Stay slim on the cruise ship diet

Regular readers often wonder how I can maintain my youthful figure while travelling on so many cruises. All those full English breakfasts, 24-hour buffets, surf ‘n’ turf dinners and chocoholic midnight feasts must take their toll, they imagine.
Actually, I find it quite easy to stay slim, thanks to my steadfast devotion to regular exercise in the ships’ fitness centres and a determination to restrict myself to healthy eating.
. . . er, hang on a minute. I think I just woke up from a weird dream.
The truth, as anyone who followed my weight-loss cruise last year on Celebrity Silhouette will remember, is that only hard work and a perverse avoidance of such regular cruise delights as cocktails or even the occasional glass of shandy make it possible to return from a cruise feeling lighter than before.
So hats off to MSC, who are making their newest ship available for a diet-themed cruise with French slimming guru Pierre Dukan at the helm. The voyage, on board MSC Preziosa, follows a similar cruise on MSC Fantasia last year.
Included in the fare, which starts at £559 per person (cruise only) dieters will receive:
• A welcome kit, an official ‘weigh in’ and ‘weigh out’ for each participant
• A personal health analysis provided by the on-board nutritionist and a doctor trained in the Dukan Diet method
• Designated Dukan buffet and special menu for Dukan guests available at breakfast, lunch and provided for afternoon snacks
• A physical activity programme run by a sports coach
• Group talks and discussions
• Cooking demonstration
• Evening group meeting with Pierre Dukan
• A book by Pierre Dukan
• Exclusive discount on daily slimming coaching at www.dukandiet.co.uk
The seven-night cruise, from Genoa on May 29, and calls at ports in Italy, Tunis, Spain and France.
I might have to give it a go. The four pounds I lost on Silhouette last year have mysteriously reappeared, and they have brought a few more friends with them. Time to knuckle down and get shipshape for another season of strenuous cruising.