10 day experiment

[hilltopper1993]

Ok guys, as promised, I kept track of my eating over the 10 days I was gone on my cruise so we can help end the "ah I over ate" threads.



Pre cruise:

Bio electric impedance testing results (3 days prior to cruise):

weight: 156
Height: 6' 0.5"
Impedance:513

Right arm: 76cm
Right thigh: 55cm
Chest: 93cm
Right calf: 36cm
Abdomen: 76cm

BF%: 10.5%
weight of LBM: 139.64 lbs
LBM/fat ratio: 8.5 to 1
Total body water: 44.7 L

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~


Cruise eating:

***Before Anyone says eating disorder, thats just not the case. I PAID to have as much food as I wanted at all times, and I only ate when I was hungry, what I wanted. Its vacation, screw limitations. The point of hitting the gym and lifting is to enjoy life more, not be worried about what you eat on an isolated vacation event.


**Literally, when I'm listing off foods, I dont even have a clue what the portions were, lets just say a lot. You know how the cruises are, Its plate piled fun.

Breakfast- Every morning, It was straight to the buffet for a grease bowl of as much sausage, bacon, french toast, eggs, and PB bagels I could fit onto my plate, with a second plate for as many danishs, donuts, and cinnamon rolls I could grab!

Lunch- Oh boy, this changed daily! there was the mongolian place: Stir fry with noodles, shrimp/chicken/beef, your choice of sauce and veggies! Best part, you pick it all out and portion it yourself! I had this daily for an appetizer, a medium-large bowl of stir fried shrimp/noodels.

Then there was the Pizza place, I usually stoped by for a large calzone/slice of meat lovers!

Snack: I'd normally stop by the burger place and grad a 1/3-1/2 LB 80/20 double cheeseburger, get some popcorn chicken and fries, and go to town..... Then hit the all you can eat self serve froyo/ice cream machine!

Dinner: Oh boy, the taste of nations..... Every night was different. Dinner would range from NY strip, to lobster, shrimp, frog legs, aligator, talapia, you name it, I had it (In a generous portion of course)

Dessert: Well... There was an all you can eat buffet, so you know we'd have to murder that... Right? Literally, at least 1000-2000 calories of cheese cake, chocolate cake, or some type of crap.

midnight stoner buffet: This is when they brought out the cookies, brownies, and B&Js! I would literally have 15-30 cookies, 5-10 brownies, and some B&Js nightly. Sadly, they were stingy on the B&js!

Also, there were frequent stops by the self serve froyo/ice cream all day, whenever hungry. The fresh fruit buffet was also made into our bitch.

Total calories??? Id say I averaged over 10,000-12,000 a day, easily. I woke up around 8, and had all day to eat whatever. LOTS of calorie dense foods. VERY calorie dense. That number is no stretch either, I had 2 friends with me eating the same and they helped me ballpark it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Specials:

Effects of alcohol? We tested that one too! Drinking age in the bahamas (We had stops there) is 18, how do you pass that up? Anyways, we went wayyy overboard on the liquor. Between the 3 of us in freeport we had two 6 packs of smirnof beer, 3 PCs each, a customary double shot of mango rum, 2 of the local brews each, and I had a 6oz and a 12oz of whiskey egg nog to drop it down.

Afterwards? We walked around freeport and tasted icecream from all the shops, then stopped for cheesecake/chocolate cake at a local diner.

Estimated calories???? 2000 In candy/cake/icecream alone, plus whatever alcohol counts as (debatable).


Sadly, I was out of the drinking game in Nassau. The hard drinking in freeport, coupled with amazing food gave me an ulcer I still get a kick from now and then.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Post cruise:

Bio electric impedance testing results (3.5 weeks after, allowing NaCl, preservatives, and cruise constipation to pass, and waiting for opening):

weight: 157
Height: 6' 0.5"
Impedance:462

Right arm: 79cm
Right thigh: 57cm
Chest: 94cm
Right calf: 37cm
Abdomen: 74cm

BF%: 8.8%
weight of LBM: 142.24 lbs
LBM/fat ratio: 10.3 to 1
Total body water: 46.4 L


I have gotten my nutrition in line since getting back from the cruise, gotten serious about macros and all, and seen great improvements. No clue why I'm recomping, I'm eating 3500 calories a day (scaled/weighed portions a few times for reference), but the premise of the thread still stands. 2 friends and myself went on a 10 day break from the gym, ate like mad men, drank like there was no tomorrow 4 of the 10 nights, and proved a point. Weight loss and weight gain are NOT instant! They occur over time, weeks, months, not a few days. So enjoy yourself when you can't get to the gym, if we can eat this far out of moderations, as long as you keep the slightest bit of common sense between your ears, you will have negligable side effects. Hell, I came back from the 10 day break and took all my compound lifts up 5lbs, breaking my 2.5 week plateau.

ENJOY YOURSELF, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE (I think)!

[hilltopper1993]

Anyways, some noted effects of this lifestyle were sodium bloat out the ass, and extreme loss of energy!

The other effects were extreme feelings of content, and pride in winning the boats unofficial eating contest.

[Flat4Suby]

what cruise line were you on, just wanna see which one you put out of business with all the food you ate from them, but seriously haha, which cruise line just wondering...carnival?

[PBateman2]

Good stuff.

Sounds like a Royal Caribbean Cruise? Going on one this July. Cant freaken wait.

[rand18m]

Not sure this shouldn't be a sticky for all the OCD's out there! (Which at times can be everyone here)!

This says it all!!

The point of hitting the gym and lifting is to enjoy life more, not be worried about what you eat on an isolated vacation event.

[hilltopper1993]

what cruise line were you on, just wanna see which one you put out of business with all the food you ate from them, but seriously haha, which cruise line just wondering...carnival?

It was carnival cruise lines

My family goes on a cruise every summer, been on carnival, royal Caribbean, and Norwegian. 2-3 of each.

Seems Like carnival has the best food, royal has the best atmosphere, and Norwegian had the best tech and a bit of the other two.

[hilltopper1993]

Not sure this shouldn't be a sticky for all the OCD's out there! (Which at times can be everyone here)!

This says it all!!

That was my purpose behind writing this man! I wanted to try to help all the OCD/ED people out there see weight/body comp is determined by long-term trends, not a few days!

Its life man, no point if you're always stressed, especially over something as trivial as food

[hilltopper1993]

Good stuff.

Sounds like a Royal Caribbean Cruise? Going on one this July. Cant freaken wait.

Dude, if it's your first cruise, you NEED to hit up the buffets!

Don't pass up the dining room for dinner though, you normally pay $5-10 per person per day for dinner gratuity if you go to the dining room or not.

[PBateman2]

Dude, if it's your first cruise, you NEED to hit up the buffets!

Don't pass up the dining room for dinner though, you normally pay $5-10 per person per day for dinner gratuity if you go to the dining room or not.

Yes sirrr....definitely hit up the buffets and everything in sight Been on a couple previously....always have a blast.

[Kagina]

Let me get this straight, you overate about 7000 calories every day for the entire cruise, and ended up losing a pound and lowering your BF%? I really don't understand how that is even possible. Either you have god like genetics and your body just doesn't store fat, or... Well there isn't any other option IMO.

maybe someone can explain how this is possible and how it happened? I'm really curious.

[AlwaysTryin]

Good stuff.

Sounds like a Royal Caribbean Cruise? Going on one this July. Cant freaken wait.

I went on a royal Caribbean cruise a few months back. Ate breakfast lunch and dinner in the restaurant and then after each went to the windjammer (buffets) for 2nds, 3rds etc

8kg of fat in 12 days lol

[hilltopper1993]

Let me get this straight, you overate about 7000 calories every day for the entire cruise, and ended up losing a pound and lowering your BF%? I really don't understand how that is even possible. Either you have god like genetics and your body just doesn't store fat, or... Well there isn't any other option IMO.

maybe someone can explain how this is possible and how it happened? I'm really curious.

my second test was taken 2 weeks after the end of the cruise. Since the cruise I got serious about macros not just calories.

The point was more that in the short term (under a month), there was no negative effect. Maybe id be further if I hadn't done that, no telling. But I don't regret it at all, im still moving towards my goal and enjoyed myself like we all should.

And I have pretty good genetics too, they were just overpowered by my crappy habbits earlier in life.

[ParsonBrown]

Let me get this straight, you overate about 7000 calories every day for the entire cruise, and ended up losing a pound and lowering your BF%? I really don't understand how that is even possible. Either you have god like genetics and your body just doesn't store fat, or... Well there isn't any other option IMO.

maybe someone can explain how this is possible and how it happened? I'm really curious.

You are making it too hard. The point of the post was to say....SO WHAT if you don't freak out about food/calories/macros for a few days. What you do over the long haul >>>>> than what you do on a weeks vacation. 4-5 days of enjoying yourself will make almost no difference in the grand scheme of this years workout and nutrition plan. The calories he listed are just guesses and for fun. After a week back at the house and the normal routine your body settles back down. I also think people make much better progress overall when they don't let food cause them stress. Learn/practice moderation and common sense and balance over the long haul and times like this in life are a lot of fun!

Good post OP. One day it will be my turn for a cruise

[SwiftyX]

1.)You waited 3.5 weeks to weigh in. 2+ times longer than your diet was off. You didn't try to maintain in this time and thus the end numbers are skewed.
2.)The BF% numbers you can just throw out the window because of the method you used to obtain them.
3.)Self reporting after the fact and estimation of calories is the single worst thing in this little experiment. It's the bain of every study that uses similar techniques.
I don't see that you 'proved' a point about anything. Toss out the BF% and after 3.5 weeks you weighed in at a pound heavier, which would lend to the thought that you were heavier than that 3.5 weeks earlier. Nice try though. The fact is that your body is always in a flux of storage/oxidation. You will not overeat to the degree you claim without fat gain, period. Your conclusion is false.

The take home point of the story that I agree with...... A brief period of time does not damage long term results. Sometimes you need to let yourself be lax and have a good time. I'm glad you had a nice vacation.

[hilltopper1993]

You are making it too hard. The point of the post was to say....SO WHAT if you don't freak out about food/calories/macros for a few days. What you do over the long haul >>>>> than what you do on a weeks vacation. 4-5 days of enjoying yourself will make almost no difference in the grand scheme of this years workout and nutrition plan. The calories he listed are just guesses and for fun. After a week back at the house and the normal routine your body settles back down. I also think people make much better progress overall when they don't let food cause them stress. Learn/practice moderation and common sense and balance over the long haul and times like this in life are a lot of fun!

Good post OP. One day it will be my turn for a cruise

I hope you get to go man! Its a real good relaxing time! I'm sure you deserve it.

[hilltopper1993]

1.)You waited 3.5 weeks to weigh in. 2+ times longer than your diet was off. You didn't try to maintain in this time and thus the end numbers are skewed.
2.)The BF% numbers you can just throw out the window because of the method you used to obtain them.
3.)Self reporting after the fact and estimation of calories is the single worst thing in this little experiment. It's the bain of every study that uses similar techniques.
I don't see that you 'proved' a point about anything. Toss out the BF% and after 3.5 weeks you weighed in at a pound heavier, which would lend to the thought that you were heavier than that 3.5 weeks earlier. Nice try though. The fact is that your body is always in a flux of storage/oxidation. You will not overeat to the degree you claim without fat gain, period. Your conclusion is false.

The take home point of the story that I agree with...... A brief period of time does not damage long term results. Sometimes you need to let yourself be lax and have a good time. I'm glad you had a nice vacation.

glad you agree on the end point, but I have no reason to lie about the food. If you've been on a cruise, you'll understand that it's not hard to knock back 10,000 or more calories a day.

And yes, I didn't try to maintain, I was eating over my maintenance I was holding at 3 weeks prior to the cruise. If anything I would have put weight on since the cruise.

Lets just take it for what it should be, don't stress and live life.

[PBateman2]

I went on a royal Caribbean cruise a few months back. Ate breakfast lunch and dinner in the restaurant and then after each went to the windjammer (buffets) for 2nds, 3rds etc

8kg of fat in 12 days lol

Hahah! Yeah buddaaay!

Lets just take it for what it should be, don't stress and live life.

This. FFS.

[Flat4Suby]

It was carnival cruise lines

My family goes on a cruise every summer, been on carnival, royal Caribbean, and Norwegian. 2-3 of each.

Seems Like carnival has the best food, royal has the best atmosphere, and Norwegian had the best tech and a bit of the other two.

were you on the Ecstasy by any chance? I was on that for spring break and they had the pizza place open 24/7, made THE BEST calzones ever. Every night we would get waste and each get two slices of pizza, a calzone, and top it off with self serve ice cream. I would sometimes add a pear to that

[hilltopper1993]

were you on the Ecstasy by any chance? I was on that for spring break and they had the pizza place open 24/7, made THE BEST calzones ever. Every night we would get waste and each get two slices of pizza, a calzone, and top it off with self serve ice cream. I would sometimes add a pear to that

no, but I have been on the ectasy! We were in port with the ectasy too I believe. we were on the conquest.

You should know what I mean about the food then since carnival has the same style buffets and dining rooms on all their ships. You think it's possible to kill 10,000+ calories a day between frozen yogur, ice cream, food, and the constant dessert buffets? I do.

[Flat4Suby]

^Oh it most definitely is!! The ecstasy had the mongolian place too...omfg...sooo good. And the sit down dining...we would order two entrees per night...and that bread they give you with the butter...you can kill that many calories easily!!

[Skoorbmax]

If I read this right you went on an all you can eat type cruise and put on a single pound of weight? If so, mad props.

I went on a cruise once, I'm strongly inclined not to go on one again for the single reason that the unlimited food by the end turned me into some kind of crazy maniacal eating machine. Unfortunately there are few cruises I can find that charge you as you eat, and the cruise I went on had soooooo much damn good food it was just absurd by the end. First half was ok, second half I was eating supper then a late night snack which consisted basically of supper again. Yum!

BTW I do recall I put on 5-7 lbs in the week or so that we were on the cruise. I am guessing by the end my calories were at least 2k/day above maintenance.

[Flat4Suby]

^or just pick cruises that don't have too many days at sea....when you're at sea the whole day with unlimited food and nowhere else to go...thats when **** hits the fan

also he specifically mentioned that he ate well for 3.5 weeks after before the second test so hes not necessarily saying he didn't gain any weight, but is making the point that its easy to get back to your goals after enjoying yourself for a week.

[hilltopper1993]

If I read this right you went on an all you can eat type cruise and put on a single pound of weight? If so, mad props.

I didn't **** for a week after the cruise I was walking around with 5-7 extra lbs of **** in me, and a good deal of extra water weight from all the salt. That's why I waited for the test.

I'd say I actually gained the weight after the cruise since I have been trying to bulk

Man I miss that chocolate buffet

[holysmokes700]

I remember you announcing that you were undertakin this experiment a while ago. I remember looking forward to it! Thanks for delivering. Repped

[Scruffy77]

"The point of hitting the gym and lifting is to enjoy life more, not be worried about what you eat on an isolated vacation event."

this sums up 99% of people. too much real life

[AvsFreak]

Subscribed to this thread, so I can read it again before going on vacation in July.

Good stuff OP!

[hilltopper1993]

I remember you announcing that you were undertakin this experiment a while ago. I remember looking forward to it! Thanks for delivering. Repped

Thanks man. Odd enough, I actually met another BB.com member when I went up to check out the gym (which sucked, no real usable equipment if you aren't an old woman). He was the winner of some huge competition in the mid-late 80s, and has been judging BB competitions for a while. I think he said he was gearing up for his first 50+ competition.

He actually encouraged us to just eat and enjoy ourselves haha.