If I can do it you can too!
A wonderful friend and fellow fitness instructor got a guest gig --teaching aerobics on a two-week Princess Cruise (remember The Love Boat?). Her husband was not able to go so, lucky me, she took me in his place. [Darn, sure wish I could dig up that picture of my younger bikini-clad self to show off here]. Together we shared the responsibility of teaching aerobic exercise classes to groups of "old people" as I saw them. I am now the same age as many of those cruisers who approached me about setting me up with their son at home.
I was astounded when I was aboard the ship and saw all the food on that cruise that seemed to be available around the clock. I was afraid that I would gain weight in the two weeks on board. The classes we taught were a bit modified, really lightened up, for the cruisers who were twice the age (at least) of our usual exercise classes. Not only was I nervous about gaining weight, I knew it would be more difficult to get back into the real working routine at home where I basically lived in a leotard and normally taught 15+ classes each week. When we were at sea, aside from co-leading only one class a day, the majority of my time on the ship was spent working on my tan.
If my memory serves me right--I didn't gain an ounce on that cruise!
I was so (pleasantly) surprised. The only thing I can think may have happened that time was that my body was so used to much more intense exercise it may have welcomed the break. I may also be forgetting how careful I was about what I ate.
So on this cruise, in my sixties, I had the same feeling return when I saw all the food. How could I spend 12 nights on this ship and return home without more baggage than I started with? I'm not talking about luggage, of course. The buffet style setup has its advantages and disadvantages: The advantage is you can choose your food and only take what you intend to eat, you can make healthy choices.
The disadvantage is, of course, it is all in front of you looking very appealing --or at least intriguing, and you have MANY choices. I have always hated decisions. Some people may decide they didn't get exactly what they expected so they go back for something else OR often reload their plate with much more of the same. There is no rule about going back for seconds, or thirds!
If my memory serves me right--I didn't gain an ounce on that cruise!
I was so (pleasantly) surprised. The only thing I can think may have happened that time was that my body was so used to much more intense exercise it may have welcomed the break. I may also be forgetting how careful I was about what I ate.
So on this cruise, in my sixties, I had the same feeling return when I saw all the food. How could I spend 12 nights on this ship and return home without more baggage than I started with? I'm not talking about luggage, of course. The buffet style setup has its advantages and disadvantages: The advantage is you can choose your food and only take what you intend to eat, you can make healthy choices.
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| Lots of healthy choices at the salad bar! |
It's no wonder as the cruise director so eagerly warned us: it is not unusual for passengers to gain 1-2 pounds A DAY!!! This was a 12 night cruise--my jaw must have dropped to the floor--doing the math in my head was terrifying.
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| Healthy main course option |
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| Tiaramisu, my favorite---OH YES --I DID! |
So between all the food offered on the ship, and all the local faire I wanted to sample in Spain, France, and Italy, I thought I had to come up with a strategy to keep from going home with an extra 12-24 pounds. It seemed I had two choices: either carefully limit what I ate, or find a way to compensate for those calories-in by exercising.
There are always things to try that you don't normally eat at home. When eating on the ship I usually tried to opt for the healthier, but of course still tasty choices. I convinced myself that no matter what, I didn’t have to eat everything on my plate, although at times I did. Many times when I ate at the buffet, I decided to make my meal from the big beautiful salad bar, careful of the dressing.
I never felt left out, hungry, or deprived.
Yes, the food is always available and visually appealing onboard. If you are the one at home who usually does the cooking, its especially a treat not to have to plan, shop, prepare and cook. To have everything done (including dishes washed) is a luxury.
1. Choose a smaller plate. This is an age-old trick. Your vision is food crowded on your plate. You can fool yourself into feeling full because you cleaned your plate.
2. Be satisfied with the creatively prepared smaller portions. Enjoy each bite and don't ask for more.
3. In the dining room you can always order a "starter" as your main course. I did this more than once and was very happy with it.
4. If you're afraid you will miss out on something you want to taste, make a deal with your spouse or traveling companion to order something different and share.
(I do this all the time anyway and am so thrilled my husband goes along with it)
5. ***Remember***
Nobody is forcing you to eat dessert at EVERY meal.
Yes, the food is always available and visually appealing onboard. If you are the one at home who usually does the cooking, its especially a treat not to have to plan, shop, prepare and cook. To have everything done (including dishes washed) is a luxury.
But... You don't HAVE to eat everything in sight.
Here are a few strategies to save yourself:
1. Choose a smaller plate. This is an age-old trick. Your vision is food crowded on your plate. You can fool yourself into feeling full because you cleaned your plate.
2. Be satisfied with the creatively prepared smaller portions. Enjoy each bite and don't ask for more.
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| Delicious Crab Cakes-- a great example of a "starter" that works well as a main course |
3. In the dining room you can always order a "starter" as your main course. I did this more than once and was very happy with it.
4. If you're afraid you will miss out on something you want to taste, make a deal with your spouse or traveling companion to order something different and share.
(I do this all the time anyway and am so thrilled my husband goes along with it)
5. ***Remember***
Nobody is forcing you to eat dessert at EVERY meal.
But I realized the best tip to save those pounds is to see as much as you can on foot. There are many opportunities even before you leave the ship to walk. To begin with, the layout of the ship is such that you can get a lot of walking in by just choosing the stairs instead of the elevator. Often you can enjoy the outdoors on the ship as well, walking around (I did laps) the upper deck. Whenever we were off the ship we walked and walked and walked. We booked many excursions that centered around a walking tour, often walking for 3 1/2 hours at a time. There is so much you can see on foot. You can get a great close up look and feel on your own timing when you are walking.
For those that like to take photos, you have many more opportunities when you are on foot with timing, angles, and not having to shoot through windows or between heads in a vehicle.
My friend kept a log on her fitness tracking device and we discovered we logged over 100 miles walking. Let me say that included MANY hills and flights of stairs, according to the tracker often more than 30 floors, even over 50! (You could have asked my butt and my knees--ouch!). I decided it's time for me to upgrade and invest in a newer version of my Fitbit to stay motivated, or maybe to get set for my next adventure. If I can do all that eating without gaining weight I should be able to keep moving, possibly even at half the distance, and those clothes might be loose with my healthier eating regimen at home.
As in a previous post, “Everybody’s Got Something", moving is often the answer, and in this case walking was definitely what helped avoid bringing the extra weight home with me. Walking really did save me. It allowed me to eat very differently than I do at home, including a delicious gelato every one of our last three days we were in Rome, and still come home happy—Tired, but happy. Yes, walking is so often an easy answer.
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| There are MANY sights I would have missed if I wasn't on foot These are just a very few of hundreds |
My friend kept a log on her fitness tracking device and we discovered we logged over 100 miles walking. Let me say that included MANY hills and flights of stairs, according to the tracker often more than 30 floors, even over 50! (You could have asked my butt and my knees--ouch!). I decided it's time for me to upgrade and invest in a newer version of my Fitbit to stay motivated, or maybe to get set for my next adventure. If I can do all that eating without gaining weight I should be able to keep moving, possibly even at half the distance, and those clothes might be loose with my healthier eating regimen at home.
As in a previous post, “Everybody’s Got Something", moving is often the answer, and in this case walking was definitely what helped avoid bringing the extra weight home with me. Walking really did save me. It allowed me to eat very differently than I do at home, including a delicious gelato every one of our last three days we were in Rome, and still come home happy—Tired, but happy. Yes, walking is so often an easy answer.
You can enjoy a cruise AND the food,
STAY HEALTHY AND HAPPY
if you keep walking!
#stayhealthywhileenjoyinglife#choosefoodcarefully
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