Lunch Options That Don't Involve Fries

[TestingH2O]

Back story: I gained weight while we were trying to get pregnant and, once my daughter was born, I was NOT one of those people who lost it all just by breastfeeding and not sleeping. However, over the past year or so I have lost 60 pounds and am less than 5 pounds from my goal weight. (Pretty happy about that.)

Current dilemma: I want to enjoy dinners and drinks on the cruise, but I don't want to go totally crazy. What are more healthy options at lunch? I've seen posts that seem to indicate that salads are hard to come by. Any suggestions? We will be in Dream Concierge in about 2.5 weeks. The lounge food is pretty decadent, right?

I anticipate gaining some weight on the trip but I want to maintain some reason. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[dcassetta]

The breakfast and lunch buffets in Cabanas have lots of fresh fruit options, and the lunch buffet has a nice salad bar. On the pool deck you also be able to find quick service that includes sandwiches, fruits, salads, and cheese and veggie pizza.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Goofy's Galley/Daisy's Delites serves wraps, fresh fruit and salads. There are also salads and fruit on the lunch buffet in Cabanas, you should be able to choose lighter fare pretty easily.

Big tip, take the stairs, everywhere. That really helps burn off those calories.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I know fruit contains a high amount of sugar but the fresh fruit at Luigi's etc on deck 11 is awesome. I always head up there to get some fresh pineapple and melons, (I'm not a fan of cantaloupe at all but eat a ton of it on the ship)!

If your a fan of seafood, Cababas always has peel and eat shrimp and crab legs and a good salad bar.

 

[DahliaRW]

Usually one of the MDRs is open for lunch, and there are salads on their menus. I usually get the chilled fruit soup and an appetizer salad for lunch.

 

[Msidescooter]

As others have noted, there are plenty of options to eat a lighter lunch on the deck, in cabanas, or the MDR. From my own personal struggle, I would recommend taking a detox of some each day. The detox will help your body clear out the unneeded additives and such that are in the extra rich food they serve on the ship.

**as a side note, I wouldn't start taking the detox on the ship, depending on your diet, it could cause other "side" effects**

 

[PrincessTrisha]

At the fast food places on deck, if you decide you want a grilled chicken sandwich, you aren't going to automatically get fries. The CM has always asked me if I wanted fries before putting them on the plate.

I think the only place that stuff would automatically come with chips or fries is through room service. You can ask them to leave it off but I personally haven't had good experiences with making changes to room service orders (when I've asked for something left off, I have still gotten it on the plate).

 

[ladyofthetramp]

I want to second all the advice given above. I always had a salad for lunch or small roll-up sandwiches with tuna or turkey up on deck 11. I almost never get french fries and that wasn't a problem for me, there are plenty of healthy options. The offerings in the concierge lounge are small sandwiches, salads. I found it very easy to not go overboard there-except when the rice krispy treats dipped in chocolate were out. For cocktail hour- my downfall for calories (lol) I would have a glass of white wine or a vodka straight up. Tried to stay away from the fruity mixed drinks. I took the steps often and ran or walked laps around deck 4, ran the 5K on Castaway-just kept moving. I wanted to enjoy my cruise as well, but not go overboard. Not sure if I have just a strong sense of self control or not, but I felt like i indulged, didn't put on but a pound or two and still had a wonderful trip.

 

[MUN]

Back story: I gained weight while we were trying to get pregnant and, once my daughter was born, I was NOT one of those people who lost it all just by breastfeeding and not sleeping. However, over the past year or so I have lost 60 pounds and am less than 5 pounds from my goal weight. (Pretty happy about that.)

Current dilemma: I want to enjoy dinners and drinks on the cruise, but I don't want to go totally crazy. What are more healthy options at lunch? I've seen posts that seem to indicate that salads are hard to come by. Any suggestions? We will be in Dream Concierge in about 2.5 weeks. The lounge food is pretty decadent, right?

I anticipate gaining some weight on the trip but I want to maintain some reason. Any suggestions are appreciated.

IMHO, Cabanas is the best place for lunch. You have lots of options and I'm not even sure they have French fries. If they do, I've never eaten them with all of the other yummy and healthier choices.

MUN

 

[Aurora's Mommy]

Congratulations on your weight loss! We have only ever sailed on the Magic (sailing on the Fantasy next month), but I will reiterate what others have said here, whatever the equivalent of Goofy's Galley is on the Dream I'm sure will have great wraps and sandwiches, and they are all small in size. My go to lunch was always one or two "cuts" of a sandwich and a lot of fruit. We also took the stairs whenever possible. My downfall, the pastry case in the Cove Café! Stay away!

 

[TestingH2O]

I want to second all the advice given above. I always had a salad for lunch or small roll-up sandwiches with tuna or turkey up on deck 11. I almost never get french fries and that wasn't a problem for me, there are plenty of healthy options. The offerings in the concierge lounge are small sandwiches, salads. I found it very easy to not go overboard there-except when the rice krispy treats dipped in chocolate were out. For cocktail hour- my downfall for calories (lol) I would have a glass of white wine or a vodka straight up. Tried to stay away from the fruity mixed drinks. I took the steps often and ran or walked laps around deck 4, ran the 5K on Castaway-just kept moving. I wanted to enjoy my cruise as well, but not go overboard. Not sure if I have just a strong sense of self control or not, but I felt like i indulged, didn't put on but a pound or two and still had a wonderful trip.

Thanks for that. It's nice hearing that it can be done without feeling like you aren't having fun.

 

[saraheli]

I ate some sushi everyday for a light lunch (in cabanas) and then had some snacks later on in the concierge lounge.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Thanks for that. It's nice hearing that it can be done without feeling like you aren't having fun.

It can definatly be done- and you will have fun. Congratulations on your achievement and have the best time on your cruise!

 

[SwimMom2]

I was so worried about the rich food on the ship causing me to gain weight, but it ended up being a non-issue. My biggest bit of advice would be to eat what you want (within reason) but stop as soon as you are full. You can find lighter options everywhere, even at dinner, but they tended to be bland in the MDRs. Stairs are better than the elevators anyway because you won't have to wait for the stairs. If you are in port, do active things. Chasing your kids around port will cover more space than you may expect. I walked 8 miles one day (according to my phone) doing this!

I ended up losing a few pounds. Stay busy, don't eat too much, don't eat when you aren't hungry, don't deprive yourself too much either, and you should be fine without making it a major worry on the trip.

 

[bumbershoot]

The lounge food is pretty decadent, right?

Not really. It's snacks. Easy to pass up (especially since my family is vegetarian and there aren't a lot of veggie items out).


Remember that any scale rise (oh and Dream concierge cabins have scales in the bathrooms) on a 4 night cruise is temporary. It's the weight of the food in the belly, it's the water weight from salt, etc. 4 nights of eating a bit more isn't going to cause you to gain your weight back unless you keep eating that way when you get home. It takes longer than a week to build fat, so once you're home you should see the scale go back down if you get back to how you normally eat.

If you are still nursing please please please do NOT let that 5 lbs throw you. I let it throw me, and when I look back at pictures during that time I see CHEST CHEST CHEST, and skinny legs and hips and arms (oh my arms were rock hard from carrying DS all the time and they were the thinnest they have EVER been). That 5 lbs was all in my chest and I should NEVER have let it bother me at all. Now I had started around 20-30 lbs over what I should have been, so that 5 lbs was just pre-baby weight and there was more to go, but I wasn't gentle with myself, it psyched me out, and suddenly DS was 7 and I was back to my end-of-pregnancy weight, but without any pregnancy. 5 lbs after having had a baby is truly nothing even if it's been awhile. Don't torture yourself with it.

 

[Quellman]

Congratulations. You already know the keys to success when it comes to wait loss. I will say that it can be very difficult to pass up some of the great looking things you'll see, because it is a vacation after all! But I found it easiest to avoid empty calorie items. Particularly carb heavy meals. I would skip the bread courses at dinner. Nothing but a filler there. I would also skip out on soda, which wasn't hard since I don't drink it at home much either. I will say my empty calories were saved for all the rum and cokes I made in my state room...

I would also get sandwiches made without the bread, this way I get the protein from the meats and the goodness of the cheese and veggies. Or I would create the sandwich open face, this way I could shovel it into my mouth without a fork. You should be able to find salads during lunch in cabanas. You can spruce them up by adding some chicken or other protein from other areas of the buffet.

As other have said,walk as many places as possible. The stairs are your friend and honestly, quicker than an elevator any how.

Have a great trip!

 

[amanda ek]

I started each lunch in cabanas with a big salad. then went back and got shrimp and cold salads (pasta, broccoli, bean, etc). It was easy to eat well at lunch. Breakfast is much harder...Those croissants are hard to say no to!

 

[diznymom]

Lots of healthy food options.

Also, take the stairs when you can. Do the Detective Agency game (you walk all over ship looking for clues). A nice walk around the ship on deck 4 is nice. The treadmills in the spa area are free to use. I think they have free classes in the mornings. Check out the shower rooms. They are really nice also.

BTW, I don't usually eat fries or chips. My go to lunch is Cabanas - crab legs, chilled shrimp, fresh veggies and fruit. There is so much food there that is healthy for you and not junk food.

 

[SleepyV]

Some wonderful tips here. Thanks to you all.
Just one question with regards to the light Minute Maid drinks available. As a member of Slimming World are these syn free? Or comparable in calories to diet coke if there are no US slimming world members?
Thanks in advance.

 

[dcassetta]

Minute maid light has phenylalanine- aspartame