WW and cruise

[Jaylie]

I'm going on my first cruise in a few weeks (the Wonder) and I'm on my fifth week of Weight Watchers! Any suggestions on how to do this without eating into oblivion. I'll be at WDW both before and after the cruise, so plan to do LOTS of walking then. Thanks for any help!

 

[rubato]

It can be done. On the cruise, there will be tons of fruit, veggies, fish, chicken breast, etc... I have lost weight on every cruise because I order off the healthy menu. To have chefs available to cook yummy, healthy food is something I don't have at home, so I take advantage. I also don't eat any bread at dinner. Very hard to do, but can be done. The free drinks are good for you:water, coffee, iced tea. There are also lower calorie, lower sugar dessert options which taste wonderful. There will be many temptations, but there will always be a good option around the corner!
Enjoy your cruise!

 

[robinb]

Bone up on Set Points (I think it's in the week 5 or 6 booklet) and you should be fine. However ... I think a cruise is a place to try new foods and have fun. I know that I would not want to point/calorie count while on a cruise. Don't beat yourself up if you end up splurging a bit .

 

[corinnak]

There are lots of great choices on a Disney Cruise. Fresh fruit and veggies you don't have to wash or cut yourself? Heaven! Do you hope to lose, maintain or have a controlled gain when you get home? Any of those is a valid choice, just so long as you are actively choosing and not going on autopilot.

Here's my best vacation advice:


1. Eat to the point of comfortable satisfaction. Enjoy what you are eating but never eat to the point of being overfull.
2. Always choose fruits and vegetables first.
3. Avoid fruity drinks - wine, beer and plain liquor have enough calories without all that sugar.
4. Enjoy some treats, but be selective (choose things that are worth your points) and see rule #1.
5. Use the fitness facilities - they are lovely. Do some laps of the ship. Take the stairs whenever you can (the elevators often take longer anyway). Any activity is better than no activity.


And most important of all: Whatever happens on this trip, whether you follow any of my 5 suggestions or none of them, this trip is a few days out of your life. The most important thing is that you get right back into the WW groove as soon as you get back home. In the grand scheme of things, It does not matter that much if you gain on this trip just so long as you get right back to counting and tracking as soon as you get back home.

There is so much more to do on a Disney cruise besides eating - you'll never feel a need to eat out of boredom if you check out the activities available on board! I loved attending some of the presentations and tours when I was on the Magic. I am sure you'll have a wonderful, fun time, too!

 

[FireDancer]

I can't speak specifically about WW but there are ways to eat healthy on the ship. There has already been great advice so I'll try not to repeat, but no promises.

The biggest think I would think about on the ship is the buffet eating. Remember that it is all you care to enjoy, not all you can eat. The #1 thing I tell people at buffets is to only use the smaller salad plates. Less plate = less room and less food makes the plate look full. Take a reasonable amount of what you want to eat and eat the small portion. When the plate is empty drink a glass of water and wait 5 minutes or so before getting another plate full. Often times our stomach is full before our brain recognizes it. I believe the term for this is satiety delay but I may be off. Anyway, if you still feel like you are not full after a glass of water and 5 minutes go up again.

At the sit down restaurants you can still enjoy what you want but can make small changes to make the meal a bit healthier. If a meal comes with a heavy, calorie dense sauce get it without it. If you really want to try a higher then you feel comfortable with entree go for it but offset it. You can get a better side like steamed vegetables instead of cheesy potatoes or a dessert like sorbet or fruit instead of some of the baked goods.

As the others have said there are some things you can do on the ship that burn more calories then sitting by the pool. I went to the gym each day for just a little bit. It is free, you just have to put your name in so they have you on their list. There is a walking deck as someone else has mentioned. There is a Castaway 5K on the island. It is not a race and there is no minimum time but you get the island practically to yourself for at least a little bit in the morning.

Then, when you have put in a little sweat equity you can sit by the pool with the mojito. There is nothing wrong with indulging a bit on vacation but keep in the back of your head that many people spiral a bit when they get home. If you know you have the discipline to go off the script for a few days and get back on feel free. If you are the kind of person that will let it go on vacation and then not get back on after be more cautious. Only you really know which of those you fall under.

Have fun whatever you do. Those cruises are way too expensive not to.