We all know that a good Cruise is all about the food food food. It is in abundance on a cruise and can be very hard resist! They say on an average 14nt cruise you can expect to put on about 1lbd a day - that's a whooping stone in 2 weeks! Eeeeeeek!

I have been on lots of cruises where the food has been just amazing, you want to try everything on offer! From the 5 course meals in the main dining room to the buffet options practically 24hours a day, it can be rather difficult to say no can't it?!

So what are the main contenders on a cruise ship for this weight gain and what can you do to avoid it? Read on...

BURGERS AND FRIES

No poolside day is complete without a good old cheeseburger and a big portion of fries. Or a trip to the infamous Johnny Rockets on a Royal Caribbean ship is definitely not to be missed. But with the Smoke House coming in at 1100 calories and then another 480 at least for a portion of fries and washed down with a creamy milkshake at 920 calories you are in for a heart attack!

DIET SWAP - why not try a grilled chicken fillet burger instead, these carry much less calories than the beef burger and if you ditch the mayo and cheese you are saving even more calories. Or go Atkins style and skip the bun and fill up on more salad instead of fries.

SUGARY DELIGHTS



Most modern cruise ships have little havens of Sugary Wonders on board, take Royal Caribbean with its Ben and Jerry's ice cream parlour and the Oasis and Allure of the seas Boardwalk donut shop. and cupcake cupboard. not to mention pudding with your evening meal every night. It can be very hard to say no to these sweet treats!

DIET SWAP - Instead of having a whole cupcake or donut to yourself, why not break it in half and share with somebody, that way you are literally halving the calories! Have a frozen yoghurt instead of ice cream, much healthier choice and just as tasty! Instead of choosing the chocolate cake for your pudding opt a few evenings to have the sorbet instead.

COCKTAILS



We are all guilty of indulging in a few of these on our cruise holiday, mine is a strawberry daiquiri or 4! I like a Pina Colada....but not at aprox 645 calories I don't! A long Island Iced Tea comes in at a huge 780 calories and a margaritas has 740 - wow! Maybe we should really be looking at what we are drinking rather than eating on our cruise??

DIET SWAP - A glass of wine is much lower at about 100 calories a glass. Vodka or Gin and slim line tonic is always a dieters choice of drink. A Cosmo is only about 150 calories. But if you really must have a fruity, creamy cocktail then try having it as your pudding instead.


Happy Healthy Cruising (hmmmmmm, maybe not!) :)