Cruise Tips?


(Mike) #1

We are headed on a cruise next week. While we have cruised before this will be the first time while on Keto. Anyone have any clever cruise tips or suggestions?


(Karen) #2

Drink sparkling water. Or dilute your wine with seltzer water.

K


(Trish) #3

Dr. Fung encountered this personally actually. He ate what he wanted, enjoyed the cruise, and fasted when he got home with many new happy memories made.


(mike) #4

Ditto, this is similar to what I did.


(Georgia) #5

Depending on the cruise line and the dining choices, it should be pretty easy to do low carb (but not necessarily keto). You can customize pretty much anything on the menu. Avocados may be available, but not sure about things like MCT oil or coconut oil or heavy whipping cream.

I donā€™t have the discipline to eat what I want on the cruise then get back on the keto horse, so Iā€™d probably stick to protein and vegetables.


(Brian) #6

I like that option very much. I think it would work pretty well for me though I know there are people for whom it would be very risky and likely end in disaster.

First of all, there is enough variety of foods on a cruise ship that a person could likely do very well eating low carb even if not strict keto. Second, I know that personally, my tastes have changed. I really donā€™t want to eat all of the heavy carbs and sugar that I would have once pigged out on. I may have some but not likely very much. Iā€™d probably drop out of ketosis at least some of the time but it would probably not be nearly as bad as the imagination conjures.

Each of us are different and have different challenges and weaknesses. I would guess that even Dr. Fung didnā€™t go so far off of his diet as one might imagine, stuffing himself with carbs and sugar the entire time.

Itā€™s kinda like when we tell people we eat all the fat we want with this way of eating. They cringe, wince, and imagine us swimming in fat. In reality, even when weā€™re eating 70%+ of our diet in fat, weā€™re often not eating nearly the quantity that those imagining it are thinking we do. I know I also donā€™t eat nearly the quantity of food I used to and when I overeat even just a little, it is NOT comfortable.

Donā€™t sweat the micros on the few days of diversion. And as Dr. Fung did, ENJOY your cruise!


(Mike) #7

I should have mentioned in the original post that I really canā€™t go off the diet and enjoy a cruise. Keto had the unexpected benefit of getting me completely off my beta blocker and stopping the severe PVCs and tachycardia that I have had for years. Any time I go over 40ish carbs in a day I wake up with a racing heart. We normally have a rule, eat what you want and take the stairs but 2 years ago my symptoms were so severe I had to forgo shore excursions and I took the elevators in a ship for the first time. If I could just take some ā€œTime offā€ and enjoy the trip I would but I think avoiding carbs is a small price to pay for how much better I feel now (10 years younger). That said I am taking the beta blocker with me just in case


(TJ Borden) #8

That seems like awesome advice, and right in line with what Dr Fung has talked about before. You have to live life. Iā€™m taking a trip to New Mexico this spring, and thereā€™s no way in hell Iā€™m not eating some green chili enchiladas, because they are AWESOME, and the best ones Iā€™ve ever had were in New Mexico.

Live life, know that youā€™ll suffer a bit, get back on the horse, fast a bit, and above all; KCKO


(Dan Dan) #9

Any time you eat away from home the best you can hope for is ā€˜low carbā€™ and sometimes not even that :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Schedule a week of ā€˜OMADā€™ or a Couple short EF(36 to 48 hour) when you get back and your good to go :wink:

ā€œMay the Force (fat adaption) be with youā€

IF/EF Keto WOE is Self-Discovery :wink:

Good luck and much success in your journey in IF/EF Keto WOE :grin:


(Mike) #10

I wish I had that option but, as I indicated earlier, I have to go low carb or I will have medical issues that prevent me from having fun, going on shore excursions, etcā€¦ Had I found this WoE earlier I suspect I would not be in this predicament but all I can hope is that, over time, my heart will become less sensitive to moderate carbs.


(Dan Dan) #11

Low carb is doable just let the cruise line know your medical requirement and you will be fine :thinking:

I eat low carb every vacation steak, pork chops, hamburger patties, chicken wings, hard boiled eggs, bacon, salad barā€¦lots of options and test often you got this :smile:


(Karen) #12

There is plenty of food to chose from on cruises. Letting them know your medical issues should help. See in you can order you meats unsauced with a side of mayo or butter. Plain green salad is yummy. Bit of mayo.


(Chris W) #13

On my last cruise, I was easily able to stay zero carb (carnivore) the entire 10 days. There was always lots of meat, eggs and cheese available. In the main dining room I would order multiple entrees and have them hold the sides. Donā€™t be afraid to ask for what you want. The waitstaff was very accommodating.


(Jennifer Kleiman) #14

Iā€™ve cruised a number of times & had no problem getting incredible meats & low-carb veg. I spoke with the head chef and let him know my dietary restrictions and they went to extreme lengths to try to give me a wonderful experience, sending me the menus a day ahead of time so I could request modifications to the dishes if needed. One time they even tried their hand at making sugar-free ice cream with xylitolā€¦ well that wasnā€™t a great success, but I appreciated the effort.

Drinks - I brought a bunch of True Lemon, True Lime and True Orange packets, and brought my favorite liquid monk fruit bottle. Any clear unsweetened spirit plus seltzer water plus maybe some of those packets and maybe sweetener - thereā€™s so many cocktails itā€™s easy to make keto this way. Shot of tequila, packet of true lime, packet of true orange, sweetener to taste & seltzer, you got a great margarita. Champagne is also very low carb. Coffee of courseā€¦

Desserts - everyone has been happy to supply me with unsweetened whipped cream and berries, and a shot of whiskey or brandy to pour over them. You may be able to ask for a French-style dessert plate of cheese, nuts and a nice glass of red wine. Personally I find this a very civilized way to end dinner - let my cruise-companions eat their cake!

Have fun on your cruise!


(Mike) #15

@Jennifer_Kleiman Thank you for the response. I like the idea of berries and unsweetened whipped cream! I am also fortunate to be a long time coffee and unsweetened iced tea addict which made going Keto that much easier :slight_smile:


(Daryl G Jackson ) #16

We cruise at least once a year, we are going on an 8 day cruise in May/June 2018 to the Southern Carribean. Myself I have been Keto since December 5th, 2017, I have lost 25 pounds, and by cruise time I should be at or near my goal weight. I plan to keto for life, however during weddings, holidays, vacations and/or CRUISES I will be off keto completely. After the cruise I will go back to keto, fast, etc and be Happy! A cruiser is paying for the experience to include the FOOD! Could I keto on a cruise? Definitely! But I would be depriving myself of those wonderful fruity drinks and deserts and the occasional starchy vegetables. Please, keto is a lifestyle, NOT a jail sentence for average people. If one is very unhealthy and going on a cruise, feel free to keto until your A1C is normal and blood pressure is normal. My A1C is 5.0, down from 5.9, my blood pressure is now normal and I feel great! Life without rewards is not a good life. So if I plan to not keto, itā€™s probably going to add up between 10 to 15 days a year, mainly because of the 8 day cruise, THANKSGIVING, birthday, and big events. I love keto, and I will keto for life. Keep calm and keto on.


(Robert Hollinger) #17

Iā€™m going to have this issue in a couple of weeks also. My plan is to hit the breakfast buffet in the morning and load up on eggs and bacon. Then Iā€™ll do the nicer restaurants for lunch and dinner but just have to be choosy. and if they put something good for the bread (like an olive tapenade) iā€™ll probably just eat it with a fork. and ask for extra butter. and I think they have sugar free cheesecake so I may enjoy that if I can eat around the crust.

There is one night where we will be having a celebration and tradition mandates a certain dessert. I may have to indulge but only eat a bite or two.

and regardless there will be a post-cruise fast.


(Mike) #18

The cruise went well. I was able to eat about 50-70g carbs a day before PVCs and Tachycardia started to show their ugly heads so I kept at that low carb level and had a great time. We probably climbed 500 flights of stairs, walked 25 or so miles and I lost a Lb. Things that never would have happened had I been on my old way of eating


(Haimiko) #19

Just got back from a MX Rivera cruise. Iā€™ve been Keto for 16 months now and I was easily able to maintain keto with IF most of the time ;). Occasionally Iā€™d partake during shore excursions ( Love me them Mexican handmade flour tortillas).

Typical meals included:

  • Occasional breakfast : 4 egg & bacon cheese omelette w/black coffee
  • Dinner: Healthy helping of Swiss, cheddar and provolone cheese, baby leaf and spinach salad drizzled with olive oil and raw cauliflower. Sauted broccoli with the gravy-less MOD (Meat of the Day) smothered in butter.

Stayed away from the juices and mixed drinks. Enjoyed a few Coronas (on excursions only not recommended day to day).


(Stephanie Ivey Parker) #20

Im going on a cruise in October for my birthday. I heard that Vodka is lowest carb but there are others. But I had no idea a jigger of Vodka had 80 calories and I was planning on drinking. Not sure if I can bring Mia water onboard. How many drinks a day do I need to limit myselt too because the last thing I want to do is gain weight. Iā€™m concerned that is what I will do Iā€™m also curious what the orange packs are that you were talking about I like stevia sweetener itā€™s the only one I use. Any suggestions would be appreciated ty!