Diet Tips?

[KentuckyKat]

My DH has lost 12 lbs counting calories with "my net diary" over last 2 months. We cruise on the Fascination tomorrow. I know chocolate melting cake is out, but what other diet tips do you all have for someone who wants to enjoy the cruise but at the same time does not want to blow all the progress he has made to date? Thanks!

[helen haywood]

I know this sounds ridiculously simple.....but I manage to keep weight off by the mantra of "Don't eat if you aren't hungry." Just because you are on a cruise ship....do you eat full breakfasts, full lunches and four course dinners at home? Just because its there doesn't mean you have to eat it. If you want to eat a full breakfast then maybe have a salad for lunch. If you are full when you finish your dinner....you don't have to have dessert.

 

Also I don't continue to eat something if it isn't delicious. Sometimes desserts look and sound better than they taste....

[Catrin]

It is amazing how easy it is to stick to a diet on a cruise.

 

Yes, there is tons of food.... BUT>>> that being said, there are tons of choices to eat healthy.

 

A few ideas...

 

1) Diet Desserts - the Diet Orange cake is one of my favorites. Each nigth they have a Diet Dessert selection.

 

2) Avoid Fruity Drinks or even lots of beer and wine.. those calories add up! Even avoid the free lemonade... full of sugar. I bring Crystal Light or 3C Sugar Free ice tea or lemonade sticks and add it to the water.

 

3) Lunch - Huge Salad at the Buffet with Fresh cut turkey. Stay away from the extra bread.

 

4) Portions - Look at people's plates around you. It is amazing what people can pile on. Keep your portions low and you will feel better all day!

 

5) Breakfast - at the Omelet station, they will make EGG WHITE Omeletes. Great alternative!

 

and that Chocolate Melting Cake? Treat yourself ONE NIGHT.. you deserve it!

 

Good Luck!

Catrin

[photojunkieEMT]

I don't have a good idea for the dieting.:rolleyes: But, when it comes to exercise. DON'T get on an elevator unless you are going AT LEAST 2 decks. It amazes me how many times I have seen people get on an elevator to go one deck....really?? I have worn a pedometer on a cruise in the past and have seen almost 5 miles on more than one sea day.

[Ykgorbie]

Just before our first cruise, I had my first ever gallsbladder attack and was scheduled for surgery when we got home. I was SO scared to have another attack, so was very careful to not eat rich foods. I ordered off of the Spa Menu in the MDR many times and it was surprisingly good !

[bassmaster150]

Here is what we learned in the spa last week on the Liberty and it does work. it's called eating by the clock. Instead of a large breakfast followed by a large lunch, then followed by a large dinner, make sure you eat 5 to six times a day to keep your body continuously metabolizing. So you have a smaller breakfast (the egg white recommendation is really good because each egg white is only like 15 calories), then have a small snack around 10:00am (like a banana). Eat a smaller lunch, then have another small snack around 2:00pm (again, maybe a banana), then for dinner, again smaller and maybe cut out bread or just eat half a piece), then a small snack before bedtime (like a banana). Also, don't discount working out. My wife and I would wake up each morning and walk 12 times around our hallway on our deck. Based on our time to walk a mile, that was probably the equivalent of 4 miles. Finally, drink LOTS of WATER as opposed to Soda.

[Catrin]

I don't have a good idea for the dieting.:rolleyes: But, when it comes to exercise. DON'T get on an elevator unless you are going AT LEAST 2 decks. It amazes me how many times I have seen people get on an elevator to go one deck....really?? I have worn a pedometer on a cruise in the past and have seen almost 5 miles on more than one sea day.

 

Great advice....We had the same rule.... but it was 3 Decks!! One year, on the Pride, we had an Aft Cabin. Camp Carnival was all the way to the Front of the ship... it was amazing how much I walked that cruise and ended up coming home LOSING 4 lbs!

[photojunkieEMT]

Great advice....We had the same rule.... but it was 3 Decks!! One year, on the Pride, we had an Aft Cabin. Camp Carnival was all the way to the Front of the ship... it was amazing how much I walked that cruise and ended up coming home LOSING 4 lbs!

 

I think I am going to go with the 3 decks next time. It can really add up fast. LOL, I had an aft cabin on the Pride last summer. You sure get one long walk in to finish the night when coming back from the evening show. ;)

[sloepoke]

ok, i'm going to be against the grain here ...

 

it's a cruise. give in to a little indulgence. not to every. but to some.

 

i've actually never gained weight on a cruise. it's very easy to not gain weight. the reason people gain weight is they eat more than they normally would, and they sit around.

 

my own suggestions would be:

1. take the stairs rather than elevator.

2. promise to do four or eight or however many laps of the boat. i.e. even on sea days, set yourself a walking requirement. you can either do it by estimate or you can get a pedometer cheap at a sporting goods store.

3. at lunch, tell yourself one plate.

4. allow yourself one indulgence per day. it might be wcmc for dessert. it might be a DOD. but you're on a cruise, and limited indulgence makes you not feel like you're missing out, and it makes you choose what's highest priority to you.

5. pick shore excursions that burn calories, like snorkelling.

 

enjoy yourselves. and save the hardcore dieting for home. enjoy the time you have on the boat. and placing slight limits on what you eat will both keep that progress from going away, and it will make you enjoy the cruise better.

[I Luv Crusin]

Well, since we just got back from the Pride and we had a weight gain there's not much advice I can give you. One thing I did do was when I asked for an omlette they spray the pan with PAM and then add oil/butter/grease. I would ask them not to use the extra fat.

[lillian marie]

You can have the chocolate melting cake one or two nights if you eat just 3 bites and share it with your partner. You can ask for sugar free ice cream too. You can lose weight and still have some treats. It is just a trade off. We also try to stay on a diet of lower carbs and healthy eating for life. We do this also on a cruise. Make exercise part of your cruise day routine by walking for at least 30 minutes or exercise in the gym. We eat a salad before our meals to help fill us up and eat foods that we like that are healthier-love the salmon and fish. You can order egg substitute-lower cholesteral or an eggwhite veggie omelet for breakfast too. We eat only until we are full and don't binge just because it is all you can eat. Substitute fresh fruit for most desserts too. Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

[zqvol]

My DH has lost 12 lbs counting calories with "my net diary" over last 2 months. We cruise on the Fascination tomorrow. I know chocolate melting cake is out, but what other diet tips do you all have for someone who wants to enjoy the cruise but at the same time does not want to blow all the progress he has made to date? Thanks!

 

90 minutes in the gym every day.

 

Eat from the spa menu

 

no snacks

 

limit alcohol

 

eat the low cal desserts

 

I did it and managed to lose two pounds in a week on Fantasy

[zqvol]

It is amazing how easy it is to stick to a diet on a cruise.

 

Yes, there is tons of food.... BUT>>> that being said, there are tons of choices to eat healthy.

 

A few ideas...

 

4) Portions - Look at people's plates around you. It is amazing what people can pile on. Keep your portions low and you will feel better all day!

 

 

Know the difference in a serving and a portion and eat a portion, NOT a serving.

[Shipbound]

Here is what we learned in the spa last week on the Liberty and it does work. it's called eating by the clock. Instead of a large breakfast followed by a large lunch, then followed by a large dinner, make sure you eat 5 to six times a day to keep your body continuously metabolizing. So you have a smaller breakfast (the egg white recommendation is really good because each egg white is only like 15 calories), then have a small snack around 10:00am (like a banana). Eat a smaller lunch, then have another small snack around 2:00pm (again, maybe a banana), then for dinner, again smaller and maybe cut out bread or just eat half a piece), then a small snack before bedtime (like a banana). Also, don't discount working out. My wife and I would wake up each morning and walk 12 times around our hallway on our deck. Based on our time to walk a mile, that was probably the equivalent of 4 miles. Finally, drink LOTS of WATER as opposed to Soda.

 

The above post is probably good advice I eat 4 to 5 times a day and I hit the gym 6 times per week and do cardio 4 times per week, one does not have to gain weight while on a cruise ship, if you have warm melting cake but go do cardio during the week, go for it.

Remember it's not what you eat but it is what you do after you eat or what you do the next day

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

No soups ,suger free cakes only. no bread no white anything.. no fried I did 2 cruises on a diet I did gain 2 to 3 pds on each Drink 64oz of water pr day

[kingoftheicedragons]

Using the elevator for 2 or 3 decks is just as bad as using it for one deck, in my opinion. It seems to me that using the stairs on a cruise ship aren't as strenuous as stairs in an office building or apartment. I prefer to use the elevator as little as possible, no matter how many decks. And sometimes, it's also quicker to use the stairs than the elevators.

[CapsR1]

I don't have a good idea for the dieting.:rolleyes: But, when it comes to exercise. DON'T get on an elevator unless you are going AT LEAST 2 decks. It amazes me how many times I have seen people get on an elevator to go one deck....really?? I have worn a pedometer on a cruise in the past and have seen almost 5 miles on more than one sea day.

 

Some of the people you see taking the elevator up only one level may have arthritis, a physical disability you can't see or recovering from surgery or an injury.

 

Believe me, I've been there and it's embarrassing and not fun, but sometimes a necessity if one cannot walk stairs.

[Cruise life]

The best thing to do for me is to try to eat as closely as I do at home. Start with water and raw veggies/salad, then skip the bread and heavy carb loads and focus on whole grains and lean protein. Of course, avoid dressings and sauces, or just taste them. I tend to scrape seasonings and sauces off...the food still retains the essential flavor but I am not soaking everything in fat and sugar. Eat all the interesting dishes with beans and veggies. Skp fried anything. GL!! Congrats on your weight loss.

[CruiseOrLoose]

My DH has lost 12 lbs counting calories with "my net diary" over last 2 months. We cruise on the Fascination tomorrow. I know chocolate melting cake is out, but what other diet tips do you all have for someone who wants to enjoy the cruise but at the same time does not want to blow all the progress he has made to date? Thanks!

 

I say eat everything you see, but just 2 or 3 bites of it! lol

[maxxedout2]

Some of the people you see taking the elevator up only one level may have arthritis, a physical disability you can't see or recovering from surgery or an injury.

 

Believe me, I've been there and it's embarrassing and not fun, but sometimes a necessity if one cannot walk stairs.

 

Yes. Met people excusing themselves for 1 floor because of knee

operations and such.

 

:cool:

[rybreadsmomshubby]

My DH has lost 12 lbs counting calories with "my net diary" over last 2 months. We cruise on the Fascination tomorrow. I know chocolate melting cake is out, but what other diet tips do you all have for someone who wants to enjoy the cruise but at the same time does not want to blow all the progress he has made to date? Thanks!

Eat sensibly and exercise regularly.

 

It's not rocket science. :)

[larkz]

On my Dream cruise, I only used the elevator once, and I was in a cabin on the Riviera Deck -- it's possible that I climbed the equivalent of a mountain or two by the end of the week. Also, I've got this kid-like tendency to race up and down the stairs. Believe, me going all the way to the uppermost decks is exhausting, although it got easier by mid-cruise. One advantage is never having to wait for elevators at peak time.

 

I typically avoid heavy starches and high-glycemic foods (the sort of gruel that leads to our national epidemic of diabetes and obesity). Meats don't appeal to me except in small amounts. So I include a big serving of veggies and non-pasta salad with every meal to fill up. That helps. Also, my bug for nature photography (pun intended) leads me to pick excursions that include lots of hiking and exploring.