How to lose weight on a cruise 2022

Or at least not gain any weight!

The ideal day on a cruise starts with what we do upon waking!  Just take time to get your mind right before you start your cruise and set your goals- intentions and purpose.  What is your WHY?  

I strive to thrive each day instead of surviving the day.  I am on a mission to improve my aging process and live my best life (plus look and feel my best) in my second half of my life.

How can you improve your future self?  Take action now.

Be accountable for YOU.  You are in control of your choices.

Self Care is SELF LOVE.

Do you love yourself enough to take care of the WHOLE you from the inside out – even while on a vacation?

It is up to you.  Choose health and happiness.  Happiness doesn’t result from over eating carbs, binging on alcohol and riding the blood sugar roller coaster.

Here are some suggestions based on my experience and goals…

1. Sleep with the door open if possible – and curtains to wake up with the sounds, smell and view of the ocean from your own bed!

2. Hydration with minerals as LMNT or Relyte or even just Redmond’s Real Salt

 

3. Pre-order morning room service (set card outside door the night before) for your morning cup of herbal tea, green tea or coffee- you can order room service the night before to arrive around your natural wake up time.

4. Wake up and move outside!
   • Track on the ship- get up and get moving
   • Avoid sunglasses in the morning light- produce the melatonin to help with circadian rhythms
   • Avoid the boredom of running or walking in circles by:
     • Do 1-2 laps then 10 squats, lunges and side lunges etc.
     • Run the sides fast then walk the corners/ends
     • Do one lap then do yoga flow with nasal breathing exercises looking out to ocean

5. Eat when hungry- intuitive eating and unintentional fasting
   • Intermittent fasting 12-18 hours from your dinner to “break-fast” meal- move breakfast first meal to later in morning and have coffee/tea and water instead with your essential amino acids as from Kion (code Debbie+Kion to save 20%)
   • Learning to “break your fast” when slightly hungry but not starving you will binge
   • Choose protein – unprocessed as chicken, steak, beef or fish without sauces
   • Avoid processed foods -especially if reactive
   • Take time out to shift to “rest and digest” PNS with breathing exercises (take 3 rule)
   • Mindful eating vs. mindless eating
   • Talk to someone new sitting beside you!

6. Take the stairs!
   • Avoid the elevator if possible 100% of the trip
   • constant movement throughout the day
   • Moving after eating -more stairs or take a lap around the top floor of the ship!

 

7. Workout before dinner!
   • We found that lifting weights around 4pm before our 5pm dinner seating was a perfect time for us- as the gym was quiet and we were more insulin sensitive at dinner time.
   • Lift free weights, cable machines and single handle machines with good form, alignment and controlled speed to muscle fatigue.  I like to lift 5-8 reps per exercise and circuit between 2-3 exercises for 2-4 rounds/sets.  Example- squat over bench with bicep curl then chest press weight free weights on the bench then a core exercise.  Boom.
   • Mobility drills always feel good- especially if sitting too much in the day as side lunges, primal squat and reach, reverse lunges with arm reach over head and other movements to open up tight muscles and engage the opposite side to create balance.

 

7. Prioritize protein at dinner.
   1. Take your time relaxing and talking to new friends at dinner
   2. Push pause and reset before eating- take three nasal long inhales and longer exhales before starting to eat to shift into “rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous system.
   3. Order unprocessed protein without the sauces (hidden wheat/gluten and sugar) as I just asked for the meat without the sides and no sauces then added butter or olive oil plus sea salt (pack your own Redmond’s Real Salt to dinner!).
   4. Eat your protein before your sides. Fill up on protein before you eat your vegetables.
   5. Avoid the starchy carbs unless you can tolerate safe starches as an athlete, and time with harder workout sessions that day for a “carb refeed” at dinner (glycogen stores for the next day’s morning workout). If you are carb sensitive as me, then experiment with higher protein meals for the week while you are on the ship and you don’t have access to a grocery store or your own food at home and pantry!
   6. Always ask for NO breadbasket at your table- or chips if at Mexican restaurant!
   7. Do you need dessert? Maybe share a treat and go for the low sugar and gluten free options.  Can you do one bite and not overeat as we want to avoid the trigger foods. We found a gluten free section for treats in the buffet food hall and some had low sugar or no sugar added (whatever that means!)- which don’t work for my sensitive body but great for my husband!  I tried for my dessert some good cheeses (ideally goat and sheep cheese- best raw cheeses but not available on a cruise ship!) with some walnuts (ideally raw).  I wish I could do a few purple grapes or strawberries with the cheese but I often get a headache from the fruit!  Yes, I am high maintenance.

7. MOVE after you eat… take a walk around the ship on the track or top floor to watch the sunset and breath in the fresh ocean air!
8. Practice good sleep hygiene routine even on vacation!
   1. Disconnect off blue light devices 2 hours before bed
   2. Stop eating 3 hours before bed
   3. Keep room dark and cold – keep window or door open, when possible, for fresh air
   4. wear eye mask if lights bother you as me
   5. read before bed instead of watching TV (or else wear blue blocker glasses)
   6. Do some restorative stretching as legs up to ceiling, spine twist, hips stretch, knee hugs… on your bed.

Those are my “Top Ten” suggestions for losing weight on a cruise!  IF you move more throughout the day, especially after lunch and dinner, skip break-fast (earlier lunch) to extend your fasting window and shorten your eating window (time restricted eating).  Focusing on higher protein and healthy fat intake will help you feel full, satisfied and reduce cravings for those addictive carbs (as well as bad vegetable seed oils) which seems to be available everywhere.

I am very reactive or sensitive to many foods as gluten-wheat, sugar, and other additives so I need to keep my meals simple as a “surf and turf” meal as salmon and steak while avoiding any processed meat or protein as the burger patties and scrambled eggs (stomachache for two days!).   I am not RESTRICTING myself from treats and overeating (addictive carbs = overeating and binging but rather I am PROTECTING myself from gut and brain issues…especially as my symptoms when eating the wrong foods for my body type include a headache in 5-10 seconds after consuming (leaky gut- leaky blood brain barrier).

Take care of the WHOLE you with the elements of The WHOLESTIC Method to burn fat, optimize health and improve the aging process.

Let’s chat about how you can get a personalized health and fitness program with one of my three coaching packages.

The WHOLESTIC Method Coach,

Debbie Potts