Weight Loss on a Cruise? Six Ways to Make it Happen

The day I reached the twenty-pound loss mark through WW, formerly known as Weight Watchers, I was off on a 17- day Panama Canal cruise.

About to board Holland America’s Oosterdam, I knew I’d have to be mindful of every meal. Twice a year, WW hosts their own wellness cruises on an MSC luxury ship, but this time I was on my own to figure out points and behave myself in terms of bread, desserts and mixed drinks, my personal cruise faves.

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Continuing your weight loss journey while cruising is possible, and these tips can help you stay on track without any unexpected setbacks.

Accountability

I don’t generally do selfies, but on the morning of our departure, I posted a pic so I could be held accountable not only to family and friends, but also to myself. Seventeen days is a long time and there was no telling what the scale would report upon our return. After 3 and a half months on the program, I knew the drill and was determined to track each day and get in as much exercise as possible, knowing I’d have to post a follow-up.

Plan

For newbie cruisers, most ships have similar dining options like a main dining room with various entrees from which to choose. These items change every day and are usually posted on the cabin’s closed-circuit TV, so you can plan accordingly.

I always decided on my supper choice ahead of time to make sure I wasn’t caught off guard. Sometimes, I included a dessert, sometimes not. However, I did ingest three and a half Crème Brulees during those 17 days and they were well worth it!

The only downside of eating in the main room is the basket of bread waiting at your table. I suppose you can request no bread, but we just went along with it and made sure we didn’t pig out. Well, maybe one night we devoured the whole basket but let’s just keep that a secret, OK?

Choices

Another dining choice is the Lido Deck buffet, with multiple standard and ethnic selections and abundant salad bars. If I knew the points were going to add up on a particular evening’s dinner, it was easy to cut back during breakfast and lunch.

If you feel like splurging at lunch at the Dive In for a burger or dog and fries, don’t order the lobster mac and cheese for supper. And do not fall for the waffles and pancakes at breakfast. Egg dishes are plentiful and freshly cooked to your liking, so there’s no excuse to overdo it in the morning.

Drinks

Alcohol is another issue on cruises. Beer, wine and mixed drinks are not usually included unless you purchase a beverage package. This includes soft drinks, as well. The freebies include juice, tea, coffee and, of course, water.

As a travel writer, I was invited on a river cruise once with a cruise-line that included alcoholic drinks. We’re not big drinkers, but the thought of having a fancy cocktail at no extra charge was too much to pass up—and we found ourselves trying all kinds of fattening concoctions. All things in moderation but free booze is another story.

Exercise

The Oosterdam is a mid-sized ship which provides awesome exercise opportunities. If walking or light jogging is your mode of movement, three laps around the Promenade deck equal one mile. A tip for those fast walkers: for some reason, most people out for a stroll turn left to begin their laps.

I followed the crowd on my first power walk but found I was excusing myself constantly to get around them. Next day I chose the opposite direction and was much happier with my routine. When strollers see you coming, they automatically get out of the way. You might get a few dirty looks but, believe me, they’ll get over it and you’ll have a much more enjoyable exercise experience.

If you’d rather use a treadmill, the gym is equipped with ample equipment to get you pumped. The ship also offers yoga and stretching classes, among others, to keep you on track. The only issue we had was with the scale. If the ship swayed, the scale didn’t register weight properly. Also, after just a few days, the thing broke so we just had to forget about a weigh-in until we got home. I don’t think a working scale was on many cruisers’ minds, however, so fixing it was not a top priority.

Excursions

Ports and excursions either meant lots of steps added to the pedometer or sitting in a sightseeing bus for hours, being driven to our destination. On those days of extra walking, I allowed myself a treat (see Crème Brulee), knowing I had burned off most of the calories to deserve one.

If you sat in a tour bus most of the day, walking the length of the ship a few times after dinner puts extra steps to your routine. There are also many opportunities to dance the night away, if that’s your thing, at the BB King’s Blues Club.

Since the scale was broken, there was no way of knowing if we had gained poundage, although my clothes weren’t feeling tight so I thought that was a good sign. Lo and behold, weighing in at my own house the morning after arrival, I had lost three-tenths of a pound! I would have been satisfied staying the same, or even a couple of pounds gained, but I saw this tiny loss as a success story.

Obviously, it would have been easier to track had we been on a Wellness Cruise, but after following the WW philosophy of weight loss and lifestyle change, it had really sunk in. Yes, there were times when I would have loved to have, yet another, Crème Brulee, instead of the fruit bowl, but the feeling of satisfaction when I stood on that scale at home was worth it—and Holland America’s Oosterdam made it doable.