You don’t have to put on weight when on a cruise!

We’ve all heard the stories about people who have come back from a cruise a stone or two heavier. You may imagine that it is difficult to eat well when surrounded by so much food 24 hours a day. Many assume that this will lead to overeating and consequently inevitable weight gain. However, I have never got off a cruise ship heavier than when I got on. I have a few theories about why this is:

1. Its easy!

   It is A LOT easier to eat healthily when somebody else is preparing all of your meals for you. I am quite happy to eat a salad if somebody else is going to prepare it for me and wash up afterward! There are so many varieties of salads/healthy meals available to you all day every day.

   2. You eat proper food!

   You may be eating meals between your meals but at least you are eating proper food. You’ll be eating a whole variety of fruits and vegetables that you didn’t even know existed. Eating proper food is much better for you than the quick packet of crisps you usually end up grabbing to mindlessly munch at your desk.

   3. The portion sizes are smaller.

   I’m not sure if this is just me but the portion sizes on cruise ships, at least in the main restaurants, are much smaller than I would cook for myself at home. You’re never really hungry on a cruise so this isn’t a problem.  It probably is one of the reasons that I rarely put on weight though.

   4. I always end up exercising without realising.

   Cruise ships are big! The last ship I went on was 1/3rd of a mile if you walked around the promenade deck. Given that you’re either on the ship for the day, or off walking around exploring, the steps do add up. It’s rare for me to not reach the recommended 10,000 steps even on a sea day. You’ll also end up walking up a lot of stairs. I normally try to walk up the stairs if it is less than 10 flights. Okay I understand that not everybody wants to do this, but taking the stairs on a cruise ship can really add up. On one day I managed to walk up over 90 flights of stairs!  5. Drinks.
   I try to avoid drinking too much alcohol and swap fizzy drinks for diet versions. It’s a no-brainer.

   6. Gyms.

   I hear that cruise ships have gyms (not that I’ve ever been in one). For me a holiday isn’t about sweating in the gym, a gentle evening swim is just perfect to make sure that I stay active and sleep well at night.

   7. Fruit.

   I try to choose the fresh fruit plate for dessert. This is normally always an option on the menu in the main restaurants, it is always yummy! It would be great to eat things like this at home, but theres no way I’m going to have a single strawberry hanging around at home…

I honestly don’t believe that going on a cruise means that you have to put on weight. I recently saw an article which said that cruisers put on on average 1 pound a day! Thats is completely mad. As long as you are sensible and don’t go crazy there is no reason you can’t enjoy a variety of delicious foods and still come back healthier than when you went away!

Do you put on weight when cruising? Let me know in the comments.