One of the biggest pros of going on a cruise vacation is the seemingly endless choice of cuisine.  Onboard a cruise ship you can find delicious food literally 24 hours a day.  In fact, even if you don’t feel like finding a bite to eat you can just pick up the phone and order room service whenever you would like.  The problem is this is also one of the biggest cons of cruising.  If you aren’t careful, it is very easy to pack on an extra five or so pounds in just seven days.

The problem is who wants to have to worry about such things on vacation, certainly not me.  So here are a few things I do while cruising to curb any weight gain without affecting my enjoyment of my vacation.

10 ways to avoid packing on the pounds on your next cruise vacation.

• Diet before you go – I always try to get down to an ideal cruising weight before I leave for a cruise.  Usually I decide what my ideal weight is based on my current weight.  Currently I am walking around at a relatively decent weight of 174 pounds.  When I leave for my March cruise, I plan to be 167 pounds of twisted steel and sex appeal.
• Don’t eat everything in sight – This is self-explanatory, just because it is there doesn’t mean you have to eat it.
• Watch what you drink – I am not saying you shouldn’t have a few cocktails while on vacation all I am saying is you should be sure what you are putting into your body.  That delicious fruity drink of the day may contain 500 calories.  Although I do enjoy the occasional Miami Vice, I tend to opt for a more simple drink like vodka and cranberry or a run and diet coke (half the calories, twice the booze).
• Choose something from the healthy choice menu – On a seven-day cruise I always make sure to set aside one day to eat from the healthy choice menu.  While one day of eating healthy doesn’t equal a healthy cruise, it does offset those times I choose to have a couple of “dessert drinks” while lounging at the pool.
• Split your second entree – The menus these cruise lines put together are so enticing that there will be times where you desire more than one entree.  If you choose to get a second entree see if someone else at the table would like to split it with you rather than going it alone.
• Go easy on the desserts – I am an ice cream fanatic but I rarely indulge in the soft serve ice cream served on many cruise ships.  Instead, I usually choose to wait until dinner to satisfy my cravings.
• Take the stairs – one the absolutely best ways to get exercise without going out of your way is by taking the stairs.  Sometimes elevators are unavoidable such as formal nights when you are wearing 4-inch heels but for those other times unless you are going from deck 2 to deck 13 you should be walking.
• Dance – No need to be shy, most people on cruise ships are horrible dancers so just drop your guard and join the fray. Besides, in all likelihood you will never see these people again so who cares if you look like a fool.
• Walk while in port – This is one of the simplest weight gain prevention tips available.  The ports cruise ships visit are so different than what we are accustomed to in our everyday lives seeing them via a walking tour is such a pleasure that it doesn’t even seem like exercise.
• Scope out the buffet before choosing – I always see people grab a plate and immediate start lunging at every thing offered.  Not me, I am more selective than that (a buffet connoisseur if you will).  I tend to walk the length of the buffet weighing all of the options before I even pick up a plate, which allows me to choose only the things that I really want.  I usually get a few dirty looks from people assuming I am trying to cut the line. By the way am I the only one who finds it funny that people with food stacked a foot and half high on a plate feel the need to look at you funny.

Just remember that it all comes down to one simple thing, you must burn more calories than you eat.  If you eat more than you burn, the result is bound to be unwanted weight gain.  In other words get involved, have fun and stay active.