How to Lose Weight on a Cruise Ship

I know, that sounds impossible, doesn’t it? I mean, you’re on this ship, no way to get off and you are surrounded by all kinds food. Food that you can eat unlimited amounts of. Shoot, if you wanted to, you could order two appetizers at dinner. Want a steak and shrimp? Not a problem!

*I cruised with Royal Caribbean International as part of a press group. While my cruise was complimentary, I did not receive any monetary compensation. All opinions are 100% of my own.

Everyone told me I would gain 10 pounds on a cruise. I’m overweight to begin with and the thought of adding 10 more pounds to my body worried me. So I devised this plan to lose as much weight as I can before I set sail so when I do gain weight, I’m basically back to where I started. Sounds great, right? So for two months leading up to me setting sail, I lost 15 pounds.

The day I set foot on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas ship, I promised myself that I would enjoy the cruise…eat what I want and not worry one bit about how much I will gain. I did not want my focus of my first cruise to be on my weight and whether I should eat this or whether I should eat that. How much fun would I have if I was freaking out about food and pounds? None.

I started each and every day with a virgin Strawberry Daiquiri (virgin because I bought a drink packaged the included unlimited, non-alcoholic drinks and I was perfectly OK with not consuming alcohol)! Not only was the daiquiri delicious, but it also helped me cool off (I swear I was overheating most of the cruise). The rest of the day I ate full plates of food at each meal and another daiquiri or two! I even had dessert each night too. While the desserts were definitely good, my favorite was all the fresh fruit. I think I ate my weight in pineapple!

The second I got home from the cruise, I weighed myself. I wanted to see the damage, but guess what…I lost 2 pounds! After the shock of losing weight on a cruise wore off, I started to think about what I did to have that happen. Here’s what I came up with:

• I took the stairs 90% of the time, thanks to my roomie Kim and her FitBit. Yes my thighs were screaming obscenities at me most of the time and there were times where I seriously thought my heart was going to explode, but in the end, I am glad I did that.
• I ate real food…a mix of protein, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables.
• I did not overdo it on alcohol. Sure I had a drink or two but that was basically it. They had non-alcoholic versions of every drink I liked so I chose those instead. Not only did that save me money (A LOT of money), but I think it also helped me lose weight too! And I didn’t need the alcohol to have fun and relax!

So the next time someone tells you that you will gain 10 pounds on a cruise, tell them that doesn’t have to happen! Just using the stairs and walking the deck every morning/night a couple times will help keep the pounds in check and help you lose weight. Plus, walking the stairs typically gets you to where you need to go a lot quicker than the elevators! The lines for the elevators were crazy sometimes and then you have those teenage boys that think it’s funny to push every button on the elevator and then take off running so the people getting in are stuck stopping at every floor. So not cool! But above all, enjoy yourself!

*Thank you to PickURGift.com for personally sponsoring me for this event. Please check them out and see how you can make gift giving fun!