On Silver Spirit: The Biggest Loser?

A few weeks ago while cruising on Silver Spirit I wrote about my efforts to reverse a disturbing trend: The increasing tension in the waistline seam of my pants.

And so in April as I began my monthlong voyage on Silversea’s luxurious vessel, I decided to tackle something I had long been meaning to tackle: a transformation of self.

I wrote about my efforts in Walking On The Red Sea & Slow Food On Silversea: A Transformation Of Self Begins.

Did I succeed on Silver Spirit? Was I the Biggest Loser? Or did I succumb to excess, abusing Silversea’s oh-so-delicious-dining?

As the caption in the accompanying photo suggests, I won the battle. My pants are now loose, and I need another notch in my belt. I haven’t weighed, but I suspect that in the last six weeks, I’ve lost 10 pounds. More important, I no longer crave carbohydrates.

Several books helped me understand how I had short-circuited my body’s self-regulating mechanisms by consuming the wrong foods, and those books gave me guidance on how to correct my past mistakes.

• The South Beach Diet Supercharged
• The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite
• The 17 Day Diet
• Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body
• French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure
• Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual

Of course, the books all advocated pretty much the same thing: avoid sugars, avoid carbohydrates, eat vegetables, drink water (and green tea), detoxify and exercise.

The outset of my cruise on Silver Spirit was a great place to notch up the program I had started back home a few weeks earlier. And as another passenger told me on Silver Spirit, living a healthy lifestyle while at sea isn’t all that hard.

In fact, Silversea makes eating the right foods extremely easy. My morning began with oatmeal, fresh berries, walnuts, pecans, plain-yogurt that I sweetened with honey, and salmon. Lunch, I typically chose Silversea’s Wellness Menu, which included a delicious Strawberry, Spinach Salad, followed by the Catch of the Day with artichokes. In the afternoon, I enjoyed loose-leaf green tea, and if hungry, I opted for nuts instead of scones or cakes. Dinner, I often had the Wellness Menu once again. The dishes were tasty, and low in fat and calories. I never skipped dessert, and I always had a glass or two of wine.

Silversea made it so easy to dine healthily that I didn’t feel like I was sacrificing. The food was delicious and well-proportioned. I never went hungry, and I was never in that socially awkward moment of not being able to find something healthy to eat when dining with others.

I also enjoyed a glass of champagne each evening in the main bar with other passengers.

To complement healthy eating, I used Silver Spirit’s fitness facilities, working out for about 30 minutes each morning. Fitness instructor Kieren Parnham armed me with a few exercises I could take with me home – and on the road. (Keiren has an interesting story, by the way. SeeThe Reason Kieren Floats Blue Balloons In Every New Port He Visits)

I skipped the elevators 90 percent of the time, and used the jogging track to walk and run and walk/run.

The bottom line? Transforming my lifestyle did not take huge sacrifices. That said, my lifestyle today is dramatically different than it was three months ago. I no longer engage in reward-eating, and I’ve come to realize which foods are healthy and which are harmful. I don’t know where I’ll be a year from now with regard to my lifestyle, but I hope it sticks. At age 53, I feel good, and for that, I owe a thank you to Silversea.