Taking a cruise. What do I eat?!?!?

what kind of crazy food are you expecting on this cruise? i've been on a cruise before, and you need to be mindful of portions, especially at the breakfast and lunch buffets.

if you've been doing this for six months, you should more or less know what kind of portions you should be eating. don't sweat it too much, but don't go filling your plate up on the first round of the buffet. and make sure you have some fruit or veggies at every meal.

drinks add up, especially the sugary fruity drinks. they're fun poolside, but be mindful of how many you have. generally pools aren't all-inclusive, so knowing that you have to pay for booze might be a factor. ask for a glass of water with every drink.

I would think they would have a variety of choices

I would suggest that you stick to the same principal that you would use eating out. Stick to lean protiens and veggies. Ask for sauce on the side, and stay away from the deserts as much as possible. The cruise lines usually have many options for people who have different dietary needs. You should be able to eat health. Allow yourself soem treats, and record everything in a diary that you can enter when you get back.

Also, plan on gaining about 5 lbs.

Have Fun!

After six months I am pretty sure you know in your head what is healthy (as close to natural as possible). To me, the real question is-this is probably a once in a life time experience. Do you REALLY want to spend five days obsessing over how many calories are in every single bite or do you want to enjoy the experience and get back on the horse when you get back?

Just my two cents worth-I have never been on a cruise but when I do, I am going to enjoy the experience and take advantage of everything that is offered.

HAVE FUN!

I have been on a few cruises, and yes, there is a ton of food, good and bad. For breakfast, I would have 1 egg/egg white omelet with veggies, and whole grain toast, maybe some fruit. Lunch was a lot of greens, veggies of all kinds, and either 1/2 cup of beans (chick peas, black beans, lima, etc...) OR, i would opt for about 2-3 oz of chicken breast. Dinner is like lunch, mix it up where protein is concerned, beans at one meal, meat or poultry or fish at the next. I had no carbs during the day, only at breakfast. Its very tempting, as the cruise ships serve alot of food, desserts included, and I stuck to my plan and did not gain any weight. I also went to the gym on the ship when possible. Plan out in advance what you plan to eat, if you are at the buffet. Walk around and check it out first, then plan what you want to eat. Obviously you don't want to obsess about what you eat, you want to have a good vacation. If I would not put any thoughts into this, I would probably gain up to 7-8 pounds in a week. Don't forget, eating out, there is always alot of sodium, so don't panic if you gain weight, alot of it could be water. I don't add any salt to my foods at home, but every time I eat out, I expect a few pounds of water weight. Figure out your portion sizes before hand, since you won't have access to MFP. You can eyeball the potions, and do some research in advance on what types of snacks you want to have in between meals, bring some nuts from home, take some apples and bananas from the buffet in the morning, and have them later on...whatever works for you! Have a great time!

Lots of bacon.

Dude it's a cruise! Enjoy yourself.

Whatever weight you do or don't gain can easily be lost when you get back.

I agree with this!

all da foodz!

Seriously, drink a lot of water, do a lot of walking, feel free to try some new foods.

I've never been on Carnival, but Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Disney all had a lot of light/healthy choices. And actually, most of the dining room meals were very good, not much in the way of fried greasiness, unless you went to any of the specialty burger or pizza joints or donut shops. The froyo stations by the pools were a nice treat. If you go to the buffets, you should be able to take a peek at it all and decide what you want, instead of loading up at the first station and then seeing that there are 5 other ones with more things you want. Don't get everything the first day, remember if you saw something that looked good and get it the next day. Dining room meal portions aren't huge, and they're getting away from the huge midnight buffets. Is it tempting to eat all the time since there's always SOMETHING available. Most of all, ENJOY YOURSELF! :drinker:

Just watch your portions. That's all the management you need. They have plenty of fruit on the breakfast bar also and for lunches and dinners you can do light salads and fruit also.....
Just enjoy yourself 100% of the time and watch your portions.

My mom and I went on a two-week cruise a couple of years ago. We made a deal that if we ate at the buffet, we would have ONE plate, no repeats, and half that plate would be filled with vegetables. We also allowed ourselves dessert. Although to be honest the mousse was the only thing worth having. It helps that I didn't think the food on our cruise was all that good.

We also took the stairs all the time because being squashed into glass elevators with a tonne of people who's motto is "there is room for one more" was not fun.

Ended up losing 5lbs on that trip.

Good luck to you!

Cruises are tough, I don't think I would go with a preconception that I would stick to a diet. It's OK to eat just try to be moderate, and have a great time.

My whole weight loss journey revolved around getting into a wedding dress, and then we honeymooned on a cruise.
The alcohol is what did me in.
i made a deal with my husband that we would ONLY take the stairs. And we lived up to that until the very last day. Running on the treadmill was also really interesting.
There's oatmeal and boiled eggs for breakfast, then eat in the dining room for lunch and dinner. the choices are much healthier than the burgers, pizza and paninis you can get whenever you want.

I personally tried to be good a couple of days, but then thoguht to myself, "I'm on my honeymoon." so I ate what I wanted and got on the scale when I got home. 10 lbs up. Which is impossible, but I did drink a lot and ate a lot of salt. So, just enjoy yourself and do what you can, when you can without too much worry.

If you do gain a lb or 2, so what? Get back on the horse when you get home.

Eat what you want and enjoy yourself. When I went on my cruise, I had fruit and oatmeal for breakfast every day, and salad for lunch. I pigged out at dinner and had whatever dessert I wanted. Believe me, you'll be burning mega calories throughout the day and be starving by dinner. Don't sweat it and just enjoy yourself. You'll have a blast!

I go on two or three cruises per year. I have never gained weight on one. I don't know about Carnival, but Celebrity always has lighter options offered on their menus. That being said; indulge yourself with the food! My "secret" is increased activity while cruising. Walk the length of the ship at least twice a day. Take the stairs if your destination is two decks or less. Swim in the pool. Don't even turn the TV on in your stateroom.

I struggle more at home than I do on my cruises.

If you're super concerned about logging, see if you can find a menu for the ships restaurant so you know exactly what you'll be eating and log a head of time, or print off a list of the calorie values of various meats, veggies and fruit, sweets and drinks. Then log on paper and input it back into MFP when you come back.