Can you avoid gaining weight on a cruise? Here's the awkward truth

April is Easter, so there goes the diet. In May, we may or may not lose weight. When June rolls around, so too do our stomachs. Then it's the annual (failed) attempt at Dry July. There's no good month to get cruise-fit.

Some people can eat healthily on cruises, but most passengers want to get their money's worth. Unfortunately, free food is not fat-free.

The day begins at the breakfast buffet or ordering room service on your cabin balcony.

Soon afterwards, the regret sets in. "I shouldn't have eaten all of that. I'll skip lunch and have a light dinner," you tell yourself on the way to the pool deck.

Next minute: "Oh, wow, there's a self-serve ice-cream machine!"

Already, it's time for morning tea. "Aww, look at those cute cakes and tiny sandwiches. They're too small to have calories."

Lunch is basically a three-course practice for the five-course dinner. Then you can go to the gym, a short stroll away, free entry. No excuses. Or is there? "I'm too full to work out. I need to lie down and digest."