Determined to not fall victim to mindless calories, I used our vacation as a bit of an experiment. Would it be possible to maintain healthy eating habits and somewhat reasonable portions amid all of this temptaton?!?!
The answer: YES!!!
First and foremost, I was way more active on the cruise days. I am kicking myself that I did not wear my pedometer on our first afternoon of exploring the ship. Holy cow. Fortunately, the elevators were always packed, making it much easier to convince Joe to take the stairs. There is no doubt in my mind we got our 10,000 steps by lunch most days.
Next; a pleasant surprise. As we sat down to our first dinner, this is the first thing I see:
Hip-hip, horray! While 800 calories is a little high to me, the fact that it includes dessert and most days were around 600 calories, made me a very happy girl. While some frequent "cruisers" were upset that the portions were smaller than they remember, I was thrilled. One of the best parts (in my opinion) of a cruise is the impressive cuisine. I like try a couple of appetizers at dinner, enjoy a salad and an entree. Sharing these and asking for a small portion gives you the opportunity to try more foods! This "Vitality Menu" was available every evening and varied in options.
While some may think I'm crazy, I love exercising on a cruise ship. The gym has top quality equipment, and you are working out while overlooking the ocean. Heaven! I had a little difficulty running on the treadmill, the movement of the boat made me a little dizzy while running, but there was none of this on the elliptical and stair stepper. I found a new appreciation for the rowing machine as well. Total body workout + sweating in 5 minutes = big time calorie burning. The only day that I did not use the gym was our day in Belize. But a 90 minute hike in the rainforest made up for it!
Back to those midnight buffets. Among all of the decadent desserts, I found this:
Feast on that!
Wherever your travels take you, find a way to get a healthy breakfast (mine consisted of oatmeal with two tablespoons of peanut butter, fruit, two hard boiled egg whites and coffee), and center your meals around fruits and vegetables. Find a way to balance your meals and snacks while enjoying local foods and a few treats. And hold the guilt- when you balance most meals, there is no reason to feel guilty for those french fries (so good!) or delicious desserts. Bon Voyage!
