Diet & Cruise

[Hollua]

I'm worried to. I don't really diet aggressively, but I do exercise for an hour or more everyday. I normally wouldn't use an elevator anyway. I don't think just taking the stairs is going to cut it for me. I think I'm going to have to plan to exercise. I would really like to avoid doing it everyday, because that adds a lot of extra clothes to pack.

To keep my consumption down I plan on writing down everything that I eat. Even if I throw the list away daily, it helps to make myself think about what I'm stuffing in my face, especially if I try to estimate the quantity of each item. Did I have potato chips or three servings of potato chips? When I started writing down what I eat at home, I found myself eating much less and better. That way there are no can't have foods. Instead of no ice cream allowed or finding myself in front of a half gallon of ice cream, I find three ounces is doable. It is enough.

Good luck everyone.

 

[logan1_2000]

Check out the optimism in the title line to my post!! Wouldn't my shrink love to see that I was such an optimist!

Here's my theory--the healthy eating issues of weight loss often lose out to time and convenience. If we all had personal chefs like Oprah and a billion dollars like here, too, I'll wager we could all lose weight and stay that way. There would always be someone chopping vegetables, fruit, healthy salads, grilling fish and chicken in appropriate amounts, etc. Unlike the pizza i picked up on the way home last night.

On the Magic and the Wonder, there is a huge galley staff cutting fruit to put out at Scoops, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables ready to be eaten, no prep time, and always fish and chicken dishes. Get a grilled chicken sandwich at Pluto's and tell 'em to hold the fries and the bun--just slap the grilled chicken filet in the cardboard serving "basket", then get some fruit from scoops nearby, or combine w/ a healthy salad from the buffet. I did 3 miles on deck 4 on a day at sea last cruise, and 45 minutes on a treadmill while the ship was in Nassau. I always take stairs, and we skip the trams on CC.

So my theory is that it is very do-able. I say theory because I usually behave like that, food wise, for about 50% of the cruise, and then destroy all those good efforts with mickey bars, mickey waffles, steaks, chicken fingers, cheesecake, cookies.....so we'll see how it goes next week. On Monday I get my cholesterol numbers back from some blood work done yesterday--I'm hoping my cholesterol number is only 3 digits, and doesn't have a comma in it. And that is with already taking 20 mg of Lipitor daily.

So someone PM me after the 4/2 cruise and remind me to post if I followed my own advice or not!!

 

[Jhalkias]

I haven’t tried to put this down on paper, but I will try my best . . .

I should also stress that I am not a nutritionist, or a doctor. Although I did consult with my doctor, and he suggested a nutritionist, I decided to try to work things out on my own. After reviewing published “diets”, (Southbeach, Atkins, etc., etc.) I decided that those would never be permanent solutions for me, and to be honest, they just felt (especially Atkins) “unhealthy” to me. I was brought up in an ethnic household, and my mother I am sure would cringe at many of these diets . . .

So, what am I doing?

Breakfast – At home, and the same every day, (although I vary the brand or kind of cereal) some type of 100% bran cereal, like raisin bran, one cup, with lowfat milk, and one cup of my choice of juice (usually orange). This also keeps me from being hungry so soon in the afternoon – I get up at 5:30, and am at the office by 6:30 daily.

Lunch – Varies from 3 or 4 items – Salad, or lean turkey sandwich (I like Boars Head Turkey) with two slices of lowfat swiss on whole grain bread, or PB and Jelly sandwich, or another choice of lean item on whole grain bread.

Dinner – I did not change dinner much other than to CUT DOWN on portions. I hold myself to ONE helping of whatever we are having, and eat a balanced meal.

Lifestyle eating changes –

NO TRADITIONAL FAST FOOD (every once in a while I will eat Subway, or the healthier or salad selections, but no hamburgers, no fries, no potato chips) I especially stay away from fried food.

NO SNACKING – No cookies, no chips while watching the game – and I don’t try and fool myself with “low fat” or “low calorie” alternatives – they all taste awful to me anyway.

NO CARBONATED DRINKS – Other than the occasional beer, I have given up totally, cold turkey, all soda. On DCL I drank water, or an occasional Pink Lemonade with plenty of ice. This was tough at first, but I found out that now it all tastes way too sweet to me. I used to drink up to 5 or so soft drinks a day. I also DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. My mom always told me God blessed water, man made everything else we drink. I do not drink any diet or low calorie drinks. I am also NOT a coffee drinker.

NO MORE ICE CREAM OR “REGULAR” DESSERTS – This was the hardest thing for me, and will be even harder as summer approaches. I absolutely LOVE ice cream. I will have an occasional frozen yogurt now, but my “treat” after dinner is a 100% fruit juice bar.

I have also found that we are limiting red meat more at home. We eat a lot more chicken (boneless skinless breasts most often). During our Lent (Orthodox) I am also refraining from all meat – which to tell you the truth has made things harder, as I “feel” hungrier without a bit of meat.

Eating out can be a challenge, because almost every restaurant gives you way too much food, but I do my best to try and select more healthy items.

I violated a lot of this on our December cruise, but told myself I was on vacation. I still did not eat like I had in the past though, and did not STUFF myself silly at meals. I was pleased that I only gained 3 lbs.

Other changes –

I lost 30lbs without consciously increasing activity. I was once a pretty good athlete, and I am a high metabolism guy even when I was heavier. People were surprised if I told them how much I really weighed. Once I added exercise about two weeks ago, I’ve lost about another 6 more pounds in that time. I am doing 30 minutes five days a week on the human hamster wheel (treadmill) doing two miles in that 30 minutes.
My next steps would be to actually do a daily tracking of exercise, weight and diet (count calories). I want to try for 2000 calories or less. Although I do weigh in daily, and I know the total I have lost, I have not kept a daily diary. My eventual goal is to lose another 40 pounds by our December cruise, and to have what I call a “lifestyle change” rather than a diet.

John

 

[tkd lisa]

I was on the 10 day Christmas cruise, and I had been following a diabetic type diet, for the previous year (lost 25 pounds). I decided vacation was vacation. I did walk 2 miles around deck 4 every day that we didn't have an excursion planned (our excursions were all pretty physical). And I took the stairs everywhere we went (we were on deck 2, so I usually went up 3 flights, then over on deck 5 to the next staircase and up the last few).

I typically ate about 1/2 of what was served to me, and had dessert every day. When I got off the cruise, I had gained 2 pounds. And it was worth those 2 pounds to not be worried about it.

One other thing is that I didn't drink hardly at all. I think I had 1 glass of rum punch on two of my excursions. Other than that, I drank regular water, soda water, or diet sprite.

Have a great trip!

 

[6griswolds]

I say eat whatever the heck you want......just fast walk or jog every morning for 1/2 hour or so. Thats what I'm going to do.

 

[jdm]

Thanks John, for the detailed info. Frankly, after being on Atkins, it's difficult for me to really know what's healthy anymore. Your head starts to spin. I've gotten into this mindset where I think maybe eating a whole apple or drinking an occasional glass of OJ won't be good for me because of the natural sugar. Anyway, like you, I decided after a few months that a strict low carb diet just wouldn't be realistic long term for me. I got sooo bored with it.

Anyway, your regimen sounds like it makes a lot of sense, and I was curious as you've been very successful which not a lot of people are.

Thanks again for taking the time to post a reply to me.

Jenn

 

[Jhalkias]

One more thing - I NEVER thought I could do a treadmill - I thought I would hate it! But, my iPod saved me. I have come up with a great 30 minute workout mix of music I like on my iPod shuffle, and I'm good to go - actually look forward to it.

I can't tell you how much better and faster that makes the 30 minutes going nowhere pass by!

 

[alexandrew]

I applaud you brother!!!!

 

[bailey0308]

i lost 39 pounds befor cruising this past january (weight watchers.) i was almost at my goal weight.
the way i looked at it is that i paid all this money to go on a cruise and enjoy myself and eat anything that i wanted to.

thats exaxltley what i did. there's no reason to exercise either."your on vacation."
just enjoy your trip,and eat what you want a deal with it when you get home.

i gained 7 pounds and the ship and i have since taken 10 back off since i have been home.

 

[BobandLee]

As one who has been battling the battle of the bulge for years I say congratulations on you weightloss and determination to maintain it. I have found though, the stress of worrying about loss and the maintenance can sometimes have the opposite effect.
So my advice is- You know that walking the prominade and/or treadmills onboard will help. (I too enjoy walking/jogging with my MP3 player). Lifting weights will help. You know what foods that you need to eat, but a LITTLE SAMPLING will keep you from feeling deprived.
Eating the right foods can be enjoyable. Exercise can be made enjoyable. Remember, this is your vacation. Enjoy it!

 

[alexandrew]

Walking is great exercise, but remember...in order to get the cardiovascular and calorie burning effect, you must walk at a pace that gets your heart rate up....a good barometer of this would be 1) working up a good sweat 2) walking fast enough so that you can carry on a conversation just barely without gasping....

 

[jrabbit]

Here's what I've done to help loose some weight without feeling deprived (or at least not to deprived). I've mainly done a reduction in carbs. Not Atkins, Not South Beach, Not Curves. Just a reduction in carbs without regard to calories or fats (which may lead to problems down the line). Also I have cut down on the size of my meals - but I eat "all day long" - just not very much at a time. Remember to keep your protiens up because that will help you feel "fuller - longer"

I'm going to be give some "brand" names in the following - they are just the products that I am using.

Used to have some yogurt, granola and fruit and a bagel for breakfast. Now I have a yoplait Carb Monitor yogurt and a glass of milk. Sometimes I'll have some fruit - hey, when strawberries are in season - I'm so there!!! Then in an hour or two I'll have a serving of dry roasted almonds (great snack!!) and a little later I'll have Dannon Carb Control Smoothie.

Lunch is either a spinach salad with a serving of cooked chicken or tuna, fresh veggies (brocolli, tomateo, carrots, bell peppers) along with ranch dressing. Or I'll have a slice of cheese along with several slices of lunch meat (with out the bread). Sometimes I'll have a low carb wrap with the lunch meat. I'll also have a the fresh veggies when having the lunch meat. I usually start lunch around 11:30 and won't finish it until 1:30. Oh yea will also have some fresh fruit with lunch.

By 2:30 or 3 it's time for some chocolate - dang - not on the "diet" So instead of the traditional treats I've started eating either 1/2 or a whole (depending upon the size) low carb power bar / protien bar. I've found several that I like and many more that I don't. My favorites are Pria Carb Select, PowerBar Protien Plus Carb Select and some of the EAS Advant Edge Carb control bars (the EAS have to be of the chocolate varieties)). These bars do 2 things. 1-They satisify my sweet tooth and makes it feel like I'm not depriving myself of anything - have it to look forward to every day! and 2-They fill me up making it easy to get to dinner time without another snack.

Dinners: mostly the same stuff we've been eating in the past with the hard exception of cutting out most pasta: no spagetti, ravioli or lasagna (double dang). We also have reduced (because we can't cut it out 100%) the amount of potatoes/potatoe products we have with dinner (tripple gand it) We grill year round so we still have chicken and porkchops and steaks off of the grill. Have eaten more eggs for dinner (scrambled with cheese and bacon, tossed into a low carb wrap, add a little salsa - volia' - a breakfast buritto for dinner). We have also had more meatballs (costco has a huge bag - just zap them in the microwave for 3-5 minutes and you've got your main course).

By making these modifications I have lost quite a bit of weight this year. I also started exercising 4 days a week before going to work which has helped (and paid off in many different ways .

---

I'll be on the Aug repo cruise. I'm NOT going to worry about what I eat. I always take the stairs, will walk deck 4 everyday that we don't have snorkeling excursion and I plan on spending some time in the spa/gym. Right now I'm planning on skiping lunches (because I've HAD to do that on all of my past cruises). I have enjoyed a large breakfast on the ship in the past and really enjoyed the dinners. I've been stuffed from just those 2 meals per day while onboard. But with my new habits of eating smaller meals and more of them - I'll have to see what works out for me. I'm not worried about gaining weight on the cruise. I expect to gain some - but I also expect it to come off pretty easily when I get home!

 

[pppiglet]

Jrabbit....your way of eating is our families way of eating. Except we don't have the potatoes. We also use the Dreamfields brand of pasta and it is delicious and low carb. Of course we only use it about 2 times a month for a treat! If you really miss your lasagna, there is a real good recipe on lowcarbluxery . com that uses eggplant instead of noodles and it's great. We eat like this always except for birthdays and holidays and vacation. It makes an amazing difference in weight loss. I do adjust my calories/carbs though because I have to have my real Dove dark chocolate everyday! (which is good for your heart...high in antioxidants or something) On the cruise, we will enjoy all the food! Congrats on your weight loss! Doesn't it feel good!

Debbie

 

[shmoogrrrl]

I've done really well the last few months with an aggressive diet and exercise program, but I am worried about gaining all my hard lost pounds back in one week. Who has successfully cruised and stayed on their diet and exercise programs? What are your secrets?

I will probably be boo'd out of the thread when I say this, but I have never gained weight on my Disney cruises. The last few times, I have LOST weight. (8.5 pounds on the last one!)

I do not really watch what I eat on the cruise, so I don't have amy real explaination for what it happens. I suspect it is because, I take the stairs whenever I can, and try to walk deck 4 every day.

I don't know about the science of food, but it could be also that by eating throughout the day, it kicks up my metabolism? If that is true, think I could trick them into letting me stay on for two months, 'for my health?'

 

[alexandrew]

wow, all that great food and still you LOST 8.5 lbs on a cruise.....

 

[BobandLee]

I will probably be boo'd out of the thread when I say this, but I have never gained weight on my Disney cruises. The last few times, I have LOST weight. (8.5 pounds on the last one!)

I do not really watch what I eat on the cruise, so I don't have amy real explaination for what it happens. I suspect it is because, I take the stairs whenever I can, and try to walk deck 4 every day.

I don't know about the science of food, but it could be also that by eating throughout the day, it kicks up my metabolism? If that is true, think I could trick them into letting me stay on for two months, 'for my health?'

I won't boo you and I believe you. I have heard about cruisers who have lost weight on cruises.
I think you point out a couple of key points.
1. Eating throughout the day. I find that I do much better with 3 meals plus 3 "snacks" during the day. And never eat after 8(whoops there that goes on our next cruise)
2. Keeping PHYSICALLY active. The stairs and the walks around the prominade do help. I enjoy the prominade walks in the morning as the mentally prepare me for the day.

Some people eat the proper foods naturally. Not me. I am not a big fruit, vegetable and fiber person, but these items along with a lot of WATER will make a difference on weightloss. I have to continualy remind myself to do this.

 

[Jhalkias]

OK, I have a very serious question for those of you who work out while on the cruise to keep up your routine . . .

I pack enough clothes as it is to go on vacation - and I am a BIG "sweater". I perspire quite a bit, and currently lose about 3lbs in my 30 minute workout just in fluids.

So you can imagine, my shirt, my shorts, and my socks are totally soaked and "polluted" by the time I am done. So what do you do with the dirty laundry??? I'm on vacation, and don't want to do daily laundry OR store sweaty clothes in a small stateroom.

So what do you guys do - or don't you sweat????

John

 

[grammiegail]

Boy, can I relate! I am a 50 year old, post-menopausal Weight Watchers "success story" (208# in 2001 and 143# in 2004). Since then I have gained 15# after a surgery and just can't seem to shake them. I am terrified of gaining weight during the cruise.

But, I have decided to take control instead of being out of control. I now have the desire to get up each morning and exercise (the reason for my weight gain). But, I need your help.

So, my challenge/plea to you is that I pledge to exercise 30-60 minutes Monday-Friday until my cruise date (5/28/05). Will you join me??? I will log in each day and fess up. Want to keep me honest and be honest, too????

If you don't want to that's OK, I will still be reporting. I just hope for your moral support.

Even if I don't meet my goal, I know that I will take with me WW learnings on the cruise...I am not in this alone...I have a new choice ever minute....and if I lapse "it's a vegetable" (meaning don't beat yourself up about lapses...just regroup).

During the cruise, I will "try" the following WW strategies:
1. Drink at least 6 8-ounce glasses of water a day
2. Walk at least 30 minutes a day
3. Take the stairs, not the elevator
4. Each the vegetables/fruits first
5. Remember that the first bite tastes as good at the last (so - no matter what your mother said - you do not have to clean your plate)
6. I can eat everything I want, just not as much as I want
7. YAHOO - "You always have other options"
8. If I mess up, I'm human, I can exercise non-optimal judgement, but I can start again....after all it was only a "vegetable"

So, what do you think?????

 

[pppiglet]

So you can imagine, my shirt, my shorts, and my socks are totally soaked and "polluted" by the time I am done. So what do you do with the dirty laundry??? I'm on vacation, and don't want to do daily laundry OR store sweaty clothes in a small stateroom.

This is what I was worried about too. Packing extra exercise clothes and what to do with them after. I too like to exercise til I am soaked! So maybe I'll just have to walk the deck and take the stairs on vacation.

 

[jkfreeman33]

I pretty much eat what I want on cruises. However, I only take the stairs and never take the elevator. That helps take off a few calories, plus you get to say hello to everyone else who walks the stairs. I have found I can walk 13 floors faster than an elevator!! Going down is so much easier than going up.
Also, someone else mentioned, be sensible. No one needs 3 deserts, cruise or no cruise, have 1 and enjoy it.
I have found that I enjoy walking the ship to see each bar, room, etc. Get out and walk on the ship. Lots of fun nice people to meet that way too.
Can't wait for our cruises this year, we are going on Carnival in June and RCCL in September.
Happy cruising!!
PS: I have found that the bar/spa/gift shop bill at the end of the week is a bigger concern for me than a few extra pounds.