W8NTOCRUISE

It seems that there were not many reviews for this ship when I was looking for information before we sailed last week. I wanted to share my experience for future sailings. I will say that I was worried about the ship after reading what few reviews I could find.

 

My husband and I had a great time on the ship and we had no issues at all. We checked in at the airport with the Carnival staff so when we arrived to the ship, we walked right on. Yes, the ship is older but it is being maintained and cleaned consistently. The staff was extremely friendly and acknowledged you any time that they saw you.

 

The food was fine and we were able to eat plenty while we were on board.

 

The rooms were clean and the staff was great.

 

Yes, the bigger, newer ships offer more options, but we were very happy with our experience. I would recommend the ship for someone that is looking for a less expensive option. Yes, my husband and I would both cruise on the Sensation again.

Thank you for your review! Like you I was getting a little worried when I had seen some of those negative reviews, especially the ones about the plumbing issues. You helped ease my mind. :cool:

UPDATE

 

We loved the trip! We just returned and it was great. Food, entertainment, staff, and boat was good. Only thing that I did not like was the cabin bathroom. The tub came up to my thigh and we had to jump in. Once in we were just inches from the ceiling. Lol! cruise director / entertainer Orlando was awesome. We had so much fun. Thanks everybody for your input.

Thank you for posting your update! My BFF and I will be cruising on the Sensation in Sept. and some of the above posts made me a little nervous about cruising on this ship but your review has helped me disregard them. I have sailed a few of the different ships and have always had a good time. Glad you enjoyed your first cruise! :):)

Hello Everyone!:)

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

I wanted to say thank you so much to everyone for being here for me during this difficult time with my mom. Thankfully she is stabilized and feeling stronger and ready to divorce her DH. They have court next week for the Battery charge against him, then she will be moving into a new apartment and is looking forward to fresh start as an independent woman. I'm so proud of her!:D

And I also want to say thank you for all of your support in the Atkins WOE. It's so great when you can rely on fellow Atkin'ers for such great support and positive thinking. With that being said, I will say goodbye. I will try to pop in from time to time to say Hi, but for now I am going to try the Body for Life program with my husband. He has been asking me to give it a try for a long time so that we can work on it together as a team. And that is what we are, a team with great support for each other. So I want to give it a try.

I wish you all the best success with the Atkins WOE and happy sailing!:)

Good Morning everyone!

I just wanted to say thank you so much for all of your kind words. Unfortunately things have gotten worse. My moms husband broke her wrist and hit her in the face. This was last Thursday evening. I took her to Victim/Witness and she filed a restraining order against him. He's was charged with Battery-causing great bodily harm. He was in jail from last Saturday evening until yesterday. He's charging up credit cards and writing bad checks, so we also need to get her into our Women's Center for assistance with an attorney and possibly a safe house. We're not sure if he will try to go after her or not after he spent some time in jail. We also need to find her a new place to live because she can't afford the rent on her own where she's at. UGH!:(

JEAN, HAVE A WONDERFUL VACATION!!

Hola to everyone else, hope all is well. Hang in there to those of you who are struggling with the Atkins WOE, you can do it!! :)

Hola Everyone!

Congrats to all of you who are doing so well on the Atkins WOE!!! You can do, just stick to it!:p

It's been really busy here at work, lots of silly projects have been thrown our way because we are short staffed. That means doing things we typically do not do which is not a big deal, but more time consuming. And my family issues have spiked back up again. Without giving TMI, my mom may be divorcing her husband, who is schizophrenic & out-of-control drinking & doing drugs.:eek: I am the oldest of 3 kids so mom calls me for help a lot. Plus I work at our local Human Services so I am able to connect her with helpful resources, thank goodness.

So with that said, I've fallen off the Atkins WOE dealing with lots of stress, which is not a good excuse but I'm using it for now.:( I will try to keep popping in but if you don't hear from please know that I'm thinking of you guys and hoping all is well!

Tammy- new iPod is 4 days old - and not a sign of the old one! grrr

I'm glad that things have settled down for you! Family / Work....it can get pretty crazy! Yup..got a bottle of that ketchup too!:D

Your right, the family things can get pretty crazy! I did fall off Induction but have jumped right back on. And I also received some good news about my ankle, NO SURGERY!! I actually found a new pair of tennis shoes from New Balance that are specifically for people with severe pronation (sp?). They were $155.00 but that's a lot cheaper than having surgery. I have had the shoes for a week now and the pain in my ankle is almost completely gone. And I was able to take Veda out for a walk last night, so I was back on the treadmill this morning!! I have a refreshed outlook on my weightloss now and am totally ready to kick butt big time! I think the fact that I could not exercise the way I enjoyed kept me from being truly dedicated.

Hi Gang,

Just wanted to let you all know that I am still here and catching up on the posts. I will wb in a few. TTFN;) :D

Hola!:)

Well, I just had to write a note to all of you and say, Thank You. I too thought the Atkin diet was not good but find that you get your share of Veggies and fruits also. I started two weeks ago and have lost about 5 or 6 lbs already. I am trying to make this a way of life, from now on. And I did eat a sweet or two along the way. I am finding that I have more energy this last week. I don't do a lot of exercise but hope to start riding my bike more often. I walk the golf course once a week but it is getting hot now and I will have to ride---I live in Florida and can't do the heat anymore.

 

I have been reading this Thread and that has helped me to get started on this weight loss. I want to get down another 15 lbs. or more.

 

I will drop in from time to time but will still read the Thread.

 

Trudy:)

WELCOME TRUDY! These ladies are a great group! I recently joined on and am so glad I did. They are truly inspirational. Good luck on your weightloss and your newfound Atkins Way of Eating!

PINK: Don't worry about New Orleans, I've only heard good things from people visiting. And I've seen many ads on t.v.about visiting N.O. because they have so much to offer their visitors. And have you ever considered renting a jeep to drive around the Island of Cozumel? There is a woman who sells maps for the different Mexican towns called the Mapchick (mapchick dot com). She takes orders on the honor system, you order through her website, she sends you the map and you send her a check. She's very reputable and I've purchased 2 maps from her and they have tons of great info on them. Or depending on how long your port stop is, maybe taking the ferry over to Playa del Carmen? Playa has great shopping, especially on the north end of 5th Av. along with many great restaurants and bars. Just make sure if you take the ferry that you go by your cruise ship time. We were going to take the ferry from Coz once and realized we would not have had enough time to get back because of the ferry schedule.

Hope everyone else is doing well! Have a great day!

Okay, I feel terrible I have been away from the boards for a while. My mom was in crisis with her schizophrenic 2nd husband. Thankfully things have calmed down, he's on his meds and back to work! Then my co-worker has been sick with a virus and was out of work last Friday and yesterday. She was back half day today. Hopefully this week will continue to get better!

WELCOME eddiesgal! We are taking a cruise a week after yours (no ticker because I have not booked yet, but we are positive we are going). Speaking of tickers, I love yours! And don't feel bad about falling off as the other wonderful ladies on this board have said. Just jump right back on. I have to pat myself on the back because I've been able to go out to restaurants and stick with Atkins no problem. Chili's actually has a great dish, it's under the Fajita menu ( I just don't get the tortillas-for Induction), but it's a chicken breast grilled with bacon, mushrooms & cheese melted on top and they serve it with veggies. It tastes awesome and I don't have to feel guilty!

WELCOME donnaholder! I too have 100 pounds to lose. Back in 2004 I had started Atkins in January and by my May, when I had a 40th b-day celebration cruise with my best friend planned I had lost 60 lbs. I can't tell you how often I think if only I would have continued the Atkins WOE, I would have it all gone by now! Unfortunately I was one of the people who went off of it after my cruise and gained all 60 back and then some! Hang in there, you can do it! Also, I have been drinking the Atkin's shakes & bars (which taste almost like a candy bar). I purchase the shakes (which come in cans) from the grocery store. I have also seen them at Walmart and Sam's Club. Hope this helps for you!

Pink, how cool you are taking a cruise out of N.O.! My first cruise was out of there and we flew in a day early so we could enjoy the French Quarter. I would love to leave out of that city again!

Jean, You lost 40 lbs. when you first started Atkins?! How excellent and you've "mostly" kept it off;) And congrats on completing that 5 mile walk and such a good cause! And positive thoughts to your younger sister! And now how long have you had that new IPod? Has the old one popped up yet?

Jocelyn, Sorry to hear about your hubby and his asthma, that must have been scary having to head to the hospital. I feel so sorry for people with bad allergies. Our trees and grass are putting everyone's allergy's into overdrive right now. I too enjoy American Idol, I was bummed when Michael Johns was voted off and now most recently Carley Smithson. I'm hoping David Cook is not next!

Hola to everyone else!

I hope everyone has a great evening and I will try to get online more often. Oh by the way, I found Heize 57 ketchup comes in 1 net carb now. Has anyone else seen this? Or am I a little behind and it's always been there? All I can say is it tastes great, especially on a hotdog!

Hey Everyone! Sorry I've been MIA again, family crisis, a sick co-worker and lots of work are keeping me away from the boards. I have not had time to even read the posts, so I hope everyone is doing okay! I'll try to stop back and catch up! I weighed in Saturday morning and lost 5 lbs.! Woo Hoo!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Well I survived the weekend and am maintaining Induction (and no wine!). Jocelyn you were right, I'm getting that energy kick now and am no longer dragging in the morning. I got on my stationary bike this morning and rode for 20 minutes, it's not a lot but it's a start. Unfortunately I need to see my podiatrist because my ankle is getting worse. Just walking around shopping this weekend caused lots of pain. I have a feeling another surgery is in my future, UGH!:mad:

And good luck Jocelyn on that whole room situation, that would be a bummer if you don't get mid-ship. I'm like you and prefer mid-ship also, but tend to pop the Bonine because I am so sensitive to motion sickness.

I have been walking and/or doing my Sweatin To The Oldies work out most every day. I have lost about 10lbs since returning from the cruise in Jan. I plan to get back to induction on Monday.

Great job Annie on losing the 10 lbs. That's a great loss, especially "after" returning from your cruise. That's when I tend to fall off so I give you lots of credit. And Sweatin' to the Oldies is one of my old time favorite workouts. Hopefully once I get this ankle/foot problem solved I can start "sweatin'" again.:D

Jean, I envy you so much being able to use your bike at work, that would be so cool! I wish I could have gotten into the garden like you did, our weather was perfect for it. Unfortunately we were shopping at Home Depot, Menards and other places looking for stuff for the house. Our new door (interior/exterior) is being installed on Wednesday so I'm taking a vacation day. Maybe I can get into my flower beds that day as it's predicted to be pretty nice again (60's). My hubby is like yours too, can't decide if he should be low-cal or low-carb. He goes back and forth and cannot figure out why he's not losing (not that he has much to lose, at least not compared to me!), but you can't eat high fat because of me and expect it to work! Men, sometime they have a problem getting it. But I do know he's doing more to support me than anything which is why I've been married to him for 20 years!

Okay, like you Jean it's time for me to get back to work.

Have a great day everyone!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Hey Jocelyn, way to go on another pound lost! Slow and steady is the way to go!:)

Hi Jean, boy you sure do have a mish mash of weather. We have been lucky this week, we had 2 days in the 60's this week and now we have rain moving in for the weekend. I'll take the 2 days of sunshine, it felt so good! And thanks so much for your words of encouragement.

Well I definitely know my body is moving into ketosis, I was feeling pretty tired and dragged out again this morning. I almost called in sick today because I had such an energy loss. But instead I decided to step on the scale and found out that I have at this point lost 4 lbs. So I drank an Atkins drink and then made scrambled eggs with ham & mushrooms (which I'm eating as I'm typing), and got my butt into the office. I actually felt the same way yesterday too and definitely felt better after eating my late morning meal. So I just need to get through this transition from burning carbs to burning fat. Can you tell I've been reading my Atkin's book again so I actually know what I'm talking about!:p Well I'd better get back to work. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Good Morning Everyone!

Things are slowing down here at work so I'm taking this time to post.

Jocelyn: No, DH is not doing Atkins in the sense that I am. I am following Induction strictly and making what I need to eat for me and he eats the same thing. However, if he wants a carb with his meal like potatos or rice he needs to make it for himself. He's fine with that, and sometimes chooses not to make a carb so he is having a low carb meal.

His program of choice is the Body for Life plan. We recently ordered some products from on online company that sells protein drinks & snacks. I was able to order a couple boxes of the Atkins Cinnamon bars for breakfast. But I cannot live alone on the Atkins drinks or the breakfast bars, it just does not seem like enough food to keep my body going in the morning. I feel like I'm not eating enough to keep my energy level up. Or maybe I'm just starting to feel that change over into ketosis right now?

I have been drinking an Atkins drink for breakfast around 6:00 and have been making scrambled eggs with sausage or bacon and mushrooms for a mid morning meal, that seems to be helping with the energy problem. Then it's a salad for lunch, an Atkins bar for a snack and then whatever I have planned for the evening meal. I've been tracking my intake of carbs and have not gone over 20 net carbs this week at all, my highest was 17 so far. I'm determined to stick with this for the long haul, it's just getting used to eating this way and finding foods that work for me. I went into Sugar Free Sheila's website and am debating on purchasing a recipe book. Anyone else order through her?

I just want to say thanks so much to everyone for their support, and advice!

Have a great day!:)

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to stop in quick and say Hi!:) Been really busy here at work and the home improvements are continuing on our home. Started Induction again and am sticking to it. I will keep you guys posted when I get a chance to pop in again. We are actually supposed to reach the 60's today, I'm so excited, I think spring is actually here in Wisconsin, I can finally start digging in the dirt! I'm so excited about planting lots of perennials & annuals this year.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Hola Everyone!

Happy Hump Day! We are almost halfway through the work week and looking forward to the weekend, at least I am anyway.:p Made a deal with DH that on Sunday, April 13th we are going to buckle down and make our eating programs work. It is not a good thing when each day (& week) goes by that I keep telling myself I am starting Induction again and then do not succeed. So we are ready to really kick this thing into gear and make it happen.

I hope you are all doing well and having a good week!:)

Quick post...we just bought a house & are making some changes to it before we move in, which will hopefully be sometime next week.

 

SHOCKINGLY, with all the busy-ness, I have been very good with my WOE & have lost four of the pounds I've gained back since before my cruise last Sept. Only 14 more to go.

Lisa,

Good luck on the new house, how nice to able to make some changes before moving. It sure makes it a lot easier without all the furniture in the way! And way to go on those 4 pounds, you'll reach that 14 in no time!

Hey Tammy & Pink, what's up?

Hi Jocelyn,

I'm hangin' in there. Still have not buckled down with Induction, but working my way towards it. My mantra is, I will never give up! By the way, congrats on making to your b4 weight! Way to go!

Tammy! How was your weekend?[/font]

Hi Jean, I had a good weekend. DH installed my new kitchen sink and faucet, it looks so nice! And Sunday he tore out an old ceiling fan in the dining room that had terrible wiring, and a really bad patch job that they covered with one of those decorative ceiling covers that are used around light fixtures. Not sure how else to describe it. But he completed the "proper" wiring and then last night he put up new drywall and started patching that the "correct" way. I can't wait to get the new fan & light fixture up. Next up, a new ceiling fan for our bedroom.

Tammy - Hang in there Girl - you've been doing really good! I think we all tend to have a week moment for something that we don't have very often - but the important thing is to get focused again and keep on with your WOE & WOEX! Even with home remodeling - by the way, how's that going? You need to take the time to get your heart rate up a bit - what are you doing for exercise?

 

Spring time usually means more time outside - what's your plans for the weekend? We are going on our 'maiden voyage' taking the trailer to Cochiti Lake and then on up to Santa Fe for the day. We hope to find a pull through spot - we're still working on that backing up skill :eek: ! LOL!

Hey Jean!

Thanks so much for your words of encouragement, I'll get this nipped in the bud sooner or later. Like you said, with spring it means it's time to get outside and get active! I have not been dedicated to my exercise yet, but have been walking the dog short distances, more for her than me since she's an old girl (13 in May, her name is Veda and she's a german shepherd/golden retriever mix). She's got arthritis in her hips and it's good to get her out and about.

And as soon as the weather warms up some more we will be able to start painting the exterior of the house. And then I can also start planting flowers and getting the vegetable garden planted, I just love gardening! And my first flowers of the season have started blooming, my snow crocus and my tulips have popped too. Yea, spring is on it's way in Wisconsin!:D

We have no particular plans for the weekend other than doing some spring cleaning (take down curtains throughtout the house & wash, iron & rehang) and starting some of our remodeling. DH will be installing the new kitchen sink, faucet & disposal. And I would like to head to Home Depot again and get some paint swatches. We'll see where that takes us for next weekend!

Your plans sound great, I would love to go to Santa Fe! Good luck on your "maiden voyage"!

Have a great day!

Good evening Atkins buddies!

 

Tammy-good news about the vehicle....I would rather open a vein than shop for a car. My jeep is a 1999 with 230K miles:eek: I plan to make it to 300K before I even think of shopping.

The home improvements sound like my "cup of tea" I am allways doing something around my house. The patio sounds like a nice place to enjoy a glass of wine in the evening.

Wow, that's a lot of miles on that Jeep. Not sure what the life expectency is on the Escape, but I'm hoping it lasts as long as your Jeep! I love doing home improvements also. Yesterday I was watching the HGTV and had a great idea about repainting my kitchen, DH was not too jazzed about it but I'm sure he will come around. And yes, the patio will be perfect to enjoy on a nice summer evening with a glass of wine!;)

Hi everyone!

 

Very busy times around here, but I have managed to finally get back on track with my eating this week. Training not so good, but I still could make the triathlon.

Hola! Nice to meet you Rocknsoul! Wow, a triathlon, very cool! I would love to give that a try someday, now if I could just get my butt moving!:rolleyes:

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

So jeans were fitting a lot better this morning - decided to see what the scale said so took everything off, again, down 4 from Sunday!! yiiippee!

 

Last weekend I picked up some "Aoulette" spread for some celery sticks on Sunday. 1 carb = 2 Tbl I got the garlic & herb spread. I think this was a little bit expensive (6.00) for a tub - but holy moley...it's pretty good and with the celery I get the CRUNCH that I need in the afternoons! Get a nice crisp celery stick, measure 2 Tbls for a spread and I think you'll see...It's enough to actually go on 2 celery sticks!

CONGRATS ON THE WEIGHT LOSS!!!:D There's nothing like having those jeans fit better, keep up the good work!

Thanks for the tips on the aoulette, sounds really good and I love celery!

So sorry I've been MIA again. My co-worker was off last week (spring break) so I was swamped here at work and did not get online the entire week! And last Thursday I stepped on the scale hoping for a weight loss (I had lost 1.7, which is good!), but I was for some reason thinking it wasn't (I guess I really wasn't thinking!:confused: ) and decided to have a sapphire & tonic and then blew it the rest of the weekend. I am really struggling with staying on track and cannot figure out why. I'm back on track this week though and hoping to make a complete week for once! Please send strength thoughts my way, I need all the positive energy I can get. I MUST STAY ON TRACK!!

Thanks for listening everyone! Have a great day!

Hey ... achoo! All....achoo!! sniff sniff - Ok get it? Allergies are sooo bad right now! Hold on a second, need to get a tissue and rub my eyes so I can see the computer screen!:(

 

Tammy - Did you guys finally decide on a car? We've been shopping around for a few months now and finally found the travel trailer that we've wanted! And for 1/2 price! :D But when you add everything else all together - holy cow- it's a good thing we started off so low! But now we'll be pulling the trailer and taking off to the lake with the kids - in comfort! ;)

Busy day - but had to stop in and catch up with my low carb buddies!

Have a great day!

So sorry to hear about the allergies, keep those Kleenex near, your computer screen will need them, ha, ha, ha:p

Yes we did decide on a car! We were supposed to test drive it on Friday afternoon when I had a vacation day, unfortunately 15 inches of snow kept us home and off the roads. I heard it was terrible out on the roads that day, many co-workers complaining it took them over an hour to get home with a drive that should take 20 minutes!:eek:

We went Saturday morning and test drove a black '07 Escape with 30,000 miles and a red '06 Escape with 23,000 miles. I chose the red one more so because of the color, she's beautiful, but also the interior is a tan color so it will not be so hot to get into during the summer months (my old one has black interior)! I'm so glad to have it and my DH decided to keep the old '01 Escape for himself. Which worked out perfectly because we can use the extra money from the home equity loan to do home improvements that are greatly needed.

We have lived in our current home for 10 years now and have only done minor improvements. This past Sunday we went to Home Depot and bought a new kitchen sink & faucet, a ceiling fan for the dining room (I didn't want one there but DH insisted because that room gets no circulation during the summer months. And a new fan for our bedroom, which I wanted because there are those balmy summer nights where it is cool outside but there is no wind, so we don't get circulation in the room. I hate to put the air on if I don't have to.

Next we will buy some new flooring for the kitchen, carpet for the living room and towards the end of spring/beginning of summer my dad is going to pour a concrete patio for us. He's in the business and can get us a discount on the concrete.

Have a great day!

Tammy, Sugar Free Sheila has a website with all kinds of wonderful info and on her FAQ page she says what supplements she takes(always check with your Dr 1st). Being that I wasn't taking anything:eek: before, I think the supplements are really helping me keep my energy up.

Thanks so much for the website info, I will go check it out!

Tammy and Jocelyn....I know what you mean about the wine....I mean grapes. Hey , it's the only fruit I ever get!

Tammy- the whole Mexican thing is just a fact of life:D When we go to Mexican I have to just let go and enjoy...hey, life is short! Glad you had a good Birthday and glad you are back in the saddle this week.

I know the wine is not allowed on induction, probably why I never make it the full two weeks:rolleyes:

You said it sister, life is too short! You made me chuckle out loud about wine on induction and not making it a full two weeks. Thanks for putting a smile on my face!:D And congratulations on the 8.8!! That's awesome (no matter the time frame!).

Great to hear what you all did and ate - or didn't eat - for Easter. I have a terrible cold so only had cup of consomme. DH nuked leftovers from the freezer -Hunt's sugarfree sauce with Dreamfields spaghetti. Was glad to hear somebody had the cruistless quiche - first Easter without it in 7 years. Today I was finally able to bake the ham, and had asparagus and acorn squash as accompaniments. We did have a special treat for dessert - Breyers No Sugar Added butter pecan ice cream. Felt SO good on my poor raspy throat. Guess I should be grateful it's not the flu.

So sorry to hear about your nasty cold, hope your feeling better soon. I love Butter Pecan Ice Cream, I guess I never realized that Breyer's had a no sugar added version. That will be something I can check out after my induction or maybe I should wait until my ongoing maintenance at the rate I'm going!:rolleyes:

Thanks again to everyone for all the helpful tips! Have a great day!:)

- I cooked aspargus in olive oil, a bit of butter and then sprinkled some garlic powder & salt - toss, and then some parmasen (?) cheese and tossed again - it was sooo good

This sounds so good, I am going to make it tonight for dinner to accompany the pork chops I planned to make for dinner.

Hey Gang,

I am back on track after having a few mamosas & a small slice of SF choc/rasp cheesecake with Easter Brunch, but besides that I did really well and I gave myself the pass as it was Easter and besides those 2 things I really tried to stay on plan this weekend.

 

I have been drinking my water (a biggie for me) and taking some more supplements that really gives me some great energy(not diet pills, wheat grass and stuff). And believe it or not I am actually looking forward to getting back on the treadmill today! I have to stay on track, I told Ed between our Anniversary next month, the parties we were already invited to and the Yankee games I am going to really have to plan my meals so I don't fall off the wagon (again)

It feels so good to be back on track, I'm right there with you! Especially after my b-day/Easter fallout! And your right, water is a biggie. I definitely need to be more diligent about that! What are the "energy" pills you are taking? I have to get vitamins at the Organic grocery and thought maybe they would carry them. And mentioning the Yankee games reminded me that we are going to an exhibition game for the Brewer's this Saturday, at least I will be able to eat a bratwurst with sauerkraut (tradition at the ball park).

Tammy,

I think if I can self-restrain from booking I would like to go on our cruise in Nov and then book another in late Nov for Jan once we get home. By then airfares and cruise fares will be posted and we can pick something up according to the time off I've been given at work. It's just so frustrating when it's the 1 thing I really look forward to and planning is half the fun for me. I think I belong in management...budgets, goal setting, long-range planning.... ha ha. Pink

I know what you mean about planning, I'm the exact same way. I love planning for trips, as soon as one is complete I'm ready to start planning the next! But that's typically with just mine & DH's vacations. The cruise we are taking in December is with 3 other couples so I don't plan as strictly. I also help plan other people's vacations/airfare here at work and I'm big into Disney World also and help people plan their trips/intineraries to WDW too. A lot of people think I should have been a travel agent, maybe in my next life, ha, ha, ha. :D

Have a great day everyone!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a great Easter! I had a good one, unfortunately it was loaded with carbs, not good. On the night of my birthday we went to a Mexican restaurant, to wich I received great advice from Jean about fajitas and instead I picked shrimp enchiladas made with corn tortillas, then I ordered a margarita. Needless to say it continued on a downward spiral the rest of the weekend and I allowed myself to eat many, many, many carb laden foods.

I don't feel terrible this morning, you know that carb bloat you can feel after "carbing out" so that made not feel quite so guilty. And I'm back on track with my eating today and ready to do some working out this evening. I will definitely have to maintain the 20 carbs or less Induction this week and hopefully get myself back into ketosis by the end of the week.

Jocelyn: Thanks so much for the recipe. I printed it out this morning and cannot wait to try it.

Pink: Good luck planning your trip, hope you get that deal your looking for. For my past cruises I have always had luck getting a discount by booking 2 months before the trip. I know that makes some people nervous to book that close, but it worked for us. Of course you also have the option of calling them if you see your cruise price go down so it can be adjusted. Just a thought.

Have a great day everyone!

Hi Tammy,

Mexican can be ok, just get the fajitas no tortillas. Have a great time and let us know how it went.

 

Also, just saw your other post, the Splenda Flavor Accents are exactly like Crystal Light except, when I drink Crystal Light I get this kind of scratchy-ness in my throat that I didn't get with the Splenda. I tried the Raspberry and it was DELISH!:D

Fajitas sound good, but I'm gonna miss the tortillas, not to mention chips & salsa! There is a dish they also make, it's got slice green & yellow peppers with grilled shrimp on the peppers and melted mozza cheese melted on top. Very yummy!

Hi Gang,

Well I am still going strong with Induction and I think my energy finally kicked in :) Last night we had Eggplant that I fried with an egg batter(no flour just egg and heavy cream) then I made a baked eggplant parm with crumbled sausage sauce all I can say is wow, yumm! If you all want the recipe I will post it.

 

I also got a new piece of excercise equiptment....a hoola-hoop! I read a post on another thread how the person did not like doing crunches (right there with ya LOL) and decided to get a hoola-hoop. I did it last night for about 15min straight (once I got the hang of it again:D ) and it was soooo much fun. And I can tell you that you really feel it esp in your arm and hips when your doing it, and today I can feel it in my abs.

Me, me! I want the recipe, it sounds awesome. Wow, a hoola-hoop, who'd of thought?! I think I know what I am going to purchase this weekend, especially since I am not a fan of crunches either. Thanks so much for the great tips!

Jocelyn: Good job on being down a few! It's so hard to resist peeking, especially when you can really feel it?! And will definitely check out the Splenda Flavor Accents, they sound great. Are they similar to Crystal Light?

Good Morning Everyone!

Well I sort of celebrated my birthday a little early last night and ended up having 3 glasses of wine, YIKES! I'm worried about my weigh-in now on Saturday morning, what can I say, I'm addicted to wine. I know we should not have alcohol during the Induction period but it was just one of those days! Plus I spent the evening baking cookies, brownies and cutting veggies for my treat to bring into work (everyone brings in birthday treats). However I do get "brownie" points (no pun intended) because I did not eat one cookie or brownie.

Tonight I wanted to go to our local Mexican restaurant where they have Mariachi that plays every Thursday & Friday evenings, I love Mariachi. I'm not sure yet what I am going to order, but I will definitely try to stay on track. The key word is "try".:p

I hope everyone is having a great day so far!

Tammy - glad to "meet" you - congratulations on your great start and determination. And to those who are are stalled or have put back a few lbs. a week or two back on the induction plan can kick-start your system. Especially if you keep up the exercise you're getting - at least when the weather cooperates.

 

Anyone who's been - how's the food on Carnival or RCI? HAL has been so good about accommodating my diet. "No sugar added" desserts and sf ice cream available at every meal. Plenty of delicous meat entrees. Costa has some good prices in the Med - cruised with them once in my pre weight gain days and well remember all the great pasta dishes and fabulous sweet desserts. Talk about irresistable! Can't risk that again.

Hi gooselace! Glad to me you too! I am very determined at this point to make this work, especially with the possible cruise in October. DH & I went to Walt Disney World in December '07 and all the walking really affected my bad ankle and my legs in general because of the extra weight. I don't want to have that problem in our ports because we love to venture out and about.

I have cruised on Carnival twice in the past and I believe their food is excellent, of course I have no other cruise line to compare it to. I do know that they offered a low calorie/sugar free dessert choice on the menu during both of our cruises. I have to say that their tiramisu was the best I have ever had, anywhere!

Just wanted to share our smoochy honeymoon cruise photo. This was taken on the dock at the Iguana Farm in Honduras!

 

Pink

Very cute honeymoon photo!

Yiippee - It's Wednesday! 1/2 of my work week is over! And since I get Friday off..it just keeps getting better! lol!

 

Is anyone hosting Sunday dinner for Easter? If you don't celebrate Easter - what are you having anyway? :) If you want to share your menu - please do!

 

Tammy - Great first week!!!! Good for you! But so sorry on shopping for cars....ugh....that is not my favorite thing to do either! How'd the birthday dinner go? Yeah, when we have 2 days of crazy wind..it's not long before most places east of us have some pretty bad weather!

I'm right there with you being 1/2 way through the work week and having Friday off! We have an appointment with a dealership Friday morning to test drive 2 more vehicles (Ford-Escapes-'06 & '07). DH is thinking we may just keep our old one ('01 Escape) instead of him getting a new vehicle and just getting a trailer to haul mulch and other things he would use a pick-up for.

We are not hosting Easter dinner however we are taking my FIL for Easter brunch with DH's siblings and their spouses. Yeah, no cooking and a variety of Atkins friendly food choices!

The birthday dinner went great, I ended up getting the Deluxe Italian Salad with Pepperoni. Very delicioso! Thanks for asking! So yeah, that darn wind of yours is sending snow our way for tomorrow. We are not happy campers here in WI as we have had enough snow for the season and do not want anymore! My snow crocuses are starting to pop, along with my lilies, I hope the cold and snow do not hurt them!

Have a great day everyone!

Hey Ladies!

Sorry I've been missing in action, my brain has been consumed with the need to purchase 2 vehicles for DH & I. We have been test driving used vehicles for the last 2 weeks and it's getting really old and stressful! We are finding out the hard way that apparently the dealerships in our area no longer "haggle" over the price. What's on the sticker is what you pay, UGH! So our search continues on.....

I had meant to get online Saturday morning to give my official first week on Induction weigh-in and completely forgot about it. The bank called when I was talking to my best friend on the phone from Birmingham, AL and said we could come and sign the paperwork for our home equity loan so I got off the phone, jumped in the shower, and then out the door we went. The car search continues, that was both Saturday and Sunday. So anyway, my first official week on Induction I lost 5.2 lbs. I am soooo excited about that! I'm even more gung ho for this second week now that I've seen such good success. At least I think that was good for the first week, I cannot remember how much I lost the last time around on Induction.

Jean: So sorry to hear that Sadie dug up your tulips, I have that problem with the squirrels. All of sudden I will see a tulip pop up in the yard where there definitely should not be one. I loved the rationalization of your closet re-organizing, very funny! It sounds just like me. I've started a oblong box with different size clothes in them. I even have some that have price tags on them, just waiting for me to lose enough weight to wear them! It is truly good therapy though to go through everything and to get incentive to continue on to hopefully wear them someday.

Jocelyn: You had a perfect Atkins day yesterday! I too had the corned beef and cabbage for dinner. I added potatos for my DH, he's not doing Atkins, he follows the Body for Life program where you eat 6 small meals a day with equal amounts of protein & carbs with 1 tablespoon of fat. It also includes weight training with aerobic activity which really helps me out. He's my workout coach for weight training, I love it! And sorry to hear about your new gym, we have the same problem with those type of gym's in our area. They attract a younger crowd who are there to mostly hangout. I've never gone to a gym because our basement is like a gym. We have a television to watch while on the treadmill, stair stepper or biking. And DH has tons of different weights and two weight benches. He picks them up at rummage sales, I think it's becomming an addiction.

I'm with you guys though, can't wait til the weather warms up so I can do more work outside. Don't remind me of the gardening pain, I've got a lot of work ahead of me in that department this spring! But to me I love gardening and it's very therapeutic.

Tonight I am having dinner with my father & sister, we always get together to celebrate our birthdays (mines on Thursday, I will be 44!), so I just looked at the menu for the restaurant we're going to, it's Italian. I found an unbreaded Chicken Parmigiana with a side salad or a large Italian salad with pepperoni on it. Not sure which I will pick but I do know I will be missing that pizza! Maybe I will scrape of the top just to get that flavor, mmm, mmm, mmm!

Have a great day everyone and I will try to get online more often!