HELP!!!! GOING ON CRUISE

mmpatovisti

I am about to go on a trip for a little bit on a cruise and I need serious tips to not gain weight!!! or at least just maintain

awkwardbae

Just keep up with your calorie intake for weightloss if you want to continue losing or allow yourself to eat a bit more but always in moderation. Most cruises have built in gyms, try using the daily and enjoy your holidays

yarwell

Lots of stairs and decks to walk on.

kgirlhart

Enjoy your cruise. Don't stuff yourself, but eat treats if you want. You will do lots of walking. Always take the stairs. We went on a cruise last summer (before I started on mfp). My husband and I both gained about 3 pounds but it all came back off within a week of getting home. We weren't paying any attention to how much we ate (or drank) either. Just have fun and know that you are on vacation and you will get back on track when you get home.

snickerscharlie

Unless this cruise is months long, I'd say just enjoy yourself and stay active. Have fun!

Nathanae

Don't cruises usually have buffets for food? (haven't been on one) in which case: try to stick to the fruit and veg section of it with lean meat like chicken or lean fish for most of the meals and have the occasional treat if there's something you just can't pass up. After all, you're on holiday! YOu are supposed to enjoy yourself:D (but I would get very panicky because I got so used to trackign everything and I know how badly one can misjudge portion sizes and calories when one has unfamiliar plates and doesn't know how it was prepared... But I know I'm a bit obsessive at the moment and not a good role model ^^") HAVE FUN!!

Serah87

I don't worry about it and just enjoy myself. I usually gain around 3-5 pounds, but it all comes back off less then week after the cruise.

kgirlhart

Nathanae wrote: »

Don't cruises usually have buffets for food? (haven't been on one) in which case: try to stick to the fruit and veg section of it with lean meat like chicken or lean fish for most of the meals and have the occasional treat if there's something you just can't pass up. After all, you're on holiday! YOu are supposed to enjoy yourself:D (but I would get very panicky because I got so used to trackign everything and I know how badly one can misjudge portion sizes and calories when one has unfamiliar plates and doesn't know how it was prepared... But I know I'm a bit obsessive at the moment and not a good role model ^^") HAVE FUN!!

They do have buffets, but we never ate at the buffet. We ate at the dining room or at the deli or there was a Guy's Burgers. There are tons of places to choose to eat. So if you don't want to eat at a buffet you don't have to.

joram172

Same as I did while in Vegas for a trade show last week, I would suspect. Don't go crazy with food and stay active on the ship.

dmariet116

That shouldn't be hard! You will be having so much fun you won't be thinking much about eating! Choose healthy foods when you do eat. Shrimp and seafood steamed, broiled or grilled, grilled meats, poultry, fish, and plenty of healthy salads (skip croutons and sugary dressings). I would limit alcohol to "skinny" cocktails, white wine spritzers or Michelob Ultra if you choose to drink. A few bites of a good Cheddar cheese will fend off a sweet craving fast! Oh, and drink your water!!!

sashayoung72

we went last year, i was down about 50, lost a couple more during the cruise. so much walking and stuff to do!!! There was also the gym and spa on ours. I found that the food on the buffet was OK but nothing to stuff yourself about. The dining rooms have really awesome food but it's very small like portions should be, think european. You'll be fine!

meritage4

use the gym. Use the pools. Be active make good food choices, limit alcohol you will be ok

lorrpb

Portion control is your friend.

tvtechie

I just got back from a 10-day Alaska cruise today and had a wonderful time! My goal/rules were pretty simple. I didn't want to deprive myself of anything and didn't. I balanced that with not stuffing myself, such as not finishing all of my desserts (except for the crème brûlée on 4 nights) or having small portions of many things at the buffet so I could savor all the flavors. My dinners were traditional dining (with the reasonable portion sizes that someone else mentioned). Most of the time, breakfast, lunch and snacks were at the buffet.

I don't drink, so alcohol calories were not an issue, though I did have a few mocktails that I'm sure were full of calories and we took two bottles of a wonderful Muscat Canelli non-alcoholic grape juice to celebrate the trip that I'm sure were very high in sugar. One last thing regarding my food choices, I heard there was a really good pizza place on board - I never went there! I can get pizza anytime! I focused on the things I couldn't get/afford on a regular basis and yes, a large variety of seafood is common on a cruise.

I made a concerted effort to walk, take the stairs and also managed to get in 4 weight workouts on sea days. I kept a simple log of everything (I didn't pay for expensive shipboard internet, so no MFP or any other apps). By simple, I mean I just listed what I ate, with approximate portion sizes (or number of sugar packets in my coffee), in a single file using the iPhone Notes app.

I didn't try to figure out calories or breakdown of carbs, etc. Just creating the list helped me not overdue, though I still had some days with four meals. Typically the extra "snack" was protein or fruits and vegetables, depending on the earlier part of the day.

On the bright side, my iPhone did log all of my steps, distance and flights of stairs. I averaged 36 flights, just over 6 miles and about 13500 steps per day. That may seem like a huge number of flights, but it's only 1 - 2 bottom to top intentional "strolls" up the stairs beyond the normal getting around the ship for activities. As for the steps and distance, I love looking at the sea! Three laps of the Promenade were just over a mile! I did this once or twice most days and enjoyed the beauty of the sights, sounds and smells in the process! Shore excursions came with varying amounts of walking and stairs. When I got back to the ship I looked at my progress for the day and decided how much more I wanted to do on board before retiring for the evening.

As I said, I had a wonderful time! I didn't stress the details. If what I've listed seems overly detailed to you, I'm a TV Engineer, so this is short on details for me - adjust accordingly for you. I just weighed (middle of the day, after lunch on the day I got off the ship) - I'm right where I was before I left for the trip!

Have a wonderful time and enjoy the experience! It is possible to maintain your weight on a cruise!

kiela64

I realize this is old, but as someone who's leaving on a cruise this week, @tvtechie 's post is really useful. Glad I could find it!