# How to Not Gain Weight on a Cruise or All-Inclusive Vacation

> There is no peer-reviewed cruise weight study, so here is what the numbers do show: USDA calories for a buffet plate, NIAAA calories for cocktails, the variety research behind buffet overeating, and rules that keep a week at sea near maintenance.

Canonical: https://www.mycallie.app/en/blog/cruise-all-inclusive-calories
Published: 2026-10-20 · Updated: 2026-10-20
Author: Md Sadab Wasim · Source: https://www.mycallie.app

## Key takeaways

- No peer-reviewed study has measured weight gain on cruises. Figures like 0.83 kg per cruise or 5,000 to 6,000 kcal a day come from forums or from citations we could not find. The closest real data is a 2016 study of 122 adults that found an average gain of 0.32 kg over a 1 to 3 week vacation.
- The breakfast plate matters more than the buffet. Using USDA values, eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, pancakes with syrup and a croissant come to about 1,300 kcal. Eggs, smoked salmon, toast, fruit and yogurt come to about 580 kcal.
- Drinks are the biggest swing. NIAAA lists a 9 oz piña colada at 490 kcal and a margarita at 168 kcal, so a six-drink pool day can add about 1,600 kcal against about 230 kcal for two lighter drinks.
- Variety makes people eat more. In a 1981 experiment, people offered four sandwich fillings ate about a third more than people offered one, which is the buffet effect in miniature.
- Aim for maintenance, not a deficit. Survey the whole buffet first, start with protein, take one plate, set a drinks budget and keep one meal a day normal.
- The scale jump after the trip is mostly water. Muscle stores at least 3 g of water with each gram of glycogen, so salty, carb-heavy days can add a kilogram or more that is not fat.

Callie is our app. This article mentions it near the end, where it fits. Every figure links to its source, and the full list is at the bottom.

## The 30-second answer

**Aim to come home at the same weight, not lighter.** No one has published a peer-reviewed study of weight gain on cruises. The closest data, a [2016 study of 122 adults](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.12.028) on 1 to 3 week vacations, found an average gain of 0.32 kg. That is small, but it stayed on six weeks later.

The damage on a cruise or all-inclusive comes from two places: drinks and buffet plates. Using [USDA FoodData Central](https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/download-datasets) values, a full cooked breakfast with pancakes and a croissant comes to about 1,300 kcal. A plate of eggs, smoked salmon, toast, fruit and yogurt comes to about 580 kcal. On the [NIAAA calorie calculator](https://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/tools/calculators/alcohol-calorie-calculator), six pool-day cocktails and beers add about 1,600 kcal, while two lighter drinks add about 230 kcal. Get those two right and the rest of the week mostly takes care of itself.

## Breakfast buffet plate maths

A loaded cooked breakfast is about 1,300 kcal and a lighter plate is about 580 kcal. The table uses USDA FNDDS 2021–2023 values for restaurant-style versions of each item.

| Plate | Item | Portion | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full cooked plate | Scrambled eggs, restaurant | 2 eggs (110 g) | 211 |
| | Bacon | 3 medium slices (24 g) | 112 |
| | Pork sausage | 2 breakfast links (40 g) | 130 |
| | Hash brown, restaurant | 1 patty (55 g) | 150 |
| | Pancakes, restaurant | 2 medium (100 g) | 307 |
| | Syrup | 2 tbsp (40 g) | 106 |
| | Croissant with butter | 1 medium (57 g) + 1 pat | 283 |
| | **Total** | | **1,299** |
| Lighter plate | Scrambled eggs, restaurant | 2 eggs (110 g) | 211 |
| | Smoked salmon | 85 g | 99 |
| | Whole wheat toast | 1 slice (33 g) | 92 |
| | Fresh fruit salad | 1 cup (150 g) | 88 |
| | Greek yogurt, plain nonfat | 150 g | 88 |
| | **Total** | | **578** |

The lighter plate keeps the eggs and still has about 721 kcal less. Most of the gap is the pancakes, syrup, croissant and sausage. You don't have to give up all of them. Choosing either the pancakes with syrup or the buttered croissant, not both, saves about 280 to 410 kcal on its own.

Buffet portions vary, and we couldn't find buffet nutrition data published by any major cruise line, so treat these as typical values.

## Lunch and dinner buffet: what each portion costs

At lunch and dinner the big numbers are desserts and fried food. A slice of cheesecake from the [USDA FNDDS](https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/download-datasets) tables is 698 kcal, more than a grilled chicken breast and a Caesar salad together.

| Item | Portion | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Cheesecake, plain | 1 slice (175 g) | 698 |
| Chocolate layer cake, bakery | 1 regular slice (175 g) | 604 |
| Fried chicken leg, coated | 1 medium leg (195 g) | 507 |
| Salmon fillet, baked or broiled | 1 fillet (140 g) | 384 |
| Lasagna with meat, restaurant | 1 piece (206 g) | 381 |
| Macaroni and cheese, restaurant | 1 cup (230 g) | 347 |
| Cheese pizza, restaurant | 1 large-pizza slice (119 g) | 317 |
| Soft-serve vanilla ice cream | 1 cup (175 g) | 315 |
| Chocolate chip cookie | 1 large (45 g) | 221 |
| Grilled chicken breast, restaurant | 1 breast (120 g) | 211 |
| French fries, restaurant | 1 cup (60 g) | 173 |
| Dinner roll with butter | 1 medium roll + 1 pat | 172 |
| Caesar salad with 1 tbsp dressing | 1 cup (79 g) | 141 |
| Shrimp cocktail | 125 g | 124 |
| Pineapple, raw | 1 cup (165 g) | 99 |
| Watermelon, raw | 1 cup (155 g) | 46 |

Two habits change the total most. Grilled protein and salad cost far less than fried food and pasta. And dessert is the single biggest line: one slice of cheesecake is worth more than three cups of pineapple and a shrimp cocktail together.

## Drinks packages: a 6-drink day vs a 2-drink day

A six-drink pool day adds about 1,600 kcal and a two-drink day about 230 kcal. These are standard sizes from the [NIAAA alcohol calorie calculator](https://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/tools/calculators/alcohol-calorie-calculator).

| Drink | NIAAA standard size | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Piña colada | 9 oz | 490 |
| Margarita | 4 oz | 168 |
| Mojito | 6 oz | 143 |
| Beer, regular | 12 oz | 153 |
| Beer, light | 12 oz | 103 |
| Wine, red | 5 oz | 125 |
| Wine, white | 5 oz | 121 |
| Daiquiri | 2 oz | 112 |
| Rum, gin, vodka, tequila | 1.5 oz | 97 |

**Six-drink day:** 2 piña coladas, 2 margaritas and 2 regular beers come to 1,622 kcal. **Two-drink day:** a glass of red wine and a light beer come to 228 kcal. Over a 7-night cruise, the gap is close to 10,000 kcal.

Resort pours are often bigger than the NIAAA sizes, so treat these figures as a minimum. In the 2016 vacation study, [the University of Georgia reported](https://research.uga.edu/news/do-vacations-lead-to-weight-gain) that participants' drinking went from 8 drinks a week before the trip to 16 during it. That figure comes from the press release, not the published abstract.

## Is there a study on cruise weight gain?

No. We searched for one and found nothing peer-reviewed. Figures you see online are anecdotes or citations we could not trace.

- **"0.83 kg per 7-day cruise"** is attributed to a 2019 study that we could not find in Europe PMC.
- **"5,000 to 6,000 kcal a day on a cruise"** comes from forum posts and travel articles, not from measured intake.
- **"8,000 kcal all-inclusive days"** and similar figures come from press stories, not published research.

The nearest solid evidence is the vacation study by Jamie Cooper and Theresa Tokar, published in [Physiology & Behavior in 2016](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.12.028). Across 122 adults the average gain was 0.32 kg during the trip and 0.41 kg by six weeks after, with no significant difference between BMI groups. UGA reported that 61% gained and some gained as much as 7 lb.

Buffets themselves are barely studied. Norman Temple and Behdin Nowrouzi wrote in [Clinical Nutrition in 2013](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2012.07.005) that buffets are the "perfect" environment for facilitating excessive energy intake, and that "extremely little research has been conducted on the relationship between buffets, energy intake, and weight gain."

## Why buffets make you eat more: the variety research

Choice itself drives intake. When many foods are on offer, people eat more than when one food is served, even if they like that one food best.

Hollie Raynor and Leonard Epstein reviewed this in [Psychological Bulletin in 2001](https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.127.3.325): 39 studies of dietary variety and intake, plus 19 on sensory-specific satiety, 58 in all. Animal and human studies agreed that more variety in a meal raises consumption. The proposed reason is that you tire of the taste you have been eating, but not of the next one.

The classic experiment is [Rolls and colleagues (1981)](https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9384(81)90014-7). Thirty-six people ate a third more when offered sandwiches with four different fillings than with one (p below 0.001). A second test found the same with three yogurts that differed in taste, texture and colour. The authors concluded that "the more different the foods are the greater the enhancement is likely to be." A cruise buffet is that experiment at full scale.

We don't cite the often-quoted 2008 Chinese buffet study by Brian Wansink. In 2018 [Cornell found that Wansink committed academic misconduct](https://statements.cornell.edu/2018/20180920-statement-provost-michael-kotlikoff.cfm), including misreporting of research data.

## Speciality dining nights: restaurant-sized meals

Measured restaurant meals on land carry 1,200 to 1,500 kcal. We found no measurements of cruise ship meals, so this is the best guide to a speciality dining night.

Lorien Urban, Susan Roberts and colleagues at Tufts measured meals by bomb calorimetry. In [157 Boston meals (2013)](https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.6163), the average was 1,327 kcal, 66% of a typical day's energy needs, and 7.6% of meals held more than a full day's worth. Their [2016 study across three US cities](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2015.11.009) found 1,205 kcal per meal, with American, Italian and Chinese food highest at 1,495 kcal. 92% of meals exceeded what one meal should provide.

Outside the US, a [2018 BMJ study](https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k4864) of 223 meals in five countries found 94% of full-service meals had at least 600 kcal. Roberts said in the [Tufts release](https://now.tufts.edu/2018/12/12/large-restaurant-portions-global-problem-study-finds): "it is easy to overeat when a large restaurant meal is likely to be only one of several meals and snacks consumed that day." On a cruise, that sentence is the whole problem. Much of the extra energy is fat you can't see, which our [hidden calories guide](/blog/hidden-calories-oil-butter-sauces) covers.

## Walking on board and ashore

Walking helps, but it rarely covers the drinks. [Harvard Health](https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories-burned-in-30-minutes-for-people-of-three-different-weights) puts 30 minutes of walking at 3.5 mph at 107, 133 and 159 kcal for people weighing 125, 155 and 185 lb.

So an hour-long walking tour ashore burns about 266 kcal for a 155 lb person. That is about half of one piña colada. Taking stairs between decks, a morning lap of the promenade and a day of exploring a port can add up to more, and some people do come home lighter. One r/loseit poster [lost five pounds on a 12-day cruise](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/1ce17d7/lost_five_pounds_on_a_12_day_cruise/), which is one person's story, not a typical result.

The research points the same way. In the Cooper study, total physical activity [tended to rise during vacation](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.12.028) (3,940 to 4,313 MET units, p=0.10), and people still gained. The authors put the gain down to energy intake above requirements. Walk because it's a good way to see a port, and count on food choices to do most of the work.

## Maintenance, not a deficit

A deficit on a cruise is optional. For most people, coming home within half a kilo of their starting weight is a good result.

Reddit is full of people dreading this. One poster asked [how to maintain a calorie deficit on a cruise](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/12uztvi/how_to_maintain_a_calorie_deficit_on_a_cruise/). Another titled their post [Scared of the upcoming cruise](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/1h7j6zs/scared_of_the_upcoming_cruise/), and a third was [panicking about an all-inclusive holiday](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/17937l5/im_going_on_an_all_inclusive_holiday_and_now_im/). The average in the Cooper study was 0.32 kg, which a normal week or two at home undoes.

The risk is not the week itself but not noticing. Cooper said in the [UGA release](https://research.uga.edu/news/do-vacations-lead-to-weight-gain): "One of the challenges people face is, unless you're diligent about weighing yourself before and after vacation, usually you're not going to notice a pound of weight gain." Light monitoring works. In the [Winter Weight Watch trial (BMJ, 2018)](https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k4867), 272 adults were randomised, and those given a brief programme built around regular self-weighing ended 0.49 kg lighter over Christmas than the comparison group. Weigh in the week before you leave and the week after you get home.

## Rules that actually work at a buffet

These five rules target the two big swings, plates and drinks, without making the trip about food.

1. **Survey the whole buffet first.** Walk the full length before picking up a plate. The variety research says you'll eat more if you add things as you see them.
2. **Protein first.** Start with eggs, fish, grilled chicken, shrimp or yogurt, then add fruit or vegetables. Leave space for one thing you really want.
3. **One plate, then sit down.** Go back for coffee, not a second plate. Use the smaller plate if there is one.
4. **Set a drinks budget.** Decide on a number before the day starts, such as two drinks plus water. Swapping one piña colada for a glass of wine saves 365 kcal.
5. **Keep one meal a day normal.** A plain breakfast or a light lunch gives you room for the speciality dinner.

The pillar guide on [how to track calories while traveling](/blog/how-to-track-calories-while-traveling) covers the wider trip, and [airport and travel-day calories](/blog/airport-and-travel-day-calories) covers getting to the port.

## What to expect on the scale afterwards

A jump of a kilogram or more the morning after a cruise is mostly water, not fat. Most of it fades once you eat normally again.

The reason is stored carbohydrate. [Fernández-Elías and colleagues (2015)](https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3175-z) measured at least 3 g of water stored with each gram of muscle glycogen, and up to 17 g when people were fully rehydrated. A week of pastries, pasta and cocktails refills those stores, and salty food adds more fluid on top. One r/loseit poster even [ate over their limit at a buffet and saw no change on the scale](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/1vgsev3/ate_over_calorie_limit_at_buffet_yet_scale_didnt/), which shows how much daily noise there is.

Don't crash diet when you get home. Go back to your usual target, weigh a few times, and judge the result by the weekly average. Our guide to [weight gain after vacation](/blog/weight-gain-after-vacation) explains the timeline.

## Using Callie on a cruise

Callie suits a buffet trip because you check every estimate before it is saved. It doesn't make buffet food accurate, and no app does.

- **Photo logging with a review screen.** A buffet plate holds six small items. Callie's photo scan is never logged automatically; you see the estimate and can fix the portion of each item first.
- **Photos now, review later.** Ship Wi-Fi is often slow or costs extra. Callie has no offline mode, but you can photograph each plate with your phone camera and log the photos when you're connected.
- **Scheduled cheat days keep your streak.** Plan the formal night or the big port-day lunch as a cheat day and the streak dashboard stays intact. See [do cheat days ruin progress](/blog/do-cheat-days-ruin-progress).
- **An AI coach in any language.** Ask it what a dish probably contains, in your own language.

Callie costs $34.99 a year in the US after 3 free trial logs.

## When skipping tracking is the better choice

For some trips, not tracking is the right call. A weigh-in before and after is enough.

- **The trip is short.** A 4-night cruise moves your real weight very little, even if the scale says otherwise.
- **It's a honeymoon, a milestone or a family trip** and logging would take you out of it.
- **Counting already makes you anxious.** One r/loseit poster simply asked about [fat gain during an all-inclusive vacation](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/1l5fdgm/fat_gain_during_all_inclusive_vacation/). If that worry is spoiling the trip, put the app away.
- **You have a history of disordered eating.** Unlimited food plus a tracker can tip into restriction, bingeing or guilt. Our article on [whether calorie counting is bad for you](/blog/is-calorie-counting-bad-for-you) goes further.

If tracking causes intense guilt, or you binge or restrict around a trip, please talk to a doctor. In the US, the [National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)](https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-help/) has a free screening tool. In the UK, [Beat](https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/get-information-and-support/get-help-for-myself/i-need-support-now/helplines/) runs helplines for each nation.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Callie is a calorie tracker, not a medical device. If you have diabetes, take medication, or have been told to limit alcohol, salt or fluids, check your plans with your doctor before you travel.

## Related reading

- [How to track calories while traveling](/blog/how-to-track-calories-while-traveling), the full travel guide.
- [Airport and travel-day calories](/blog/airport-and-travel-day-calories), for flights and the day you board.
- [Hidden calories in oil, butter and sauces](/blog/hidden-calories-oil-butter-sauces), for restaurant dinners.
- [Do cheat days ruin progress?](/blog/do-cheat-days-ruin-progress), on planning a high day.

## Sources

1. Cooper JA, Tokar T (2016). "A prospective study on vacation weight gain in adults." *Physiology & Behavior* 156:43-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.12.028
2. University of Georgia Research News (June 17, 2019). "Do vacations lead to weight gain?" https://research.uga.edu/news/do-vacations-lead-to-weight-gain
3. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) 2021–2023, released October 2024. FDC IDs 2707206, 2705889, 2706191, 2709480, 2708299, 2710272, 2707678, 2710155, 2706292, 2707710, 2709287, 2705424, 2707861, 2707866, 2705996, 2706286, 2708752, 2708812, 2708616, 2705634, 2707909, 2705960, 2709462, 2707654, 2709591, 2710199, 2706449, 2709260, 2709270. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/download-datasets
4. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "Alcohol calorie calculator," Rethinking Drinking (accessed October 20, 2026). https://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/tools/calculators/alcohol-calorie-calculator
5. Temple NJ, Nowrouzi B (2013). "Buffets and obesity." *Clinical Nutrition* 32(4):664-665. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2012.07.005
6. Raynor HA, Epstein LH (2001). "Dietary variety, energy regulation, and obesity." *Psychological Bulletin* 127(3):325-341. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.127.3.325
7. Rolls BJ, Rowe EA, Rolls ET, Kingston B, Megson A, Gunary R (1981). "Variety in a meal enhances food intake in man." *Physiology & Behavior* 26(2):215-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9384(81)90014-7
8. Cornell University (September 20, 2018). "Statement of Cornell University Provost Michael I. Kotlikoff." https://statements.cornell.edu/2018/20180920-statement-provost-michael-kotlikoff.cfm
9. Urban LE, Lichtenstein AH, Gary CE, et al. (2013). "The energy content of restaurant foods without stated calorie information." *JAMA Internal Medicine* 173(14):1292-1299. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.6163
10. Urban LE, Weber JL, Heyman MB, et al. (2016). "Energy Contents of Frequently Ordered Restaurant Meals and Comparison with Human Energy Requirements and U.S. Department of Agriculture Database Information: A Multisite Randomized Study." *Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics* 116(4):590-598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2015.11.009
11. Roberts SB, Das SK, Suen VMM, et al. (2018). "Measured energy content of frequently purchased restaurant meals: multi-country cross sectional study." *BMJ* 363:k4864. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k4864
12. Tufts Now (December 12, 2018). "Large restaurant portions a global problem, study finds." https://now.tufts.edu/2018/12/12/large-restaurant-portions-global-problem-study-finds
13. Harvard Health Publishing (March 8, 2021). "Calories burned in 30 minutes for people of three different weights." https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories-burned-in-30-minutes-for-people-of-three-different-weights
14. Mason F, Farley A, Pallan M, et al. (2018). "Effectiveness of a brief behavioural intervention to prevent weight gain over the Christmas holiday period: randomised controlled trial." *BMJ* 363:k4867. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k4867
15. Fernández-Elías VE, Ortega JF, Nelson RK, Mora-Rodriguez R (2015). "Relationship between muscle water and glycogen recovery after prolonged exercise in the heat in humans." *European Journal of Applied Physiology* 115(9):1919-1926. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3175-z
16. Reddit threads quoted as examples of reader questions (accessed October 20, 2026): r/loseit "how to maintain a calorie deficit on a cruise?" (April 2023), "Scared of the upcoming cruise" (December 2024), "I'm going on an all inclusive holiday and now I'm panicking." (October 2023), "Fat gain during all inclusive vacation?" (June 2025), "Lost five pounds on a 12 day cruise" (April 2024), "Ate over calorie limit at buffet yet scale didn't go up?" (August 2026). Links in the text.

## Frequently asked questions

**Q: How do I maintain a calorie deficit on a cruise?**
A: Most people do better aiming for maintenance and accepting a small gain or none. If you want a deficit, the biggest levers are drinks and breakfast: two lighter drinks instead of six cocktails saves about 1,400 kcal a day by NIAAA figures, and a protein-and-fruit breakfast plate is about 720 kcal lighter than a full cooked plate with pancakes and a croissant. Walking ashore helps, but an hour at 3.5 mph burns roughly 266 kcal for a 155 lb person.

**Q: How much weight do people actually gain on a cruise?**
A: Nobody has measured it in a peer-reviewed study. Numbers you see online, such as 0.83 kg per cruise or 5,000 to 6,000 kcal a day, are anecdotes or citations we could not find. The best comparison is a 2016 study of 122 adults on 1 to 3 week vacations: they gained 0.32 kg on average, and 0.41 kg by six weeks later. Some gained as much as 7 lb and some lost weight.

**Q: Is the weight I gained on my all-inclusive fat or water?**
A: Mostly water if it appeared within a few days. Each gram of glycogen your muscles store comes with at least 3 g of water, and salty restaurant food makes you hold more fluid. Eat normally for a week and look at your weekly average weight, not the first morning home.

**Q: How many calories are in cruise cocktails?**
A: The NIAAA calorie calculator lists a 9 oz piña colada at 490 kcal, a 4 oz margarita at 168 kcal, a 6 oz mojito at 143 kcal, a 12 oz regular beer at 153 kcal, a light beer at 103 kcal and a 5 oz glass of red wine at 125 kcal. Frozen resort drinks are often bigger than these standard sizes, so treat the numbers as a floor.

**Q: Should I track calories on an all-inclusive vacation?**
A: Track loosely if it helps you, and skip it if it spoils the trip. A quick photo of each plate and a rough count of drinks is enough to keep you near maintenance. In a 2018 trial, adults who simply weighed themselves regularly over Christmas ended 0.49 kg lighter than a comparison group. Skip tracking entirely if counting makes you anxious or you have a history of disordered eating.

**Q: How do I eat at a breakfast buffet without overdoing it?**
A: Walk the whole buffet before you pick anything up, fill half the plate with eggs, fish or yogurt and fruit, and choose one pastry or one pancake stack rather than both. Take one plate and sit down. Using USDA values, that kind of plate lands around 500 to 600 kcal, against about 1,300 kcal for a full cooked breakfast with pancakes and a croissant.