Need MFP Strategy for Cruise (no internet)

I have been using MFP since July and am more than 1/2 way to my goal (yea!). I am taking a 7 day cruise in June where I will not have internet. I know that I can log foods in airplane mode, but I won't be able to look up foods. Being on the ship, I will most certainly eat things that are not in my library of foods. I do plan on splurging (esp on alcohol) but I'd like to keep things under control as well, so it would be really helpful to have a general idea how many calories that fru fru drink has or how bad for me that flan is.

What's the best strategy here? I believe I can access the dining room menus on line, so maybe I should just try to add everything that looks good as best I can? Is there a better way?

Past MFP cruisers, any help you can provide would be great!

Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    IMO.. don't even worry about it. Try to make good choices. By now you should have a decent idea of what has a lot of calories and what doesn't.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Step 1. Don't worry about MFP and enjoy your vacation

    Step 2. There ain't no Step 2.
  • RobinvdM
    RobinvdM Posts: 634 Member
    If you wanted to you could buy a food journal to use for your trip. I use one every summer when I head to the mountains - yay no cell service!!

    Before you go you could contact the cruise people and ask if they have a menu with calories listed, online or other. And if not, then I guess you could look at their menu online and see if anyone's ever logged it on MFP and use those numbers.

    I wouldn't stress too much about it- it's almost guaranteed overload of high cal foods so being hyper alert to how much youve learned yourself so far, and keeping busy while out (yay dancing!) should help you relax and enjoy yourself more :)

    Enjoy!
  • kristieshannon
    kristieshannon Posts: 160 Member
    I'd take a small notebook and track as best I could on paper, just to keep in the accountability habit. Get in some physical activity every day, don't go crazy at the buffets, and have fun! One week isn't going to ruin all your hard work up to this point.
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    I have been using MFP since July and am more than 1/2 way to my goal (yea!). I am taking a 7 day cruise in June where I will not have internet. I know that I can log foods in airplane mode, but I won't be able to look up foods. Being on the ship, I will most certainly eat things that are not in my library of foods. I do plan on splurging (esp on alcohol) but I'd like to keep things under control as well, so it would be really helpful to have a general idea how many calories that fru fru drink has or how bad for me that flan is.

    What's the best strategy here? I believe I can access the dining room menus on line, so maybe I should just try to add everything that looks good as best I can? Is there a better way?

    Past MFP cruisers, any help you can provide would be great!

    Long ethernet cable. Make sure it doesn't get caught in the propellers of the boat.
  • Lorit617
    Lorit617 Posts: 1 Member
    I wouldn't obsess too much about it! Enjoy your vacation, eat half of the dessert! I would limit 1 'fru-fru' drink a day, and stick with water or seltzer with a bit of lime, (extremely refreshing) Swim or walk everyday! 2 laps around the ship in the am and 2 more in the pm. Swim, snorkel! Have a ball! And take lots of pictures!!
  • CindiRPh
    CindiRPh Posts: 4 Member
    Don't diet on a cruise! Yeah, mine leaves in 2 weeks. I went to Vegas and only gained 3 lbs; I think I will survive a 5 day cruise. Those fru fru drinks don't get you far - you could stick with diet coke mixers or lite beer???
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
    I cruise once or twice a year. It's my holiday - I don't log and I eat what I want. The weight gain every single time has been minimal. You see see a spike when you first get back because of water/poop but once you get back into routine, it goes quickly. I come back refreshed and demotivated to count my calories. I don't really do much deliberate exercise, I just take the stairs where possible (elevator phobia) and that's about it.

  • wagnerpe123
    wagnerpe123 Posts: 65 Member
    Thanks everyone! Seems unanimous - take a short break from MFP. Probably for the best. I hate to give up my (what will then be) 300+ day streak, but it's pretty impractical.

    Defininitely only one fru-fru drink a day, but how I do love them!
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
    Thanks everyone! Seems unanimous - take a short break from MFP. Probably for the best. I hate to give up my (what will then be) 300+ day streak, but it's pretty impractical.

    Defininitely only one fru-fru drink a day, but how I do love them!

    When you go back you can ask to have your logging streak restored - I did that when I came back :)
  • wsrep
    wsrep Posts: 20 Member
    I agree with everyone. Just enjoy yourself while on vacation.
  • SolotoCEO
    SolotoCEO Posts: 293 Member
    My cruise strategy - be really, really good the month before and try to drop some extra pounds. Enjoy the cruise, eat as healthy as possible, and when you come home - hit it hard again.
  • EddieP50
    EddieP50 Posts: 192 Member
    As others mentioned, take a notebook with and write everything down. Look at the menu and try to pick things that will be low in calories. I had a business trip at the first of March for a week and eating at restaurants every day. If it is a chain restaurant they have their menu and nutritional data online sometimes. But most of the ones where we ate were local restaurants. I tried to pick what I thought would be healthy and lower in calories and then find something similar from the database to log. In the end I lost 1/2 pound that week where I had been losing an average of 2 pounds per week. But if I hadn't been mindful of my food choices I have no doubt I would have gained weight that week.