How to Avoid Gaining Weight on your Cruise

With the delicious gourmet cuisine, famous buffets, and wide range of specialty restaurants, the food on a cruise ship is hard to resist. One of the reasons people choose to cruise is the wide availability of excellent food, but cruises are notorious as being the kind of vacation that ensure you go up a jeans size.

It’s said that the average passenger gains a pound a day on a cruise, which isn’t a problem if you’re taking a quick two or three-day cruise, but what if you’re away for ten days or more?

It’s fun to try different foods on the ship, and while it’s important to eat in moderation you’re also on vacation. Here are a few different ways you can have your cake and eat it too:

Only eat at Meal times

You’d think this one would be obvious, but there is always plenty of food available throughout the day on cruise ships. Whether it’s a mid-afternoon snack, or a midnight feast, these extra meals add up. Try to avoid snacking, or swap out the cake for some fresh fruit or yoghurt.

Get Active

It’s often easier to exercise on a cruise than it is at home. You don’t need to drive to the gym, search for parking and drive home, and you also have much more free time on a cruise that can be used exercising.

Cruise ships have great fitness centers, often with all the best classes like pilates and Zumba. Cruising is a good opportunity to try a new class that you may even want to continue when you get home. If you’d like a more personalized workout, most ships also have personal trainers onboard who can tailor a workout for your needs and goals.

If you’re not the type to sweat it out in the gym, you can still be active in other ways. Try to choose shore excursions that involve some exercise like kayaking or a walking tour.

Take the stairs whenever you can and avoid the elevators. Small amounts of incidental exercise add up, and by the end of the cruise you may have burned off a couple of those delicious desserts.

Eat Smart

Before eating your main try eating a light salad or broth based soup which will help satisfy some of your hunger with fewer calories. Playing the ‘if, then’ game can also help: If I have the appetizer than I’ll skip dessert, or if I have the cheesecake I’ll just have one glass of wine. This will help keep you focused on portion control and making healthy choices.

Don’t Drink your Calories

When you’re relaxing in front of the pool it can be easy to order high-calorie drinks like cocktails. These drinks have on average 200 calories each, and can quickly blow out your calorie allowance for the day. It’s also harder to make smart food choices when you’ve had a bit to drink. Try to stick to wine or beer, and limit cocktails to the occasional treat.

With a bit of planning and focus, it’s possible to enjoy the wide range of delicious food on your cruise without gaining too much weight. If you do put on a couple of pounds, remember it’s not the end of the world and you’ll likely lose it when you’re back into your routine at home.