Cruising With a Dietitian: How to Avoid Gaining Weight While at Sea

My husband and I just returned from a 7 night cruise from Baltimore to the Bahamas on the Carnival Pride. Since we've been back, I've had several people ask me the million dollar question: "How much weight did you gain?" Since this article is about my experience I'll tell you: about 3 pounds. So, let me rephrase my title:

Cruising with a Dietitian - - how to gain "just a little bit" of weight while at sea.

See, not being allowed to gain any weight would be unrealistic and just not any fun! I must admit that I am a little bit of a foodie and we did indulge in many of the culinary adventures the ship and ports had to offer: The "Chef's Table" tour of the galley and 7 courses tasting menu, a night at "David's" steakhouse, several servings of molten chocolate cake and deep fried cracked Conch in the Bahamas. I even indulged in a couple of Pina Coladas while lounging in the hot tub.

My measly three pounds is really not that much considering the statistics. The personal trainer from the ship's gym quoted me a figure of 7-14 pounds per cruise. A UK poll published last year by the Daily Mail quotes 1 pound a day. CruiseReview.com found the average weight gain on a 7-day cruise ranges between 5 to 10 pounds. Judging by some of the eating behaviors I witnessed on the ship, I would say that this could be accurate for those who really "let loose."

Here are my top 10 tips for minimizing weight gain while cruising:

1. Be a "Picky" Eater. No, I am not implying that you need to order chicken fingers at every meal like my son does. What I mean by "picky" is regarding the quality of the food. "Picky" means really two things: 1) not indulging in chicken fingers, mac and cheese, soft ice cream and other items that you can easily get while not vacationing. Save your calories for more epicurean adventures. On my cruise, there were quite a few unique options such as oysters Rockefeller, escargot and chilled mango soup. 2) "Picky" also mean not eating something unless it's REALLY good. If the fish is dry and cold, don't finish it. If your buffet food tastes bland, let the waiter take it away. If the cake is tasteless, just take 1 bite and stop. Remember: the "clean plate club" is not in session on cruise ships. Only clean your plate if you truly enjoy the food and if it's a "4-star" dish.

2. Utilize the Gym. Not having enough time can't be used as an excuse while at sea! You should be exercising more, not less. Most ships have cardio equipment, free weights and exercise classes. Sign up for a fitness class. My husband and I signed up for a group cycling class at 4pm one day which saved us a few hundred calories of afternoon cocktails - - we didn't indulge in a drink until the class was over. If you don't like the gym, there is also usually an outdoor track for walking/jogging. Walk the halls and explore every nook and cranny of the ship. Take the stairs as much as possible instead of the elevators. Think of the cruise as a "spa vacation": take care of your body, exercise, use the steam room, indulge in a massage, etc. All of these activities are food free.

3. Opt for the dining room over the buffet. Yes, you can order anything you want, but you have to wait for the different courses. Slowing down the meal time will decrease the amount you eat. It can take 10-20 minutes for your stomach to send a message to your brain that it's full so having down time between each course is helpful. As an added bonus, the portions served in the dining room on many cruise ships are small - - just don't order 2 entrees! For most meals, I ordered a salad, a soup, an entrée and split a dessert with my husband.

4. "Scout the Buffet Line". If you must go the buffet, scout out your options. Choose 3-5 items in total that you most want to eat. Remember that there will be another buffet and more things to try for the next meal. Food researcher, Brian Wansink writes in the April 2013 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine: "Skinny people are more likely to scout out the food. They're more likely to look at the different alternatives before they pounce on something -heavy people just tend to pick up a plate and look at each item and say, 'Do I want it? Yes or no.'

5. Eat Dessert Only Once a Day. On cruise ships, desserts are offered 24/7: before breakfast (in the form of sweet rolls), on the menu after brunch, on the lunch buffet, after dinner, 24 hour soft serve ice cream, midnight chocolate buffet, etc. You can "have your cake and eat it too" but just once a day. Personally, I didn't care much for the dry cakes, jello and soft serve ice cream from the buffet line. I saved up my dessert calories for evening desserts in the dining room which were more decadent and often served warm (molten chocolate cake, bread puddings, crème brule, etc.). If you have a sweet tooth like me and can't decide on 1 dessert, split 2 (or 3) with your partner but only take a few bites of each!

6. Substitute an appetizer for your main meal. On many nights, I found the appetizers to be much more interesting than the meal options. They usually had 2 interesting soups, salads and small bites to select from. If you want to order the calorically dense French onion soup, go for it and couple it with a salad and small appetizer. 2-3 appetizer portions are most likely fewer calories than an entrée.

7. Limit alcoholic beverages (and stay away from the all you can drink packages). Alcohol is the number one source of empty calories for cruisers (a typical Pina Colada tops 600 calories!) Try to hold off on alcohol consumption until after 5pm. This will limit calories and will also allow you to be more active earlier in the day - who wants to take the stairs or jog around the track after a couple of beers?!? Trust me; a tall cold beer tastes much better after a hard workout at the gym. Speaking of my good friend the Pina Colada and other yummy frosty fruity drinks - - try to limit these to 1-2 the entire cruise and stick to dry wine, beer or spirits mixed with water/club soda as they are a fraction of the calories. Our ship had an all you can drink alcohol plan that cost $49.95 per person per day. Assuming the average drink cost of $7, you would need to have 7 drinks to break even! Drinking less sure did save us money and calories!!!

8. Pass on the bread basket. Each meal in the dining room was accompanied by a bread basket and cute little silver bowl of sculpted butter. For breakfast, various Danishes were served before the meal. None of the breads or rolls were anything special. Skip them! Enough said!

9. Eat only at meal times. Make a pack with yourself to eat only at meal times. Our ship had a fairly large window for the lunch and dinner buffets as well as a 24 hour pizza and soft serve ice cream station. Some boats even have late night chocolate buffets. Stay away from the buffet room and hang out someplace else between meal times.

10. Drink plenty of water. Make a point to drink 2 glasses of water with every meal and 1 glass of water for each alcoholic beverage consumed. This will fill you up, keep you hydrated and help combat the ill effects of too much alcohol. Forcing yourself to drink a glass of water with each alcoholic beverage will slow you down from running up your calorie total. On most cruises, soft drinks are extra. My advice is to not purchase this package and instead fill up on water and herbal teas. You can get soda everywhere, why would you want to drink your calories - - save them up for the good stuff on the cruise. The same rule applies to juices (which are also free) - skip them and opt for fruit instead!

When you come home, do not to weigh yourself for at least 3-4 days. Cruise line food tends to be salty so give your body a chance to rid itself of excess water. I usually find that the post cruise week is a great time to "get back on the bandwagon" with a healthy eating routine. You may find your body craving lighter meals as it tries to adjust and cleanse from the previous week. Think of your cruise indulgences as way to provide momentum for a healthy lifestyle rather than a set back!

There is an old quote in the cruise industry that says "customers are brought onto the ship as passengers and unloaded a week later as cargo." Hopefully by following the above advice you can be unloaded as small "carry-on bag" rather than cargo.