Cruise eating tips

phloxflamingo22

I'm going on a 5 day cruise next week and I need to start planning what I'm going to eat. Ideally, I'd like to eat a minimal amount of calories for breakfast and lunch, and then enjoy a full dinner with wine. I won't be able to get calorie counts for entrees and MFP won't be available due to no internet access, so I'm trying to plan ahead. I will be walking much, much more than usual at least so I may have a few "extra" activity calories. I know I will not be drinking much this cruise except for wine at dinner so at least I won't have that against me.

The same things are available for breakfast and lunch daily - so I can really eat the same things over and over.

What would you eat for breakfast and lunch to keep your daily calorie goal of 1800 if you thought dinner would be at least 1000 calories a night?

nicsflyingcircus

Something high in protein with moderate (good) fats and less-starchy carbs (veggies, fruits). Protein and fat to keep you feeling fuller longer, vegetables in particular for bulk without more calories than you like.

For example: 2 eggs and fresh fruit at breakfast, a big leafy salad with chicken(or other protein), light on the dressing, for lunch. Else a protein plus steamed or roasted vegetables.

ashthecat15

When I went on a cruise they had an omelette bar with some veggie choices. That would probably make a good breakfast. I'm not sure what semi healthy choices they would have for lunch though.

RGv2

My plan was to eat whatever I wanted.....it was 7 days. I got in a half hour workout in the morning, ate and drank whatever I wanted all day. I think I gained 8 lbs...I lost it all in 4 days because it was almost all water.

Enjoy vacation...

nicsflyingcircus

When I went on a cruise they had an omelette bar with some veggie choices. That would probably make a good breakfast. I'm not sure what semi healthy choices they would have for lunch though.

I love omelet bars. However, if you watch them, they ladle a good bit (perhaps as much as 2tbsp) of some sort of liquid butter/oil into the pan for each one.

fullersun35

I'm going on a cruise next month. I plan on packing my workout clothes and will be doing a ~500 calorie workout each day in addition to whatever offship activities we do. I'll have maybe oatmeal and eggs for breakfast, quest bar for lunch (that I bring in my luggage) and a regular dinner. I'll probably forgo the wine and bread basket at dinner in favor of dessert.

nevergiveup715

I went on an 11 day cruise last summer and there is tons of food for you to eat! Please eat as healthy as you can during the day. I should have done that but I didn't and when I came back home I weighed myself and gained 16Ibs since we went on the cruise. You can definitely eat healthy during the day on the cruise because they have everything.

This is what you can probably eat:

Breakfast:

Vegetable omelet with a side of fruit

Lunch:

Sandwich (make sure it's whole wheat bread and make sure they don't add mayo) with a salad and light dressing

Dinner:

What ever meal you want with your wine

Snack:

Fruit, Veggies, nuts, cheese

phloxflamingo22

I should have said, I unfortunately can't work out due to a torn labrum in my hip. At most I'll be walking a few thousand steps extra and swimming a tad. I wish I could make up the calories in exercise!

pds06

Wash your hands and enjoy. Worry about it when you come home.:drinker:

RGv2

Wash your hands and enjoy. Worry about it when you come home.:drinker:

^^This

Even if you can't exercise I wouldn't worry about "extra calories" on vacation.

dancinqueen91

I struggled with this a few months ago, only my cruise was twice as long as yours - yikes! I went into the cruise thinking "I wont eat dessert, I'll eat salads, etc." and that mentality would have prevented me from enjoying the food and time with friends and family. I ditched that attitude after day 1 and just enjoyed myself. You'll do tons of walking - take the stairs everywhere you go on the ship, never take the elevator unless you need to with your luggage! You'll likely have to climb many flights of stairs to get from your cabin to the restaurants to the pool, etc.

I did try to keep my breakfast moderately light and similar to the ones I eat at home. I'd usually fill up on cereal and fruit and sometimes eggs and bacon. Stick to "normal" portion sizes when you eat at the buffet (which is what we did for breakfast and lunch). They have healthy options, you just have to choose them.

For sit-down dinner, our cruise had lighter options highlighted on the menu, but that didn't stop me from ordering what I thought sounded best Depending on your cruise line, you can usually sample a bunch of different entrees so don't feel the need to eat everything in sight.

They will feed you well and the desserts are incredible! I gained a few pounds on my trip, but most of it was because of so much sodium and just stress from traveling, and the weight came off pretty quickly. Don't worry about 5 days - have fun and enjoy the trip!

turtlebeth

OMG, the food on the cruise ships is ridiculous! We did an 11 day cruise to the Baltic and I was floored at the options. I saw people piling their plates ten inches high. I was like there's no way that tiny person can eat all that food. She did and went back for another round! Yikes!

I avoided the desserts because I wanted to enjoy the main course. You do tons of walking on and off the ship. Enjoy just don't go whole hog with the food. If you do, just work it off when you get home )

daydrem_dw

Wash your hands and enjoy. Worry about it when you come home.:drinker:

^^^ I agree ^^^

Have fun, keep hydrated, and don't worry. You'll make good choices, even if some aren't as good as you would have liked. I went on a 9 day cruise this past winter and was surprised by how many healthy choices there were. I "pre-worried" for no reason! I wasn't crazy diligent and it all worked out. I gained 5 or 6 pounds that came off pretty quickly once I returned home.

teak711

Just make wise choices. Go for the fruit and salad first, drink lots of water and then you can enjoy yourself. Dont struggle to keep tabs and ruin your trip. Have fun!!:happy:

Ready2Rock206

Going on a 2 week cruise in Sept - I plan to not eat everything on the ship, but to enjoy myself and not worry about it too much. We also plan to actually go to the gym this time (said we would last time and never set foot in it!) and do lots of walking. We have a lot of days at sea - so we'll have to making getting some extra movement a priority. I also am fine with gaining some weight - I hope no more than 10 lbs.

aledba

Lunch:

Sandwich (make sure it's whole wheat bread and make sure they don't add mayo) with a salad and light dressing

:laugh: whole wheat bread. That's a good one. Whole wheat bread, where I live, is utter crap. I would imagine cruise ships use equally terrible whole wheat bread.

rachelg145

Not sure what you will have available to eat, but make sure you bring alka seltzer and anti-diarrhea pills. We went on an all inclusive trip recently where there were usually two entrees in addition to fruit and a salad bar. I figured I would have eggs at breakfast and a big salad at every meal and a smaller entree to keep in line with my normal eating which isn't super carb-y (carbs abounded there). Well, I made myself ILL - like many, many trips to the bathroom, cramps, felt horrible. So I took someone else's pepcid, and the next day I went opposites. Ate all the other stuff and no eggs or fruit or salad and I was rock solid the rest of the trip. I was active so I didn't gain.

Eat, and just make sure you exercise as much as you can. Don't make the mistake I made and overthink it. Have reasonable portions on your plate and don't go back for seconds.

SrMaggalicious

Wash your hands and enjoy. Worry about it when you come home.:drinker:

^^This

Even if you can't exercise I wouldn't worry about "extra calories" on vacation.

Same. It's only 5 days...just don't go 'overboard'...hehehehehe

shartran

Wash your hands and enjoy. Worry about it when you come home.:drinker:

^^This

Even if you can't exercise I wouldn't worry about "extra calories" on vacation.

Same. It's only 5 days...just don't go 'overboard'...hehehehehe

TOUCHE^^^^

2Chaotic

I'm agreeing with the posters above. Enjoy your cruise and don't think about the food.

The buffets are a temptation but if you keep to a few simple rules you shouldn't really go off track:
- Stop when you are full (You don't have to sample everything because there will be more of the same or similar tomorrow)
- Choose one or two desserts not 5
- Drink plenty of water or tea
- Get a bit of salad in there

I don't know what your cruise will be like but on the one cruise I went on the restaurant meal portion sizes were not huge but they were flavoursome and varied so one could feel satisfied without eating a ton (and I have a huge appetite normally).

I was on a two week cruise and I didn't gain any weight despite not missing any meals and frequent trips to the buffet. Relax.

bjburg24

We took a 26-day cruise 2 months ago. I tried to eat what I do at home - cereal or yogurt for breakfast, or occasionally scrambled eggs and a roll - LOTS of fruit from the buffet - pineapple every day! For lunch, they have plentiful salad ingredients and cheeses - I also made a cold sandwich with good bread, cheese slice, ham. Occasionally I chose hot items from the lunch buffet but those usually don't interest me. We didn't eat many "fancy" meals in the more formal dining room - mostly the buffet. Many fish and lean meat choices for dinner. I did try several of the small tart desserts, or occasionally a small slice of pie or cake. I like wine but didn't have many drinks - a light beer occasionally. We walked a LOT on the measured walking deck. Our ship also had treadmills and steppers but we preferred walking outside on the deck. I only gained 2 pounds all that time so felt that was a good result!

bjburg24

Do the walking that you can. I am working with an arthritic hip joint and have found swimming to be a saving grace. Our ship had two pools,one inside and one outside. I usually would find the indoor pool empty after about 5 PM and did several sets of laps then. Do use the stairs if they don't hurt. We couldn't believe all the folks that ALWAYS rode the elevators. We were on the 11th deck and rarely used the elevators to go 3-4 levels.

aeb09

My philosophy is I didn't get overweight in 5 days, I won't lose it in 5 days and 5 days of enjoying life without worry every once in a while will not ruin my progress. I just had my first break in 4 months last weekend and got right back on the grind afterwards. It felt good to indulge and it felt even better to get back to my current WOE. Don't micro-manage what you "should" eat; just make healthy decisions if you want and enjoy yourself.

jackielou867

I did a 10 day cruise. Mostly eggs and a bit of mueslie fruit and yogurt for brekkie. Whatever I wanted for lunch but heavy on salad and veggies remember what a portion of meat looks like and just be wary of creamy sauces, they are delicious but will triple your calorie count. I had desert every meal, don't go mad, often I wanted to try 2 or 3 choices so tiny portions, if it was pre cut like cake I shared it with hubby.
We walked all over the ship including every night for half an hour on deck and never took the lift.
I was mind full but not restrictive. I put on 2lb but in the grand scheme of things that's not the end of the world. It takes 3500 calories to put on a lb you could have 700 calories extra a day and put on just one pound. So relax and enjoy :-)