vacation

[dimar97]

I am going on vacation next month - on a cruise - and I am wondering if anyone has any advise/suggestions as to how I should deal with maintaining my diet plan without having any control over how things are prepared or what is offered on the menu? My whole family is going - I believe the official count is at 24. It is a major celebration - 2 milestone birthdays as well as a third birthday. Most of the women in my family do low fat/low cal or weight watchers and all have vowed to "take the week off" and eat what ever they want. I believe it is much harder to get back on track with low carb eating than low fat / low cal. I am not looking for permsision to go off the diet - I am simply looking for others that have vacationed and how they dealt. Thanks!

[SandyL2002]

I have never been on a cruise..but I have heard that they have lots of Salad stuff and items to choose from.. Of course you will have to avoid all the yummy looking desserts...

[higgies]

It's going to be extremely difficult fighting the urges on a cruise, but if you have the will power yyou certainly can! There will be so many options for you. Almost every meal is buffet style, if I'm not mistaken, or at least you'll be able to order off a menu. So there are always things like the prime rib carving station and fresh vegetables. So if you can do it, there will be plenty of things to eat.

[Lulubell]

stick with the dining room service where you have to be seated and the portions are small. yes, there are buffets on cruises, but you don't have to eat at them. there is generally a huge variety, so you can be good.

[skinnymom!]

I am going on one in 93 days (yes I have a countdown going LOL) and at first I planned to just eat what I want. After all, this is a BIG vacation and I'll be honest, the food is a big part of it. However now after being so good since I started on Easter (with sugar anyway, I haven't touched the stuff the entire time) I am petrified to eat real sugar. I think I will eat pretty much anything I want, but NO sugar and NO white bread or potatoes. That is how I ate last week when I was on a trip and it worked well for me. I didn't feel deprived, got to eat some yummy favorites and didn't suffer in the weight dept either.

[julirama723]

I don't believe in going off-plan or eating non-legal foods for any reason. I've gone out of town twice, and stayed completely legal both times. Later this month, my boyfriend and I will be going on a 2-week vacation and I won't be going off-plan then, either.

Just this past weekend, my boyfriend and I went to Big Sky for a conference/awards/banquet type thing. Everything was catered. When we checked in and registered, I wasn't shy. I told the lady that I could NOT eat flour or sugar, and asked what meal accomidations could be made. My dinners were served without breading/stuffing/gravies, and my desserts were fresh fruit instead of cake and pie.

People say "Oh it's a special occasion, oh it's just this once, etc." Well you know what? One one hand, life is a special occasion, and on the other hand, every day is just another day. What do I mean by this? If a person starts using "special occasions" as an excuse to cheat, then more and more things start to become special occasions. Life doesn't stop for special occasions. Eat on plan, be healthy and free of guilt. This is not a DIET, so there's no reason to go off of it.

[Elizellen]

Originally Posted by julirama723

I Everything was catered. When we checked in and registered, I wasn't shy. I told the lady that I could NOT eat flour or sugar, and asked what meal accomidations could be made. My dinners were served without breading/stuffing/gravies, and my desserts were fresh fruit instead of cake and pie.

That is the key to successful eating when out and about, Julie
Most catering staff are only too pleased to be asked to help you stick to your dietary requirements.
After all - if someone is not able to eat a particular food because of religious or health reasons the staff would be happy to help sort out something acceptable so why should they be difficult about it just because it is a personal choice we are making?

[AllieRichie]

I have never been on a cruise either, but I heard there is everything your heart desires there, food-wise. If that is true, it shouldn't be hard to keep up atkins! Good luck and have a wonderful time!

[Duinai]

Was cruising last year and a year before. last year I was in maintainance, but the year before I actually lost 2 lbs . yes, its ABSOLUTELY TRUE: they have everything on the ship! You can find most deliciuos meats, chicken, fish, etc. I am not even talking about vegetables - is hard to imagine. Fresh fruits basically everywhere, you can grab an apple and go enjoy your relaxing. Endless supply of non-sweet tea ( Splenda sitting next to it) or coffee with half-and-half.

They also have fitness room... and you can walk or run around ( one deck is specifically designed for people to jog).


So..... as always... you either CAN do it, or you CANT


Dui

[apple]

I'm another one that doesn't believe in "going off" just because you're away from home, normal elements, and on vacation. I just spent a week going to the coast and visiting family and stayed on plan. Although I didn't lose weight that week, I came home 1 pound more and even lost that the next day. So, I agree...it's possible to vacation ANYWHERE without going off the wagon. Plan ahead, call ahead, ask for ingredients, and enjoy your family and don't focus on the food.

From my experience on vacation, the waitstaff were more than happy to comply with my request. I made sure to be overly thankful and shared with them how much I appreciated their services to make the meal I was paying for in their establishment to keep them employed. You may be going on a boat, but you're paying for the food and the service...have fun using it!