POA - Bottled Water & Healthy Snacks

[LunaTEKKE]

Greetings!

I'll be travelling on the POA late this summer. While I definitely intend to indulge a little, I lost close to 30 pounds in 2004 that I *don't* want to find again! A couple of questions...

1. How much will bottled water set me back?
2. Are there healthy snack selections (fruit, yogurt, granola bars, etc.) available in between meals, or should I think about bringing my own stash?

Thanks!

[richstacy]

We frequently buy bottled water on ships, too though it is certainly not necessary. Can't remember what it costs, $3/ liter sounds right. The ships evaporators make perfectly good water that may be as good as or better than most bottled. As for healthy snacks, you will be able to find plenty of fruit , vegetables etc at the buffet to snack on. But go nuts during the cruise! You'll only gain back a few pounds and you can lose those again in a week or two.

[Mom1977]

Congrats on your weight loss!

The water on the ship is good, so I didn't feel like I needed to drink bottled water. Just bring a few bottles with you (or buy a couple in port) and keep refilling them and keep them on ice or in the fridge.

As far as eating, the buffets are my killer. I found it much easier to not gain by eating in the dining room. But limit myself to 1 appetizer, 1 salad or soup, 1 entree and 1 dessert. Even with the dessert, I didn't gain. But remember they serve small servings, so eat slowly and drink water while you eat.

Oh, and I found I keep busy during the day and didn't find myself sitting in front of the tv or computer (my bad snack times) and I didn't need to snack during the day. I did allow myself 2 extra snacks. One was for a piece of pizza, and the other was for the reuben in the deli. When they had the midnight buffet, I found something else to do...and kept away!

[LunaTEKKE]

Thanks to everyone for the pointers. This is a great forum -- I've started keeping a notebook by my computer so I can jot down all of the great advice and not forget anything!

[colorcrazie]

Also, if you can, use the stairs instead of the elevator on board. When I was healthy enoug to do this, I used to lose weight on cruises! Now, it's a different story. I'm on restricted diet all the time,...except for my cruise week. But, even letting myself go, I don't snack much at all and by the 3rd day, I find myself choosing fish and fresh fruit and veggies. May gain 2-3 lbs in a week.
marty

[dina]

My DH and I fought the bulge by taking the stairs the entire time as well as long hikes at each port and not grazing between formal meals. It's really easy to nibble a little here then nibble a little there and soon your eating all day.

[Fruitcake]

I have to echo both the above posters. Take the stairs!
I was concerned about gaining weight too. But on the last two cruises I tried to use the stairs whenever I could, plus I walked a mile a day [or more] around the promenade deck.
On one cruise I gained only 1 lb. [the ice cream freezer broke -- that helped!].
On the other I gained 2 lbs.
And I really enjoyed myself and didn't feel deprived.
I made sure I did not snack between meals. I drank lots of water, bottled or from the ship's dispenser.
I tried to make sensible choices at breakfast and lunch. I allowed myself to enjoy a dessert at dinner though!
There is always the 3 bite rule for desserts -- or share it with your spouse/partner/kids.

You lost 30 pounds, which is a great accomplishment.
Don't worry about gaining a pound or two on vacation. When you get home, you'll go right back on your plan and be fine!

[LunaTEKKE]

Thanks to all for the advice and encouragement!

I generally find that I make better choices at mealtimes if I have some small snacks on hand for during the day. I recently discovered some great snack bars from Kashi (called TLC bars) that should pack pretty easily -- in case the munchies strike during the day!

[Boohbah]

-30 lbs. is fabulous! I have lost about 35 lbs. since last June and am also afraid of gaining it all back on my cruise (which leaves this Wednesday! Noordam! Woot!).

My problem is that every time I go on a cruise I behave decently until the 2nd or 2rd day and then I find myself eating and drinking everything, from breakfast croisants to frozen drinks to the Midnight Buffet and I end up feeling gross and finding I have gained anywhere from 3-7 lbs. on the cruise when I get home.

My plan (let's see if this works) for this cruise is to stay out of the buffets as much as possible (and avoid the Mignight ones completely-Who needs to be eating at midnight?), stick to eating 3 meals a day, to eat as many fruit and vegetables as possible, to take a walk on deck, go to the gym, or walk in a port every day, to only have the occaisonal glass of white wine, to drink tons of water (bottled and evaporated), to take the stairs instead of cramming myself into the elevator every time I want to explore the ship, and to only indulge in dessert at one meal (dinner), as apposed to going hog wild at every time the food troughs open.

I am also giving myself a realistic window of a 2-3 lbs. weight gain. I plan on having a great time and indulging, but I still want to feel decent when I return.

(Longest response ever. And it's my first, too. Thanks for listening. It helps to write it all out!)

[Rfujitani]

Originally Posted by richstacy

...But go nuts during the cruise! You'll only gain back a few pounds and you can lose those again in a week or two.

Famous last words! I don't think I could trust myself in that scenario.

I'm no dietitian, but I do understand what you're trying to do, LunaTEKKE. I've also gotten into the habit of eating small meals and having healthy snacks (always in moderation, of course) at certain intervals throughout the day; it keeps the metabolism constantly up and running. I don't think it would hurt to take a personal stash of snacks (those Kashi bars are good!).

I would also echo yet again what others have said about taking stairs; even that little bit of exercise will help more than you might think it would. And what Fruitcake did by taking the extra step (no pun intended) and walking a mile every day is incredibly disciplined, and if you can manage it, that would be a great idea as well. Take a friend and chat it up while you round the deck a few times at a brisk pace.

Otherwise, whatever you've done to lose that 30 lbs (which is fantastic, by the way), you should be able to continue to do on the cruise. But overall, remember that it's a time for you to be relaxing and having fun, so if you start to get stressed out about the weight gain thing, take a deep breath, go for a swim, enjoy some sun, and remind yourself that you're there to enjoy yourself.