5 Ways to Enjoy Your Cruise Vacation and Avoid Weight Gain

"My cruise vacation was amazing... and I only gained 10 pounds!" Have you heard this confession before? When taking a vacation where food is part of the package, we all face the dilemma of how to avoid returning with excess weight as a souvenir. With a little planning and self-discipline, you can actually have a fabulous time on your cruise, indulge appropriately, and still leave the ship without too much extra baggage. The key to my strategy: moderate exercise, traditional dining and targeted treats. Anchors aweigh!

Tip #1 ~ Breakfast and Lunch Buffets ~ navigate through the minefield.
A typical breakfast buffet on your ship will dazzle you with diversity. Your objective: fill up your tank with a substantial meal that will hold you 'til lunchtime and boost your energy for touring. Stick with the essentials ~ eggs, fruit, bagel, grits or oatmeal, yogurt and coffee. Skip the sausage, bacon, Danishes, pastries, muffins and croissants! Plan-ahead Tip: After eating your breakfast, stop by the buffet line for some rolls, cheese, cold cuts and whole fruit. Then, make some cute little sandwiches for the road. If you're taking a tour or going by yourself into port, you'll have a nutritious and filling lunch or snack to keep you from indulging in street fare. You'll save both money and calories!

Lunch: If opting for the buffet, keep portion control and balance in mind when serving yourself. Remember ~ you can go back as often as you want, so don't feel compelled to put everything on your tray the first time. If you feel like pizza, for example, get a slice and round it out with a large salad from the salad bar (get used to the taste without dressing). If you must have a dessert, have a petit-four (little portion). Then, finish it off with hot coffee or tea and fruit.

Tip #2 ~ Dinner and Dessert: Traditional dining venues build in portion control and balance.
Many folks who cruise are enamored with "anytime" dining. Anytime dining is different from traditional dining because you don't need to show up for dinner at your scheduled time and place each night. Anytime dining may include one or all of the following formats: table service with menus, hot and cold buffet, pizza stand or hot dog/hamburger grill, specialty or gourmet restaurant. Your best option? Order a sensible salad, dinner and fruit for dessert at traditional dining or table service at a restaurant. A multi-course meal of soup (broth or fruit based), salad and entrée satisfy your hunger without giving you the opportunity to overload at the buffet. The courses tend to draw out the time it takes to dine, which also aids in satiety. In contrast, buffets can be minefields for diners who don't have the willpower to control the portions they take of high-calorie foods. And, foods like fries or ice cream are more tempting when they're in plain view. With traditional dining, you usually receive balanced portions of protein, carbs and fat, which help you feel satisfied without overdoing it.

What about dessert? I recommend splurging on a half portion of dessert about every other night. That's a 75% savings in dessert calories for the trip's duration! Reducing your dessert portion, but still indulging half the time, allows you the feeling of treating yourself, and satisfies your cravings for something sweet, while minimizing weight gain. When not eating dessert, opt for the fruit plate instead. Drinking hot coffee or tea after dinner gives an air of completeness to the meal. That way, you're less likely to snack a few hours later.

Tip #3 ~ Pack portable snacks stateside or visit a grocery in port.
As I mentioned above, you can pack fruit and sandwiches for the road while you're at the breakfast buffet. In addition, I recommend packing a cache of nutritious foods before you leave on your cruise. Here's my shopping list of ideas: Energy bars, dried fruit, yogurt peanuts, gum, pretzels, small candies in a tin like Altoids. If you can get to a grocery store in the port of embarkation (the town where your cruise leaves) you won't have to haul these snacks on the plane, and potentially pay a surcharge for excess baggage. Always carry a few small snacks with you into port. You'll be less tempted to stop for ice cream, hot dogs, or other diet sabotages.

Tip #4 ~ Book active tours or walk into port if you're able.
Some cruise companies feature walking, hiking or biking tours as tour options in ports of call. My family tried both ~ a biking tour which took us to an outdoor museum and nature preserve; and a walking tour which included a large portion of the port town. Both tours were brilliant ways to fit in exercise while seeing the sights and having an active rather than passive adventure. Bus tours are OK, but I get tired of being shuttled around the whole time! If you can't afford to purchase an active tour, I recommend getting a map and walking into the port town if possible. You'll want to talk to the Ship's tour advisor to find out where the ship will be docked and how accessible the journey from port to village is. I've logged quite a few miles this way, and as long as your shoes are comfortable, you may even enjoy the scenery. Once you get to your destination, you can combine public transportation, cab rides and your own two feet to get to the sights you've planned to see. Just be sure to reserve enough time to walk back to the ship so you don't get left behind. A 130 lb person will burn about 250 calories for every hour of walking in port.**

Tip #5 ~ Take the stairs... always!
Cruise ships have built in exercise machines ~ Stairs! It seems you're always trying to get from one deck to another. Before your cruise begins, make a pact with yourself to never take the elevators, no matter how tired you feel! A 130 lb person will burn about 44 calories for every 5 minutes of stair climbing ~ so start at the bottom of the ship and work your way to the top, every day.** And, you'll never have to wait for the elevator or stop at every floor.

I can't guarantee you'll avoid weight gain with my strategy, but hopefully you'll minimize it. The theory of calories in/calories out generally applies, whether on sea or on land. I'm not a doctor or health care professional, so this isn't officially a diet or weight loss plan ~ it's just some friendly advice. I hope my tips will help you enjoy your next cruise and bring home memories, photos and souvenirs ~ without the added weight!

**Source: http://www.caloriecontrol.org/exercalc.html