How to Lose Weight on a Cruise
The major players in the cruise industry are 1) Carnival Corporation which not only owns Carnival Cruise Lines, but also Holland America Cruise Lines, Seabourn and Windstar Cruises; 2) Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines; and 3) P&O Cruise Division who among their holdings run Princess Cruises. As the dominators of a multi-billion dollar competitive industry, you better believe these companies want to keep their customer’s happy, and make changes to meet market demands. Some obvious changes over the past few years are the low-cal, but tasty diet menus, increase in excursions offered, and free work out facilities.
Let’s talk about food first, because food is good. We like food. Raise your hand if you want to pack low-fat, pre-measured snacks to take with on a cruise. That’s a fun way to start your vacation isn’t it? If you raised a hand, put it down because that defeats the object of being “on vacation.” Not only can you find low-fat snacks, for free, onboard, but you don’t have to skip dessert either. Okay, that would be just devastating. If I had to skip dessert while on a cruise I would be like Rose in the movie Titanic and hang from the railing seriously thinking about how unfair life is. No one has to live that way because cruise lines have hired renowned chefs to make sure you can have your cake and eat it too while keeping to your diet and without sacrificing taste or the gourmet experience. Carnival Cruise Lines sets the bar when it comes to food that is not only presented like artwork, but tastes like a masterpiece and this includes their diet dishes as well! We’re talking diet cheesecake that will make you think someone penciled in “diet” to ease their conscience and diet chocolate cake that forces the eyelids shut in disbelief after every bite.
On cruise ships you can eat in the formal dining area (really only formal a night or two out of the week) or you can go to the buffet. Both are included in the price of the cruise (unless you got a really bad deal.) Buffets, with their pizza varieties, heavy cream salads and decadent desserts are a surefire way to gain weight, but if you go to the dining area and order one of the low-calorie options you are in for a treat that is also healthy. From your menu you choose one starter, one salad, one main course and one dessert. Each section has at least one low-calorie option. If ordering non-diet items, ask for the sauce on the side and if ordering a salad always ask for the dressing on the side. Don’t be afraid to ask for modifications on menu items (e.g. no butter sauce with escargot, or no cheese sauce on your veggies.) Diet desserts are to die for, but if you see something else on the menu you like, order it, just don’t eat the whole thing. If you’re entire group is trying to lose weight, or not gain any on your trip, order the diet dessert and then a regular item that you can all share.
Okay, so you had a great, low-calorie meal and you feel satisfied and still a little suspicious about whether or not your meal was really low-fat (trust me, it was.) Don’t stop the good work just because you left the table, keep on moving by taking a walk after every meal to immediately burn a few calories. Walk the length of the ship on the upper deck a few times and enjoy the ocean views and before you know it, you’ve walked miles. Also, take the stairs instead of the elevator. These little changes help when you’re on a cruise.
If you hit one of the many, many, many bar areas and order a drink, stay away from frozen, creamy frou-frou drinks and beer. If you have a mixed drink that includes soda, ask for the diet version. If you like beer, ask for a variety with no preservatives. If you’ve never had a beer with no preservatives, watch out-you’re in for a pleasant surprise the next morning when you realize the “bloat fairy” didn’t stop at your cabin. Wine, as always, is a good choice for dieters.
For breakfast, strike a deal with yourself and promise to first eat a dish of fruit, cheese and fiber before hitting the eggs and pancake buffet, this way you don’t deprive yourself of anything you might want to try. If you have an activity planned at port, grab a box of cereal or banana for the “road.” At lunch, start with a salad and water before hitting the buffet. If you must drink soda, drink diet soda, or better yet stick with iced tea or water. To add a little pizazz to these drinks add a few squirts of lemonade or fruit punch to the tea or water. Fresh lemon slices are normally available next to the water dispenser.
A great way to burn calories, aside from walking the ship and taking the stairs, is to use the onboard gym which is also free (just like the food.) Each ship offers different exercise equipment, but you’ll usually find a nice combination of treadmills, elliptical trainers and weight machines. Life can be “go, go, go” on a cruise ship, especially for those days when you’re in port, so to incorporate the gym into your daily agenda you have to create a schedule and stick to it. For example, on Carnival Cruise Lines, the gym is open from 6 am until 10 pm. That means if you want to work out early you should be there when the gym opens because if you mosey over at 7 am you’ll have to wait in line for each piece of equipment you wish to use. The best time to go is first thing in the morning, mid-day or before closing. Most cruise lines offer personal trainers for a fee and workout classes such as aerobics or yoga for about $10 each. You can also take advantage of free seminars or classes offered by the personal trainers. To find out what freebies are offered just visit the ship’s information desk for a list of weekly activities.
If your plans include not going within 100-feet of a gym while on vacation then select at least one excursion with mild to heavy activity. For example, instead of plopping down at a beach for the day try bike riding or kayaking. In Belize you can bike ride for 6 hours in the jungle (just watch our for those panthers.) Even intense shopping and walking can be a workout at these ports of call! Anyone who has ever been to Cozumel, Mexico can second that!
Water, water, water. If you’ve ever seen an episode of Survivor, then you’ve probably felt sorry for the contestants who had to read a map and walk miles to get some water. Things are not so different on a cruise ship if you want free water! At home all you have to do is walk to the kitchen, grab and cup and fill ‘er up. On a cruise ship you have to trek to the dining area, grab a cup the size of a dime, wait in line for water, chug it, refill and repeat until you are no longer thirsty. If you finally get sick of this, you break down and open the large bottle of water in your cabin, and are then charged $3.50 per bottle. If you refill this and try to carry it around the ship or in port, forget it, you’re lugging around like 40 pounds and it’s inevitable you will become crabby and start talking trash in a foreign land which is never a good thing. That is how newbies do it, because once you’ve been through this you vow to never endure it again. If you’re a newbie take our advice and bring an insulated beverage bottle from home (or buy one for $5 in the gift shop) and fill it up at each meal to take with you afterwards. This way you have something to bring with you when you’re working out, lying out on the deck, and on your excursions. Proper hydration is important to weight loss and on a cruise ship you really need to bring your own bottle.
Another tip to lose weight is to keep busy. If you’re busy participating in a contest or seeing a show chances are you’re not eating while you do it! Each day you’ll receive a newsletter in your cabin full of activities you can join or watch. Dancing on the deck is also a great way to burn calories, so take advantage of the dance lessons and dance parties. Worried you’ll look silly? Don’t worry about it (apparently no one else is) because cruises are meant to be fun and carefree.
Weight loss cruises are all the rage, but these specialty vacations are expensive and often booked and besides you can save a bundle of cash (or credit) by booking a regular cruise and just using our tips to lose weight. If you follow the tips in the article, you will lose weight or at the very least, not gain any. With all the food, drinks and snacks you intake on a cruise, who can ask for more than that? So, what are you waiting for? Go sail away!
