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Anybody who's spent any time at all with me knows that I like to eat (and drink). A lot. And while I watch my calories on a daily basis, when I go on vacation, well, usually, all bets are off. But my health is really important to me (as is fitting into my clothes), so when I went on a cruise a couple of weeks ago, I decided that I would not be the stereotypical cruiser who puts on a pound a day.
I wanted to enjoy my cruise and -- let's face it -- get my money's worth when it came to the food, but I wanted to see if I could manage all of that without feeling like a total glutton. Turns out, it's entirely possible, and I didn't feel deprived for a second!
My first rule is this: make a point to be active. I don't mean you have to hit the gym every morning (though running on a treadmill overlooking the ocean is kind of cool). Schedule excursions that will require you to hike, bike and swim. You'll hardly notice how hard you're breathing or how heavily you're sweating when you're hiking up a mountain in the rainforest, swimming with sea turtles, or exploring a beautiful city on foot. And, if you take a relaxed beach day (and you should), be sure to go for a couple of long walks down the beach (the people watching is always awesome) or tread water for 10 minutes in the crystal clear sea.
Now, let's talk food. Who can possibly resist the siren song of the buffet table? Not this girl, that's for sure. But what I was able to resist was getting a full serving of everything that appealed. Usually, many of the same things are offered on the buffet every day, so if you want a waffle, get a waffle! Just save the poached egg and bacon for the next day. Trust me, it'll still be there.
When it comes to lunches, take advantage of the gourmet salad ingredients. I think salad tastes so much better when it's made out of veggies I don't have to chop myself, and cruise ships always have a million tasty (and often exotic) toppings. My ship also offered a spa-style lunch each day, featuring gorgeous whole-wheat pasta dishes and light soups (in small portions, even). Choosing these items never made me feel like I was giving something up; on the contrary, I looked forward to them, if only because they're not things I typically have in my fridge at home, and I didn't have to prepare them myself.
Dinner can be tricky because you have less control over portion size. While you can always ask for low-calorie options (the kitchen will be happy to oblige), it's hard to pass up what everyone else is eating. If two appetizers look tempting, have your tablemate get one, order yourself the other, and share tastes. But if you order multiples, make a point to eat just part of each. And, if you don't love something you order, don't finish it! After all, there's always dessert (and the midnight buffet).
Drinks, of course, are always difficult, and I'm not a ton of help with this. I mean, I'm not one to pass on rum punch! But if you're spending your days involved in a lot of physical activities, your opportunities for consumption (or overconsumption, as is so often the case) are limited. If you find yourself laying by the pool ordering drink after drink, make sure to sip water, too -- you'll not only drink a little less booze and consume fewer calories, but you'll be grateful the next morning. The only thing worse than packing on the pounds during your cruise is spending the whole trip hung over.
Bottom line is this: if you schedule fun, calorie-burning activities when you're on shore and eat treats that are good and good for your waistline (you know you like fruit!), you'll have no reason to feel any guilt whatsoever when you decide to take a day off and just relax with a margarita. Or three.
CE Kristen Seymour also blogs at Jeez-o-petes.
Photos: Kristen Seymour
