Cruises

clayelliott847

I am going on a 7 day Caribean Cruise after Thanksgiving. Any suggestions for eating withing reason.

JennJ323

I'm leaving for a 5-day cruise on Monday.. and nope no suggestions. I'm going to enjoy my trip, eat & drink everything I want then get back to it when I get home. I *may* check out the gym while my hubby is still sleeping, or I may lay by the pool. We'll see what happens. Enjoy your trip!

Ready2Rock206

Don't eat dessert with breakfast. You'll do a ton of walking on the ship - skip the elevators if you can - right there you'll balance out some of those food calories. Also if you're able - schedule some active excursions or do a lot of walking in port. Again - that will counter some calories too.

I'd suggest the dining room over the buffet at dinner - you'll get better food and it is more portion controlled. Cruises usually offer some healthy options with each meal. In addition - my last cruise had a small dining area by the spa that served healthy breakfasts and possibly lunches too. I know the breakfast options were super yum.

krismacdee

Recently went on a 4 day cruise. Ate all I wanted even dessert. You will walk a ton, only up ounces when I got back, came right off!!! Enjoy!

maggibailey

I went on a 7 day Alaskan cruise this summer. I paid no attention to calories I consumed ate what I wanted and took the stairs everywhere and hiked for hours. I gained three pounds and every single one of them was worth it.

lorrpb

Portion control is your friend. Take about half the amount you think you want. You'll still be full!

Alatariel75

I think the beauty of a cruise is that you can make it as healthy and controlled as you want it to be. There's so many food choices and so many options to exercise that if you're determined to make it. But do enjoy yourself - you're going on a cruise!

I think the main thing to remember is that the food isn't the reason you're on the cruise. Eat when it's time to eat, but don't make it one of your passtimes - too much other cool stuff to do!

corinasue1143

I've taken several cruises and have lost weight on every one. Too busy doing things, slow eater. Worked great for me. Have fun!

middlehaitch

I tend to cruise 10-21 days and rarely have a gain over a pound or two, which drops off with a couple of weeks once I return to my regular routine without any effort.

The buffets are full of delicious foods and it is tempting, when it's your first cruise, not to try everything.

Go ahead and try everything- just make it a taste, not a serving, and work your way around the stations day by day. There is no need to have the Indian, Mexican, and British breakfast topped off with American pancakes the first day, chose one a day.

For lunch, salad bars are wonderful, as is the selection of grilled veg, meats and fish.

The dining room dinners are usually 4-5 courses. You have no need to eat them all, you can pick and choose when you have what. I chose what I want to eat rather than what course it belongs to, the staff don't care. You can also ask for off menu grilled or steamed items if it happens to be a menu that doesn't suit you on a particular day, or sauces and dressings served on the side.

Try and stick to tastes and your usuall portion size.

All the above posters are correct, having a ton of fun on a cruise usually means a lot of movement and activity making your calorie burn pretty high.

When you get home don't worry if you are 10 lbs up. You would be amazed at the amount of water retention flying, being in the heat, and eating foods that have a higher salt level in food can add.

I actually travel with bigger clothes and shoes for the 2nd half of my cruises because I add so much.

Have a great cruise, I am off to the Caribbean for 14 days in March.

Cheers, h.

As a cruise lover and forever curious, I have to ask- anyone want to come and say which is your favourite cruise line, and why?

Mine is Celebrity, can't beat the service and food. The ships are beautifully furnished too.

Ready2Rock206

middlehaitch wrote: »

As a cruise lover and forever curious, I have to ask- anyone want to come and say which is your favourite cruise line, and why?

Mine is Celebrity, can't beat the service and food. The ships are beautifully furnished too.

Agreed - Celebrity. I have had 2 very nice cruises with them - one to Alaska in one of those rooms on the back of the ship with the big balcony - best way to view the glaciers EVER - instead of fighting the crowds on deck early in the morning you can lay in the lounge chair on the balcony in your bathrobe. PERFECT!

The other was a re-positioning cruise - transpacific. Vancouver Canada to Japan. It was great - so many days at sea but a terrific experience.

middlehaitch

Hee hee, I rarely check people's profiles, but I had to check you out because of your cruises start port @Ready2Rock206. I'm across the border and water in Victoria.

Cheers, h.

ttreit

Just remember there really is no limit to the food so you don't have to worry about missing out. Take lots of little tastes of things and then go back for just your favorites. Eat slow and really taste everything but allow yourself to go back as many times as you want. Don't be afraid to throw things out if you don't care for them or not to finish something. The starving children in [enter country here] gain nothing from you putting on a pound of fat. Better to just throw it away.

JeromeBarry1

Eat within reason before the cruise. Eat within reason after the cruise.

LAWoman72

My FIL has a real weight problem (he's about 5'7" or so and has never weighed less than 240 since I've known him, but most of that time has been a minimum of 280, sometimes over 300), but he says he always loses weight on cruises. He says you're just so busy, there's so much to do, you wander around the ship, you get off the ship to go shopping or go climb something, etc., etc. and he never really watches what he eats when he goes on a cruise but he pretty much always drops a few pounds.

(They go on cruises 2-4 times/year...yeah, I hate them too.)

leonhnchan

I'm going on my first cruise next month and have been working hard to get ripped for it. It's good to have an event/date to work towards. I will bring my L-Carnitine and HMB supps and as I follow intermittent fasting, I will also be doing it on the cruise. I will also hit the gym a couple of times a day before I have feasts as a post workout meal. It's going to be an awesome holiday!

amyepdx

middlehaitch wrote: »

I tend to cruise 10-21 days and rarely have a gain over a pound or two, which drops off with a couple of weeks once I return to my regular routine without any effort.

The buffets are full of delicious foods and it is tempting, when it's your first cruise, not to try everything.

Go ahead and try everything- just make it a taste, not a serving, and work your way around the stations day by day. There is no need to have the Indian, Mexican, and British breakfast topped off with American pancakes the first day, chose one a day.

For lunch, salad bars are wonderful, as is the selection of grilled veg, meats and fish.

The dining room dinners are usually 4-5 courses. You have no need to eat them all, you can pick and choose when you have what. I chose what I want to eat rather than what course it belongs to, the staff don't care. You can also ask for off menu grilled or steamed items if it happens to be a menu that doesn't suit you on a particular day, or sauces and dressings served on the side.

Try and stick to tastes and your usuall portion size.

All the above posters are correct, having a ton of fun on a cruise usually means a lot of movement and activity making your calorie burn pretty high.

When you get home don't worry if you are 10 lbs up. You would be amazed at the amount of water retention flying, being in the heat, and eating foods that have a higher salt level in food can add.

I actually travel with bigger clothes and shoes for the 2nd half of my cruises because I add so much.

Have a great cruise, I am off to the Caribbean for 14 days in March.

Cheers, h.

As a cruise lover and forever curious, I have to ask- anyone want to come and say which is your favourite cruise line, and why?

Mine is Celebrity, can't beat the service and food. The ships are beautifully furnished too.

I’m with you - I love cruises! Cunard & NCL are my favs - I’ve done each 4 times. Cunard because the Queen Mary is amazing and NCL because you get a lot for the price. Next Sept - NCL Venice & Greece for my 60th - counting the days!!

Oma827

I'm a Carnival fan, but did Princess to Alaska and it was spectacular. Worked this program without fail and lost weight at planned pace. I found the key is planning to enjoy.

For me, that meant:

1. Packing shaved deli ham, sliced turkey, fresh fruit chunks, etc. in a thermal bag for lunch and dinner on the long flights.
2. Bringing protein powder measured into 10 tiny ziplock bags; thermal cup with lid. Going up to buffet in morning, pouring skim milk into glass, then into cup w protein powder.
3. Being adopted by headwaiter, who brought next day's menus to me at dinner every night. I made sure I could order okay at b and l; he took my order for dinner. Next night, there it was. I was asking for vegetables they had on the menu, just plated with the size protein I needed and no sauces.
4. Flying home: hit the buffet in the morning, ate fresh scrambled eggs n fruit, then cut up meats and fruit for the sealed plastic containers I had with me for lunch and dinner.

I am trying very hard to live as "food is fuel," honoring my body with fuel and exercise. I enjoyed everything I ate and this worked for me! Happy travels.

evileen99

Cruises are made for eating! I threw all diet rules out the window and ate everything I wanted. I was up maybe 2 pounds when I got back. As others have said, stay active.

wsusan162

Just got back from our cruise last week.....gained 8 lbs. Take the stairs every time, we got lazy and started taking the elevators.