How much weight did you gain on your cruise?

[jerchele]

I usually loss on cruises but gained 14.9 lbs. and my husband gained 10 lbs. on a 7 day cruise on the Pride. We just got back this morning so I hope some of this is water!

It was VERY hot & HUMID in Mexico. I did not drink any alcohol but did eat alot of ice cream cones to cool off.

[SharkCruiser24]

Zero, amazing huh?!?

[VentureMan_2000]

I lost 13 pounds... I owe it all to my drinking.

 

Between my purging from too much drinking... and forgetting to eat, once again due to all my drinking... I'm more skinny than when I first got married...:D

[winking_chick]

If you only need to travel a couple of floors (up or down-indoors or out), then try to use the stairs. I feel about the same, but have no scale to weigh myself. My clothes fit the same as before. I walked around the ship a lot and had busy shore days.

 

I quess if you don't move around and eat a lot of food - you will gain. :eek:

[Hebejeebe]

My first cruise I gained about 6lbs. The next two cruises I didn't gain any weight. I ate a lot but walking around the ship seemed to burn it off. The problem was when I got home. It took several weeks to turn my appetite off and because I was no longer as active during the day I started gaining weight. The only solution I've found is to take another cruise.:D

[tkportersat]

First time cruiser here with a curious, just for fun, question inspired by my MIL's boss. She went on a 7 day cruise and gained 15 pounds! I can't imagine gaining that much so quickly, but I guess it's possible.

 

I was just wondering what some people gain, if they go and just have a good time, without really limiting themselves. I limit myself daily to maintain my weight, and don't want to feel the need to do so on my vacation (I'll be very good afterwards, promise.) That's one of the highlights for me- eating whatever I want without worrying about the scale for one week of my life.

 

I do know about the healthy meal choices and the fitness center, so I know you can cruise without hurting your diet, but what I really want to know is- if you let go and devour whatever you feel like on a Carnival cruise, how bad is the damage? :D

Maybe a pound or two, but I know I have lost on one of my cruises. I always take the stairs, the elevators are so SLOW. I work out at home, so I try not to put too much pressure on myself to do so on vacation.

[truecruiser]

First time cruiser here with a curious, just for fun, question ... I was just wondering what some people gain, if they go and just have a good time, without really limiting themselves. I limit myself daily to maintain my weight, and don't want to feel the need to do so on my vacation

 

Who Cares????? Unless you have health issues or food allergies which dictate what you can and cannot eat, Eat to your Heart's Content!!! you will probably never cook some of the extraordinary dishes the chefs on board will prepare for you. Go to Town! You'll lose it when you get home.

[WeBeCruisin']

There is a special place in Hell for those of you who can eat all you want, never exercise or use the stairs, and lose weight on a cruise. :D

 

Then, on the other hand, there are those of us who can just look at a cookie and gain five pounds.

 

My personal "record" was on an 8-day Bermuda cruise on the Horizon two years ago. I didn't diet the day before the cruise in Norfolk, nor the day after the cruise. I avoided the elevator unless it was four levels or more. I skipped breakfast every day. I only had bread at supper.

 

In ten days, I gained 23 pounds!!!!:eek:

 

Granted, probably ten pounds of it was water weight which I lost in about three days, but still!

 

That same low metabolism which makes me gain weight so easily will also probably keep me from ever having a heart attack or a stroke, so I guess it's a trade-off.

 

I'm going on the Conquest in five days, and will try to use the stairs constantly, and maybe walk the decks some. I did that on a 12-day Mediterranean cruise in 2005 and only gained about a pound a day.

 

The trick is to get back on a diet immediately after your return, rather than doing as I tend to, and putting it off for a week... or month.... or two. :o

 

Allen

[cafn8me]

I hear the average is 7-10 lbs for a 7 day cruise. However, the key is to use the stairs, use the gym, stop eating when you're full and avoid late night eating. Between that and sweating my arse off in the Caribbean both cruises, I actually lost a few pounds.

[SASA13]

I did 2 miles walking/jogging every morning. I always took the stairs,

I only ate 2 desserts per day, and after 9 days, I only gained 4 pounds.

 

Enjoy...

[Nightwind]

I usually lose weight. I eat plenty, but I'm far more active on a cruise than I am in "real life," where I am tied to a computer from 8-5 every day, plus sitting on my butt for the daily 1.5-hour round trip commute to work. I have little time to exercise. On a cruise there's active shore excursions and, if nothing else, I never use the elevators on the ship. Gee, climbing 5 or 10 flights of stairs is so much easier to do at sea level than it is at 8,000 ft! :D I actually enjoy doing it! Having abundant oxygen is such a luxury! :)

[mikefast]

On our first cruise, my wife gained 10 pounds. Needless to say, that never happened again. One cruise, I went on a strict diet, and lost 25 pounds before we left. I gained 10 back on that week. My main reason for cruising is the food. :D

[Kruzeagain]

I'm mid-40's, so my metabolism isn't exactly flyin' along. I gained 1.5 lbs on my Dec '06 Explorer of The Seas 7-nighter. A few hints...

1) Use the stairs. Elevators get a bit busy anyway and most ships have very wide staicases. A caveat though; I was on Deck 7 (out of 14) so it's not like I sprinted from bilge to bridge.

2) Take active excursions. Shopping burns a few calories, but 90 minutes of snorkeling burns many more.

3) Be reasonable with your food. Chew slowly and enjoy the tastes and textures as opposed to gorging. Some people go nuts, as if every meal is their last. While that may be fine if their goal is to utterly pig out, it doesn't sound like you share their enthusiasm.

4) Completely, absolutely and permanently avoid ANYthing with white flour in it. Trust me. Dodge those little white buns at dinner and your waistline will love you. The FDA recently stated that white bread/flour is the #1 cause of excess belly fat in Americans. If you've got to have bread or buns simply go for the whole wheat and cap it at one. You can have a cheeseburger at 72 different burger joints within 10 minutes of your house, so why load up on huge whitebread buns at sea? Go for fresh/lower carb stuff.

5) It's the carbs that add up. Calories less so. I won't get into healthy vs unhealthy fats 'cause that's just too onerous for this board but suffice to say that the average person doesn't actually require more than 25 carbs per meal. Any more than that doesn't get metabolized and gets stored as fat. So eat fewer carbs per meal, but add healthy snacks in between and watch your energy increase at the same time (a bonus!).

6) Always pry yourself off the chair and do something physical after all meals. A casual stroll around the deck does wonders by allowing your body to better absorb and utilize the meal. If you feel lethargic after a meal you probably ate too much and (double whammy) won't get off your bum.

7) Drink lots of water. Big big deal. Water aids your body in breaking down meals into more absorbable nutrients. Reduces that bloated feeling, too. It also takes up a bit of space in your tummy that might otherwise be hankerin' for that extra helping of Mississippi Mud Pie. Notice that I said water, not soda or beer.

 

That's enough for now--I've got a few "sneaky" tips but I'll save that for some other time.

 

Happy Cruising!

Alan

[dragonfly128]

I have actually lost weight on both of my cruises and ate as much as I wanted. I don't think you realize how active you really are and how much you are really burning right back off.

[on board]

DH stays the same I have always either lost a couple or stayed the same. We live an active life everyday so we were not really anymore active than normal. We did take the stairs always and I only exercised on sea days. I try to watch what I eat but I do splurge more on the deserts. We had another couple travel with us that was not active at all and he gained 17 pds in 9 days and she gained 12.

[Grits53]

5 pounds on the first cruise in Sept. and 5 pounds on the 2nd cruise in Nov., equals 10 pounds that I have to take off before the next one in March if I don't want to look like a beached whale! But I'm telling you the truth. It was worth every ounce I gained!!

[Knights on the Beach]

Too much to think about! Then we came back to Christmas and all the food it brings with it!

[sj.turfman]

I gained over 9 lbs on Victory last year - damn midnight buffet

[Cruzfan34]

On our first cruise, I actually lost 4 lbs. I'm a very high-strung person and I guess all of that nervous energy burned up some calories. I didn't eat very much on the cruise anyway. I'm always like that in unfamiliar surroundings. :rolleyes: