If you're like a lot of people, you want to enjoy your cruise vacation without tipping the scales when you get home.
Dining on a cruise ship is one of the top reasons people book a cruise in the first place (along with the destinations your ship will go), but keeping the pounds off on your holiday is just as important as being at home.
You'll find on any cruise ship many choices of places to eat and food to choose from. If a cruise ship is like a floating city, then it has a very large restaurant district.
But there’s a habit that might be driving your weight up post-cruise up without you even knowing it. So we’re here to pinpoint the one clear thing you can do to bring your numbers down. Keep reading.
Stick to your eating habits at home
Because there are so many choices of food and places to eat, the bad habit you're likely to pick up on a cruise is stopping to eat at many of them.
Snacking on a cruise ship seems to be far more common on a cruise than at home, because it's all readily available and so much is included.
It could be a frozen yogurt cone at the pool deck, plate of cookies at Cafe Promenade, or couple slices of pizza at Sorrento's, but it all adds up.
While this isn't to say you shouldn't snack or indulge on a cruise, the key is to not over eat between meals. Eat when you are hungry. Stop eating before you are full.
In some cases, a lot of extra weight is gained because of either consuming a lot of extra calories, or they're retaining a lot of water from all the extra salt that their body isn't used to.
Speaking of things you probably do at home but not on a cruise is drink water.
If I were to ask our readers what's the first thing they want to do when they get on a cruise, the answer is likely to celebrate the start of vacation with a cocktail, beer, or glass of wine.
There's nothing wrong with that, but not drinking enough water adds up quickly. A lot people gain weight because of water weight from salty food and alcohol.
If plain water that is included with your cruise fare isn't to your liking, you could opt for the flavored waters they have at select dining locations, such as the Windjammer or Cafe Promenade.
Or you could bring water drink mixes to enhance the flavor of the water included with your cruise fare. (Contains an affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra to use).
Strategies to not gain weight on a cruise
Here are more tried-and-true ways to avoid weight gain on your cruise.
Walk and take the stairs whenever possible: While your first instinct may be to hop in an elevator, the more you can walk, the more calories you can burn to offset the sweets and snacks.
If you're only climbing or descending a few decks, taking the stairs is a really good idea and alternative to crowded elevators.
My personal strategy is up to 3 decks going up, I'll take the stairs. Around 5-6 decks going down, and I'll opt for the stairs.
Start with a salad and glass of water at the buffet: Before you grab a plate and hit the Asian stir fry station, try to fill up first on a salad and some water. It will temper your appetite so you might eat less overall.
Beware the liquid calories: I find it's easy enough to skip the cookies and cake, but it's the sugary drinks that add up quickly and without you noticing as much.
Instead of a tropical drink, order low-calorie spirits like vodka. Pick a light beer instead of a traditional one, or opt for a spritzer.
Don't feel obligated to eat or drink your money back: Live your best life on a cruise and indulge, but don't come at your cruise as your attempt to eat because it's included.
Don't join the "clean plate club": Enjoy the food, but don't feel like you're obligated to eat everything they serve you.
There's no penalty if you don't finish everything on your plate. At the buffet, use it as an opportunity to try a wide range of foods, not to stuff yourself silly.
A little bit of weight gain is normal
While you might not want to gain weight, one mantra to remember is you are on vacation and a few extra pounds won't be a problem.
If you're indulging here and there and not being overly gluttonous, you'll probably come home with just a handful of extra pounds.
A great deal of that extra weight could be water weight as a result of the salty foods and cocktails, so it could go away after a few days.
