Low carb on Cunard

I just went on a low-carb diet and am feeling very good about it. We leave in about a week for a cruise and I am wondering if I can stay low carb on the cruise. I eat almost no meat--maybe a little bit of white, skinless chicken, and, of course, fish and lobster. No bread, pizza or pasta for me. I might save up for one glass of wine at dinner.

There is always a fish choice at dinner so you should be ok and you can ask for chicken and veg if that helps.

I would recommend the smoke salmon for breakfast, minus the bagel of course. :)

Hi!

I did something very similar in 2012, although fell off the wagon towards the end, but that was nothing but my lack of will power… :rolleyes:

I found it very easy to do. Although, I do probably eat more varied meat and dairy than I get the feeling you do, and as a personal preference, am not a big fish eater. I found plenty of choice across everything, apart from Afternoon Tea of course, which was the wagon falling issue… Breakfast, lunch and dinner were very easy to construct a meal with ease that I wanted as green veg and protein are widely available. I simply refused any offers of bread for the first could of days at the dining table for dinner and the waiter learned that I did not eat bread and stopped offering it which was good.

I have to admit, I find this one of the easiest ways for me, personally, to drop in weight and I always feel much much better for it, and not just in terms of the weight loss, but I don't feel sluggish or bloated and the likes. But, still get to eat a lot of the things that I like, such as the meat and veg.

Best of luck, and I would be very interested to know your thoughts when you are back as to how you found it.

T5

:)

Hi, PunkiC, a wee envious you're getting out on the seas again so soon! Lucky you!

Like the others, I find maintaining a certain food regimen on a cruise fairly easy--easier, in fact, than at home because there is generally greater variety of interesting, compliant options. I have often come home not having gained a pound yet not feeling denied one bit. A helpful waiter is a big boost to making the exercise pleasant. I hope it works out for you!

Bon voyage.

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I found out shortly before I sailed on the 94 day QV World Voyage this year that I was diabetic. I had no problem keeping my low carb diet during the cruise. Talk with your head waiter the first night and he can help you with your meal selections.

Don

Stay away from afternoon tea. (Tea sandwiches, scones, sweets. And real sugar is the only sweetener available.)

Thank you everyone. Last time we never did actually go to tea. We thought about it but were always too busy doing something else.

Fortunately, I don't like sweets, so that makes it a little easier. I do, however love pasta and pizza so I will have to make sure I fill up on salad, fish, chicken and eggs, all of which I love so I should be OK.

At home I make a lot of cauliflower "pasta" dishes and I will miss them, but I am hoping I will be able to stick to my plan.

Like Artemis, I don't have problems gaining on cruises, but this time I would like to come home having lost weight. I have so many gorgeous clothes that are too tight and that makes me really sad. In February, we are leaving on a 31-day South American cruise and I am hoping that by then, I will fit back into my lovely cruise clothes. I am certainly not going to buy anything new for this fat little body. :p

Hi,

You could always ask for the low carb menu that they bring to you the evening before. You tick off what you require.

I have done some very long cruises. World cruises, and never gained weight.

On QE and on QM2 I eat from the Spa selection. I never eat carbs. I refused the bread and told the waiters never to put carbs on my plate such as potato. I ordered extra green vegetable to be served at dinner. I eat fish every evening.

I eat my lunch in the MDR and select the spa menu or a fish dish if I don't fancy anything on the spa menu. I do not eat dessert, or take the petite fours

If I went to afternoon tea I had Earl Grey tea and nothing to eat :) Once I had a piece of Battenburg cake as I do like that. ;)

It is easy to follow a diet on a cruise providing of course you are disciplined. I also use the gym daily or take exercise of some kind. I follow this same routine at homes also. Good luck and have a wonderful time.

I avoid sugar, starches, grains, and fruit for the most part. Just completed a 14 day cruise.... not difficult to do at all.

Enjoyed salads, soups and non starchy vegetables, plus eggs, fish, poultry and meat. Missed my unsweetened almond milk in my coffee on the cruise.

Had breakfast in our cabin with a scrambled egg with asparagus, plus sauteed mushrooms.

Did find traveling by air more challenging... airline food options not good and airport options over seas not good.

Purchased a great salad at the airport in San Francisco before boarding an Air France flight. Was glad I did. I usually travel with almond or walnuts for snacks, in lieu of pretzels or crackers which airlines tend to pass out these days.

I just got off the QM2 for 12 days (QG) and I basically follow the "Grain Brain" philosophy from. Dr. Perlmutter

I never asked for anything specifically low carb, and I did cheat, but I also lost a few pounds, mainly because I took the stairs - ALL the time except in my ballgown/heels, danced at night & walked the ports, which allowed the cheating. I also worked out for 20 minutes on the elliptical every day.

Breakfast - Omelet every day, varied types or scrambled eggs and chicken sausage; (no fruit, no oatmeal, etc., no sugar or grains at all, no juice)

Double espresso every morning

Lunch - I ate different things, salad and soup, often a smoked fish appetizer; Yes, I ordered the sandwich at least 4 or 5 times, I just did not eat the bread. I cheated some at lunch. Limited alcohol at lunch

Dinner - steaks, chicken, pork, always with fresh vegetables. Always a salad to start. Tried not to eat the potatoes, just usually a small bite to taste. I ate a small dessert and drank wine every night. Sometimes the cheese plate

I also ate the canapés in the state room each night, but they were luckily tiny!

I thought I had probably put on weight but I didn't - because of all the exercise. It allowed for the cheating. My carb intake vs. carb free is normally 90/10 and I would say on this trip it was 75/25. But I made up for it and left happy but also enjoyed myself. It can be done! Breakfast and dinner were easy, it was actually lunch where I had the hardest time finding true grain and sugar/starch free options. I don't do buffet so King's Court is not an option, which makes it harder at lunch.

Fortunately, we love the buffet for breakfast and lunch so that will be easy. Personally, I would prefer the food at the buffet for dinner, but we love meeting new people at dinner and the whole ambiance of getting dressed up and going to the dining room, so we always have dinner in the dining room. Last Cunard cruise we had a table for 10 with wonderful table mates and I don't eat that much late in the day anyway so a dinner salad is usually enough for me.

My biggest problem with low carb is that I don't eat meat, except chicken white meat, so that limits my choices. We went to a party tonight where there was lots of food, but the only things I could eat were shrimp, crab/avocado dip and celery stick. It was enough, but I was at least hoping for some salad, cheese or deviled eggs.

Remember, there is a cheese plate offered every night in Britannia, with 3 cheese selections which change nightly. And grilled chicken is always offered if you just ask for chicken breast

Thanks. I am pretty sure I will be just fine with chicken, fish, eggs, cheese and salad. I have already lost 4 pounds in under a week and have one more week to go before we take off.

Good results are the best incentive and all the time I am gone I am going to be thinking about how much I will have lost by the time I get home. That should keep me on the straight and narrow. ;)