here is a question for people who cruise....

grandmallie

the DH and I are going on a cruise in October, I have MFP downloaded on my kindle, so I am hoping that will work without having to connect to the internet.
Have any of you cruise while trying to lose weight? and how did you do?:happy:

healthygreek

I cruised to Alaska and it was an around-the-clock eating extravaganza but there was a beautiful gym that looked out onto the water and a wonderful walking deck that my husband and I made full daily use of. We also did shore excursions that involved biking and hiking tours. We enjoyed the food and drink but took care not to totally pig-out. I think I gained 3 pounds so not too bad for 2 weeks.
Last year we spent 3 weeks in France and due to the walking all day long and climbing tons of steps, I gained nothing and my husband gained maybe 4 pounds. The trick is to enjoy but keep moving. We never used an elevator and it truly paid off.
Bon Voyage!

striveforhealthy

Not bad, but not good either. I ended up gaining four pounds but was quickly to lose it all when I got back. I made smarter choices at meals but it was cancelled out by the alcohol I consumed. :laugh: I'm not normally a drinker, but figured hey, it's vaca. :drinker:

Chris99mu

No, hell no. That's international waters. Game. On.

chadewey2000

what cruise line are you going on?

lizmcvey

I cruise quite a bit. I don't usually go to the ship's gym but I do get plenty of exercise. We don't wait around for elevators, we take the steps. We walk A LOT at ports and move around on the ship very much. We snorkel or do other physical activities in port. As far as food goes, you're going to eat probably too much and not nearly as strict as you would at home. I generally try to turn down things I could have at home any old day. In the main sit down dining room there is always a healthier section. Generally plain fish, chicken, beef with veggies generally. This as been the case on Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival. I am a bit picky, so even without trying to make smart choices, I would always gravitate toward more plain things anyway. There is always water and unsweetened tea around and are one of the few things you can drink for free. I drink a lot of water and tea on cruises. There's always plenty of salad to fill up on. When I'm doing really well with my diet, I don't even feel well when I eat things I shouldn't and you don't want to spend your cruise feeling bad. There is definitely a balance to find between enjoying good food and knowing what just isn't worth it to you. Generally, make sure you get plenty of exercise and decide what foods are worth it for you. I don't usually expect to loose weight on a cruise but if you can go enjoy yourself and at least stay the same and not undo all of your hard work, I would consider that a success.

JuliaLee67

Have any of you cruise while trying to lose weight? and how did you do?:happy:

Yes I have. I did poorly, lol!

There's basically tons of food everywhere, all the time, it smells great and is sooooo tempting. And--my personal weakness--the alcohol! You walk out onto the deck by the pool and some lovely smiling guy hands you a giant hollowed-out pineapple filled with sweet, drunky goodness...oh my, well if you insist, lovely smiling guy...don't mind if I do! My husband does better than me as he has more willpower, but it is possible to take a cruise without overdoing it, and all the cruises I've taken have had lots of healthy offerings that are actually quite tasty, and you can go to the gym there, too!

larsensue

I was on a Disney cruise. I just ate like normal and tried not to do too much fried foods and sweets (kind of like home). I only gained 4 lbs BUT it is taking forever to lose them again.

todd6977

you will be fine been on over 15 cruises and never had a problem just watch what you eat

ktrn0312

We have gone on many cruises. It was all about moderation and I continued to do my exercises by visiting the gym. There are so many activities to engage in. I still enjoyed myself but, never viewed vacation as a time to go overboard.

kitten7911

take advantage of walking on the deck, or the gym. you need internet connection for the kindle to work the app, they should have wifi so you can connect to it!!!

jstout365

I just got back from a 7 day cruise a week ago. I started out well, eating good for breakfast and lunch and being more liberal at dinner. By the end I was not making very good choices and drinking more alcohol. I did make it to the gym/jogging track 5 days so I considered that an accomplishment. I gained 4 lbs, but it quickly dropped since it was mostly related to sodium, alcohol, and sugar increases while on the cruise. As of this morning I have lost it all and then a little (so 7 days later).

Like other say, stay active....take the stairs, use the gym, and be active on excursions. The most important is to accept that you will probably gain some weight just because the food will be different than what you are used to at this point. If you stay active you can limit the guilt/gain and enjoy yourself. Set yourself up mentally before going that the cruise is a "break" from the tracking, but that you have it set up to get back on track right after. This was my second cruise and I totally backslid after the first one I did in 2011. Not so this time because I was prepared to get back to eating healthy.

As for connecting to MFP, most cruises have Wi-Fi, but you will pay for it and 3G access is also through the ship so you will pay roaming charges. I paid for internet minutes and checked into MFP, but didn't attempt to log. You may find it tricky to determine how much of what you at just because there isn't really a way to measure the food. I'm not saying you can't, just that it might be difficult.

So short answer: Plan to gain a few lbs (if you don't it will be a big win!) and stay as active as you can...Go to the dances, use the gym, walk on the excursions....be conscious of how much you eat and drink, but also remember that you are on vacation and should be enjoying yourself. There is plenty of time when you get back to refocus on weight loss and eating well.

Chris99mu

I was on a Disney cruise. I just ate like normal and tried not to do too much fried foods and sweets (kind of like home). I only gained 4 lbs BUT it is taking forever to lose them again.

Disney cruise. Mmmmmmmmm. HEAVEN!

S0nsh1ne

Your "DH" huh I have only been on 2 cruises (not dieting at the time) but only gained 3 lbs each time b/c walk walk walk. Have fun!

ryry_

IT would be difficult for me to handle. I went on a 4 day ski trip in Feb and focused on just not overdoing it. I gained like 6 lbs of water weight and probably some fat, but after a week I was back to normal. Basically set my progress back a week but it was a nice break.

cmriverside

I wouldn't log food on vacation if you paid me.


I mean, it's vacation. So you eat a little more, and you'll be moving around some more too. I've never gained any permanent weight on a cruise or any vacation. Maybe a pound or three, but it's gone by the next week.

grandmallie

thanks so much for the quick replies
Chris I liked that~international water's:laugh:
I dont want to have to pay for internet to be able to log the darn food.and yes we are going on Carnival,the DH was gonna cancel but we are on the newest ship, The Carnival Breeze .. I dont really over indulge on the food, and cant wait to check out the gym.. I am hoping my plantar faciitis has gone down by then ,because I am hobbling around now and it's driving me crazy.
We had onboard credit last time and and walked off the ship with a check because we didnt use it all:bigsmile:
I might have 1,2 drinks ,cant really drink to much, and will be bringing a case of water with me..
I am looking forward to all the nice fruits on board..
I have 7 months so I am hoping I drop a good amount of weight before then.. can ya say new wardrobe:happy:

matt2442

Oh man...I have been on two cruises and each time I just tried to make it to the gym every morning (the gyms, depending on the ship are actually very nice) The food is tempting but they always have fruit out at the buffets at all times of the day. Good breakfast options with eggs, yogurt and more fruit.

I would suggest doing dinner in the dining room. I found when I did the dining room thing i didnt eat as much as I did by going to the buffet. On the islands,
Also, the one I went on had a track that a lot of people ran on. So id say try to enjoy yourself as much as possible, while taking advantage of the gym and good food options for you.

This barring you dont go on an island, get totally day drunk, and no longer know what a calorie is.

LissaK1981

The USDA has a free stand alone app for laptop here http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=5720 for windows. I installed it on my laptop. I created a spreadsheet template just like mfp to track everything. There is a free program called openoffice that is like MS Office. If you want to download it I could e-mail you the template I made. I used that when I did a long trip with no internet. The usda sr 25 datatbase is pretty much what mfp is based on. It just doesnt have all the member entered stuff.

kateroisin

I recently went on a Carnival cruise while trying to lose weight and did well! I ordered room service for breakfast (Raisin Bran and citrus fruits) so that I wouldn't be tempted by the delicious breakfast buffet every morning. For lunch, I made salads at the salad bar and filled up on those veggies first before taking other food items. At dinner, I went for the menu items with the little heart symbol next to them. I ordered the cheese plate for dessert. I also gave myself a couple of splurge meals, because I was on vacation

Another thing to keep in mind is that there is a gym available on the ship and also that you can select the more active excursions when you are in port. Have fun!

Contrarian

Well, you sure aren't waiting until the last minute to get in better shape. Good for you!