here is a question for people who cruise....
grandmallie
Posts: 10,090 Member
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:
Have any of you cruise while trying to lose weight? and how did you do?:happy:
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Replies
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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!0 -
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:0
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No, hell no. That's international waters. Game. On.0
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what cruise line are you going on?0
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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.0
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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!0 -
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.0
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you will be fine been on over 15 cruises and never had a problem just watch what you eat0
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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.0
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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!!!0
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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.0 -
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!0 -
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! 0 -
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.0
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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.0 -
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:0 -
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.0 -
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.0
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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!0 -
Well, you sure aren't waiting until the last minute to get in better shape. Good for you!0
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I gained. It was the unlimited free ice cream that did me in. But it is a vacation, enjoy.... just try not to go too crazy.0
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On my first 14 (15?) cruises I lost weight every time due to all the walking. We love having cabins in the very back (aft) to watch the wake so it would be a hike to get on/off the ship and to the buffett. The last 2 cruises I did gain a little 3-4 pounds but the very last one was a 16 day cruise and the weather was terrible for about half of it (during Superstorm Sandy) and we did not walk as much.
I like the idea of ordering room service for breakfast to 'control' what you eat and if you have early excursions planned it will save time in getting to breakfast and then out to your excursion. We rarely eat desert at home so I didn't on the first 10 or so cruises but the last few I had to "try" some things. :laugh:
Don't worry about it too much, just keep in mind what you are eating - just because the bread and butter is sitting in front of you doesn't mean you have to eat it. And just because you ordered something that comes with something else you really don't want doesn't mean you have to clean your plate. At dinner they normally can't change the sides because all the dinners are plated the same for speed but if you want the green beans from one dinner instead of the mashed potatoes from the one you order you can get it as a side.
Good luck and have fun! We love cruises and the best part is nobody has to come home and say "what's for dinner?" !!!0 -
Haha, lovely smiling guy:) Makes me want to go on one to experience sweet drunky goodness, lol-the entire row of cubicle ladies ta my work have been on cruises, and they ALL gained weight. But they also hate exercise, so enjoy!...and exercise lightlyHave 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!0 -
You will just have to try not to over do it. There is so much food and if you are a drinker, lots of drinks. When I went I took the stairs instead of the elevators and I worked out and enjoyed the beautiful view.0
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We have been on several cruises.....never have gained weight...as a matter of fact have actually lost 2 pounds on a couple of them. We walk while on board ....never take the elevator up. Walk on top in the mornings ...you burn a lot of calories. Make good choices, but enjoy yourself....they have fruit and cheese plates that are wonderful for dessert, or fruit and ask for chocolate dipping sauce...saves a lot of calories compared to eating the desserts. The meals are devine...so dont scrimp there . Just have fun.... ! You will be fine:flowerforyou:0
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If you consciously want to maintain or lose weight while cruising you can achieve this goal.
If you want to go off track because it’s vacation that’s the other choice.
For myself I found that I’ve come to a place where this is my life now. My body says NO to
excessive unfamilar foods & excessive alcohol. It is use to the new good stuff I fuel it with each day. My body is now use to moving and exercising and wants to go!
* I enjoyed myself immensely. I enjoyed some occassional desserts & wine with dinners but not each night/day. I did track my food & exercise & paid for the internet. To me it was worth every penny and definitely kept me balanced.
I used the stairs, took a few classes, worked out in the fitness center, and walked out on the deck & promenade. Shore excursions were walking tours & snorkeling which kept us moving.
I have put hard work and much time and much money into getting my life to a place of wellness. For me, one cruise isn’t worth throwing all this away.
It is a personal decision you have to make. Make the one you are comfortable with and can live with when you return.
Happy Sails!0 -
Huge Disney Cruise fan, been on 3 with 2 more booked (Alaska and Transatlantic! woop!)
I have never attempted to diet on them and won't... I went on a 3 day Bahamian cruise during the big 'lose 50lb' push I was going through and completely pigged out, put on about 7lbs over the 3 days and it was completely gone by the end of 10 days. Same for the second 3 day cruise.
The 7 day cruise I wasn't quite as gluttonous, but still had a pretty good go at eating everything on the ship (3 course dinners every day etc.) think the most exercise I got was sitting in the hot tub! At the end I put on 10lbs that was gone within 2 weeks.
I guess the moral of my tale? Don't fret about it! It's a holiday/vacation - granted, if you don't want to be a complete pig (like I was and intend to be) it's easy to make healthy choices (if you can get over the temptation!) and you can always hit the gym for an hour a day and/or go on excursions that require more than sitting! The key for me was getting right back on track the day I returned. I have done that each and every time and I think that's what helped me lose the holiday weight so quickly.0 -
I cruise often.
even if you watch what you eat, you are likely to gain a bit of weight as everything is fairly salty.
I would say, unless you are going on a world cruise, enjoy yourself, it's a vacation.
any weight you gain will come back off fairly quickly once you are home and back on track.
do take the stairs when you can, go to the gym, walk the deck and ports of you can.
avoid having 13 desserts a day if you can!
and don't weigh yourself while onboard!0 -
I always avoid the elevators- stairs, stairs, stairs! AND I always did 30 minutes of exercise too, in the ship's gym or walking laps on the deck.
The group I cruised with cussed me out for not letting them take the elevator but they all thanked me in the end! Have FUN!!0 -
I always avoid the elevators- stairs, stairs, stairs! AND I always did 30 minutes of exercise too, in the ship's gym or walking laps on the deck.
The group I cruised with cussed me out for not letting them take the elevator but they all thanked me in the end! Have FUN!!
just don't do it on formal night!0
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