Controlling Weight at Sea Can Be Heavy Problem

A recent Consumer Reports travel survey asked 476 readers why they never had taken a cruise. Too much emphasis on food was the answer from 41%.

And a best-selling 1987 diet book warned readers planning a vacation: “If you choose to go on a cruise during a diet, you were never serious about the diet in the first place. . . . On cruises they serve food constantly, and you don’t get much exercise.”

Talk about outmoded stereotypes! These people don’t seem to have noticed that there are plenty of lithe young (and not so young) passengers who jog around the decks, swim laps in the pool and practice aerobics in the fitness centers or lounges.

They’ve learned how to enjoy the salt air without retaining fluids, live off the fat of the land without becoming part of it, and sit in the lap of luxury without padding their own girth. In short, they know how to have a wonderful time at sea without gaining an ounce.

It’s a rare ship these days that doesn’t provide an array of low-calorie seafood, salads, fruits and vegetables; many even offer diet-conscious meals on every menu. You’ll find exercise classes even on small ships, spa and gym facilities with a variety of equipment on the larger ones.

Simple Guidelines

Following a few simple guidelines and using a bit of willpower should return any passenger home in better shape than when he or she left.

First, try to be a gour met , not a gour mand . The former is a connoisseur who selects the best from what’s offered, while the latter eats everything in sight.

Because the average cruise ship sets out two or three breakfasts a day (in the dining room, the cabin and on deck), mid-morning bouillon and crackers, two or three lunches (dining room, deck buffet and grilled hot dogs and hamburgers), afternoon tea, gala dinner and midnight buffet or snack, a gourmand would be waddling instead of walking after a few days.

The gourmet, on the other hand, learns to shop around, reading posted menus in advance and checking out the buffet displays before dining.

Sample, don’t stuff. When portions are large, don’t feel compelled to finish them. And when you serve yourself, keep it to modest spoonfuls.

Skip and Make Up

Unless your metabolism is fantastic, skip a meal now and again. On an evening in port have something simple ashore without dinner, then enjoy a late-night snack buffet when you re-board. Eat lightly at lunch if you want to have tea-time treats, and schedule an hour in the disco if you plan to take in the midnight buffet.

Beware of Greeks (or Italians or Jamaicans or Austrians) bearing dishes. A soulful-eyed waiter usually has his tip rather than your figure in mind when he coaxes you into ordering appetizer, soup, salad, fish, meat and two desserts.

Make breakfast your real splurge. The calories you pick up there are usually worked off before bedtime, so you can enjoy a different old-fashioned dish every day: baked apples with cream, waffles and fresh strawberries, French toast, Swedish pancakes with lingonberries or smoked salmon with cream cheese and bagels.

Steer clear of the pina colada, and any other drink with an umbrella in it. Instead choose a carbonated drink or diet soda, a glass of white wine or light beer, or maybe a white rum and sugar-free tonic with a squirt of lime. Calories are delivered in a glass just as quickly as on a fork.

You Give the Orders

Try ordering dishes that do not have fattening sauces. Contrary to Jack Nicholson’s famous “whole wheat toast” scene in “Five Easy Pieces,” you can usually get shrimp or crab cocktail without the catsup-based sauce, or an unadorned piece of fish or a salad with a squirt of lemon if you ask when you order.

If there’s nothing on the menu but rich, heavy dishes, see if they’ll prepare a broiled steak or an omelet, and request fresh fruit for dessert. On many ships you can order an appetizer portion of pasta for your main course instead of a steak or roast.

Take advantage of the exercise classes and spa. You’ve paid for them just as much as you’ve paid for the food you feel compelled to eat. Your daily ship’s program will offer a full range of things to do: a morning mile “walkathon” around the deck, dance and aerobics classes, shuffleboard and table tennis tournaments, sauna and exercise machines, indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

Finally, plan to lunch on deck in a swimsuit or shorts. The deck lunch is a buffet or sandwiches, so you’re already avoiding the temptation of a full meal, and when you’re wearing brief apparel you’ll be doubly aware of every mouthful that threatens your shape.