the morning also helped us to keep from overeating when faced with the bacchanalia of treats that is the buffet. Be smart, keep tracking, and don't be afraid to treat yourself occasionally. After all, it is a vacation!
Huh? I really do not understand how people can keep tracking while in a cruise?
Is the feeling of oh I'm tracking so I must be doing it ok that works or the fear to see those mfp red numbers, cause I would assume that the rate of inaccuracy would be up in the sky0 -
With 10 cruises under my belt and the next one at the end of the month, this is what I've found helps:
1) When going through the buffet, make a "reconnaissance" first. Walk around and see what's available. Then you'll have an idea of what you want to get once you've picked up your plate.
2) DON'T stack your plate high. The ship isn't going to run out of food while you're sitting at your table. Eat what you want, but get small amounts of it. If you're still hungry or found you really liked something, you can always walk through the line, again. Having to walk through gives you a better chance to assess if you're REALLY hungry, wanting to try new foods (always a good idea), or just bored.
3) Be careful with the alcohol. I'll admit that one of the first things I do when I get on board and I'm waiting for the staterooms to open is get a drink. There are lots of great drinks to try, so go ahead. But it's important to pace yourself because the bars are open most of the day and it's easy to keep consuming those liquid calories. (Plus, your wallet will thank you. Drinks can easily run up to $10 - $13 for the fancier ones.)
4) Try to incorporate some physical activity in your day. The ships I've been on have running tracks on the top decks, and I like to walk a few laps or a mile after my meals and take in the sights and sounds. Walking tours in port are also a way to be active with little effort. If you're feeling particularly gung-ho, you can try more overt fitness activities like gym classes, very physical activities on-shore, etc.
5) Tying in with #4: Use the stairs when you can. You're on vacation. There's no need to rush around. You can afford to take a couple minutes to use the stairs instead of the elevator. Besides, with all the people on the ship who are trying to use them, the elevators aren't necessarily any faster.
This last one is the most important:
6) RELAX.
HAVE FUN.
YOU'RE ON VACATION.
Seriously. Just have fun. In my adult life, cruising is as close to how life was as a carefree kid on summer break as it gets. Make sure you're on the ship on time, dress yourself, and everything else is pretty much taken care of for you. Someone else drives, someone else cleans, someone else cooks, someone else prepares the activities, etc.
If I were to say there was a good time to throw caution to the wind, vacation would be it, and ESPECIALLY cruises. Yes, you might put on some weight. But it won't likely be that much. I've rarely seen the scale move up more than 5 pounds, and I've been on 10-night cruises, before. But the best part is that a cruise is (likely) SO different from your regular life that it will be easy to leave "calorie-heavy" habits on the ship and resume your healthier ones when you get back home.0 -
What cruise line are you taking?
We were on Celebrity in December, and the ship had a breakfast/lunch restaurant geared specifically towards healthy dining - fresh fruit smoothies, poached salmon, etc. It really made a difference in helping avoid the bloat typically associated with cruising.
If you have traditional dining, you also have the option of ordering appetizers as your entrée, or ordering off menu. Our dining menus also indicated which options were of the healthier sort.
Many lines also offer complementary room service, and ordering in for coffee/fruit/poached eggs early in the morning also helped us to keep from overeating when faced with the bacchanalia of treats that is the buffet. Be smart, keep tracking, and don't be afraid to treat yourself occasionally. After all, it is a vacation!
Huh? I really do not understand how people can keep tracking while in a cruise?
Is the feeling of oh I'm tracking so I must be doing it ok that works or the fear to see those mfp red numbers, cause I would assume that the rate of inaccuracy would be up in the sky
I view vacations as a test to see how accurate my visual estimation skills are. I log what I think my portions are (due to a medical condition, I still need to count carbs), base my insulin dosage off the carb count, and then get feedback within 1-4 hours with regards to how accurate I was. If my blood sugar shoots into the 300s an hour after eating, I know I underestimated, while I know I overestimated if my blood sugar drops below target. Once I get home, I wait a few days (to account for water weight) and weigh myself to see again how accurate I was in my logging.0 -
What cruise line are you taking?
We were on Celebrity in December, and the ship had a breakfast/lunch restaurant geared specifically towards healthy dining - fresh fruit smoothies, poached salmon, etc. It really made a difference in helping avoid the bloat typically associated with cruising.
If you have traditional dining, you also have the option of ordering appetizers as your entrée, or ordering off menu. Our dining menus also indicated which options were of the healthier sort.
Many lines also offer complementary room service, and ordering in for coffee/fruit/poached eggs early in the morning also helped us to keep from overeating when faced with the bacchanalia of treats that is the buffet. Be smart, keep tracking, and don't be afraid to treat yourself occasionally. After all, it is a vacation!
Huh? I really do not understand how people can keep tracking while in a cruise?
Is the feeling of oh I'm tracking so I must be doing it ok that works or the fear to see those mfp red numbers, cause I would assume that the rate of inaccuracy would be up in the sky
I view vacations as a test to see how accurate my visual estimation skills are. I log what I think my portions are (due to a medical condition, I still need to count carbs), base my insulin dosage off the carb count, and then get feedback within 1-4 hours with regards to how accurate I was. If my blood sugar shoots into the 300s an hour after eating, I know I underestimated, while I know I overestimated if my blood sugar drops below target. Once I get home, I wait a few days (to account for water weight) and weigh myself to see again how accurate I was in my logging.
I undestand, under your medical circumstances , you've develop habits that totally works for you. I too go with the visual estimation skills not just on vacation but when eating out, I just couldn't see my self logging while on a cruise, I would have a hard time, guess it works just fine for others.0 -
Huh? I really do not understand how people can keep tracking while in a cruise?
Is the feeling of oh I'm tracking so I must be doing it ok that works or the fear to see those mfp red numbers, cause I would assume that the rate of inaccuracy would be up in the sky
It depends on how comfortable you are with the W.A.G. (Wild A**ed Guess) approach. You're right that it's likely to be way off. You don't know how the food was prepared or anything like that, and the only nutrition labels I've ever regularly seen were on the back of the beer bottles.
When I do track, it's more a matter of simply keeping myself conscious of what I'm eating more than any effort to accurately track actual calories.
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Huh? I really do not understand how people can keep tracking while in a cruise?
Is the feeling of oh I'm tracking so I must be doing it ok that works or the fear to see those mfp red numbers, cause I would assume that the rate of inaccuracy would be up in the sky
It depends on how comfortable you are with the W.A.G. (Wild A**ed Guess) approach you are. You're right that it's likely to be way off. You don't know how the food was prepared or anything like that, and the only nutrition labels I've ever seen were on the back of the beer bottles.
When I do track, it's more a matter of simply keeping myself conscious of what I'm eating more than any effort to accurately track actual calories.
Awesome, that makes sense!0 -
This thread is HORRIBLE!
I haven't been on a cruise since 2006. I really wanna go
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What cruise line are you taking?
We were on Celebrity in December, and the ship had a breakfast/lunch restaurant geared specifically towards healthy dining - fresh fruit smoothies, poached salmon, etc. It really made a difference in helping avoid the bloat typically associated with cruising.
If you have traditional dining, you also have the option of ordering appetizers as your entrée, or ordering off menu. Our dining menus also indicated which options were of the healthier sort.
Many lines also offer complementary room service, and ordering in for coffee/fruit/poached eggs early in the morning also helped us to keep from overeating when faced with the bacchanalia of treats that is the buffet. Be smart, keep tracking, and don't be afraid to treat yourself occasionally. After all, it is a vacation!
Huh? I really do not understand how people can keep tracking while in a cruise?
Is the feeling of oh I'm tracking so I must be doing it ok that works or the fear to see those mfp red numbers, cause I would assume that the rate of inaccuracy would be up in the sky
Even estimation is more accurate than not thinking about it at all for most people. Personally, looking at a my vacation lunch and saying "Well, this chicken is probably 400 calories, these vegetables are probably 150, and that sauce is at least another 200, this is likely at least an 800-900 calorie meal" and having that in my head is a lot better than just going hogwild on the buffet and not guessing, because then I can say "Well, I've probably had about 1300 calories already today so I should have a light dinner tonight." It's not perfect but it works a lot better for some people than just pigging out for a week as it at least mitigates some of the caloric damage.0 -
We go on a cruise annually, and I assume between 9 and 16 days of eating fantastically bad food (and likely drinking half of my caloric intake daily), I will gain between three and six pounds. I also know that I can lose that weight in less than two months, and that in exchange for it, I have memories to last a lifetime.
You're on vacation! Make bad decisions--It's what vacations are for. Make good substitutions where feasible, but don't beat yourself up over the guilt of enjoying your vacation.0
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