Any Low-Carb dieters out there?

[jennifersmith23]

I am just curious if any of you low-carb dieters out there had any luck on the Disney cruise (or any cruise for that matter) sticking with the diet. I know the TA said they can make arrangements for special diets, but quite frankly, I don't know if I want to stay low-carb on the ship. All of the food sounds soooo good I don't want to miss anything. Low Carb also means no drinking alchohal and I just don't see that happening.

Low-Carbers that have cheated on the cruise...Did you find that you gained alot of weight over the week, or was it easy to get back on track?

Any answers will help me out.

Thanks guys,
Jennifer Perez

 

[wishiwasgolfing]

Take the week off from your diet and enjoy the cruise. Don't feel guilty about it. You will have a much better time. Just get yourself back on track after the cruise.
Eat,Drink and be Merry! Come on! Go for it! Just try not to knock to many people over when ambushing the buffet table.
Have fun

 

[bhurley]

I would say take a break for the cruise. I went on the Atkins diet before our cruise in March of 2000 and didn't worry about it for the whole cruise and our time at WDW. I think I gained 3 or 4 pounds, but I call it weight that isn't real. I lost that weight within the week. I would enjoy the cruise and plan to jump back on when you get back.

 

[joellen2]

I just had to reply. My mom and dad went with us on the Carnival Triumph last August. My dad had been on the Adkins diet and lost 80 lbs!!! He went off the diet for the cruise, and he only gained one pound. He had anything and everything he wanted (including desserts and lemonade.)

Go for it! Why pay all that money and not be able to enjoy the advantages of cruising? You can get back on it once you return home. Good luck! We are going on our first Disney cruise on April 27th. We can't wait.

 

[Gillian]

I'm gonna offer another opinion - do your best to stay on your diet!

One way to do it is to try to have low carb meals for breakfast & lunch & just a little splurge of something really yummy for dinner. Fruity drinks are bad, but you can have some red wine, and maybe rum & diet coke? Or plain vodka or gin drinks (but no tonic!)

I have heard there is a room service cheese platter which sounds like a great snack. Bring some nuts for shore days in case you get hungry between meals. Drink a lot of water. Take up smoking

I'm on the atkins diet & I am NOT planning to go off it for my vacation next week! I have found it difficult to get the sugar out of my system when I go off it for too long. I get that induction tiredness all over again.

Good luck! Try to stay with it as much as possible, so that the times when you do "cheat" will be really special & enjoyable.

 

[miksicnarf]

I follow CAD (Carbohydrate Addict's Diet), and I threw caution to the wind on our 7 day cruise last year. I did try to continue exercising by walking my usual 3 miles around Deck 4. The first day we were in port, Tuesday, I used a treadmill in the gym. While I was there, I got on the scale--it had been 5 days since I left home (we flew to FL a day before the cruise) and I'd gained nine (9!) pounds! That didn't stop me, though, and I continued to enjoy eating whatever I wanted for the rest of the week. I don't know what my total gain for the week was, because we stayed an additional week in FL after the cruise and I got very sick--I suspect it was heat exhaustion--and couldn't eat much.
Even so, as others have said, I believe the weight gained on the cruise will come off quickly if you go right back on plan when you get home. I think the food on the ship contains far more sodium than I'm used to, which causes water retention.
Whatever you decide, good luck and enjoy your cruise!

 

[Gillian]

Going off a low carb diet will cause fluid retention also, so when you go back on your diet you should lose the water weight quickly. It's just that if you gain FAT, it will take longer to lose. I would be so depressed to gain weight after working so hard to get it off. It takes weeks to lose 5 pounds!!

Actually, the carbohydrate addicts program might be good for a cruise if you are only going to splurge at one meal. It can be hard to get dinner in under an hour though. It's basically low carb at all meals except one, which has to be under an hour. You can eat pretty much whatever you want at that meal.

I know it's a vacation & you want to relax and have a good time, but after a week of eating anything, it can be very hard to go back to low carb. I've been doing this for a long time and have learned that, for myself at least, it just isn't worth it to cheat for a whole week. And lately, I don't even want to cheat for one meal.

Have great steaks & fish & butter & high fat sauces!

Best of luck to you

 

[hsteacher]

I'm a low carb eater and just took the week off. There is plenty to eat on the protein/veggie/fruit side BUT it will be very tempting. I did gain 6 -- yes, count them, 6 pounds BUT I just went back to normal when i got home and it came off -- not as quickly as I wanted but it did. I would suggest using the stairs instead of the elevators for exercise along with walking as much as possible. Way too tempting on the cruise, even at breakfast as the breads, pastries are SO good and I just got too frustrated trying to be good.

 

[Timon]

If you are really commited to your new way of eating, I would highly suggest not going off of your diet. I was on Atkins a couple of years ago and was doing great, felt good and lost about 15 pounds. Then we went to Hawaii for a week and although when I left, I was determined to stick to my diet, I didn't. I am a VERY picky eater and it was just tough, so I told myself one week won't hurt me....boy was I wrong! My body took a long time to adjust when I started Atkins...I am like carb-lady...I could live on potatoes! I tried getting back on when we got back but I couldn't do it...my body reacted VERY badly to the change! I got MAJOR cramps, gas pains, extreme migraines and even the shakes at night. I gave it 4 weeks but I just couldn't take it anymore.
I went back to eating the way I was used to and tried again in 6 months and then again after that in another 6 months.

Now, I really wished I hadn't stopped my diet in Hawaii!

 

[jennifersmith23]

Thank you all for your advice. It has been really helpful.

Oh and btw, Cass, loved your website and the trip report on the Magic. It was very informative and you take awesome pictures. Very interesting.