Eating Keto LIVE on Carnival Dream 11/16/19-11/21/19

[ShakyBeef]

14 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

 

I love so much of this post and your whole attitude, especially the bolded parts.  Your excursion sounds great and like you I would not refuse anything a host made (unless there were a strong medical reason).   I'm glad you enjoyed the steakhouse.  Being intentional about choices and accepting the consequences up front would help me remove any potential guilt and make it easy to get back to a more disciplined eating plan 🙂 That's part of my plan for my next cruises is to fully enjoy the moments, but be specific in what I choose to enjoy.

 

Big, fat DITTO on this from me! 👍

[bakersdozen12]

I don't think I understand.  Why are you trying to increase your ketones, when low ketone levels are good and high are bad?

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes/facts-ketones#results

Edited November 20, 2019 by bakersdozen12

[ShakyBeef]

29 minutes ago, bakersdozen12 said:

I don't think I understand.  Why are you trying to increase your ketones, when low ketone levels are good and high are bad?

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes/facts-ketones#results

 

Beneficial dietary ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis are related but very different.

 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324237.php

[wesorbeth]

Diabetic Ketoacidosis is life threatening your body is consuming muscle for energy in dietary ketosis your body is consuming fat for energy.  In both you may have NASTY breath though.

[SailorMarg]

41 minutes ago, wesorbeth said:

Diabetic Ketoacidosis is life threatening your body is consuming muscle for energy in dietary ketosis your body is consuming fat for energy.  In both you may have NASTY breath though.

The bad breath thing only lasted a couple weeks for me.  Unless my husband is lying to me. 😆

Edited November 20, 2019 by SailorMarg

[SailorMarg]

49 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

Beneficial dietary ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis are related but very different.

 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324237.php

ShakyBeef, thanks for stepping in and trying to help others understand but I stopped making that attempt a long time ago as I realized most people choose to misunderstand.  They certainly don’t spend any time reading scientific journals that show study after study the benefits of high fat low carb eating.  If it’s someone I care about, and who cares about me, and not just some internet stranger looking for a battle, I show them my pre-keto labs and my labs after 2 months of keto which have dramatically improved. That usually gets them off their limp high horse. 

[ShakyBeef]

2 hours ago, SailorMarg said:

ShakyBeef, thanks for stepping in and trying to help others understand but I stopped making that attempt a long time ago as I realized most people choose to misunderstand.  They certainly don’t spend any time reading scientific journals that show study after study the benefits of high fat low carb eating.  If it’s someone I care about, and who cares about me, and not just some internet stranger looking for a battle, I show them my pre-keto labs and my labs after 2 months of keto which have dramatically improved. That usually gets them off their limp high horse. 

 

Labs don't lie!  Years ago, my doctor was very anti-keto (but starves herself to stay thin🙄).  She wanted to put me on diet pills that, when I read the drug fact sheet on, I realized were essentially speed.  But she hated the idea of me being keto.  After seeing my first post-keto bloodwork, she stopped telling me it was unhealthy and started asking me for diet advice.🤣

 

I don't know if I still have keto breath anymore.  I'm very self-conscious about it, but my DH says he doesn't smell it anymore.  I brush frequently, Listerine, chew gum, and try not to be a close talker, just in case.🤭

[SailorMarg]

Today was the final day of our 5 day cruise.  It has been a great cruise, with great weather.  We are so lucky to live only 3 hours from Galveston so these quick and easy 5 day getaways are a great thing.

 

Today I started the day with another sugar free vanilla latte made with heavy whipping cream.  I will miss those, but those calories are going to have to be reserved for cruises. I'm not looking forward to seeing what my weight gain has been during these 5 days of no calorie counting, but I'm okay with my decision to not count calories and am looking forward to getting back into my very satisfying eating routine at home.
 

We ate in the MDR for Sea Day Brunch around 11:30.  I ordered an omelette prepared with spinach and onion with a side order of bacon and sausage.  It was filling and tasty.

 

For dinner tonight we had our final early seating in the MDR and I ordered the broccoli cheese soup which was very good but in retrospect was probably not very keto friendly.  I also ordered the seafood escabeche which was fantastic.  Will order two next time!  A Caesar salad followed.  Nothing on the entree menu appealed to me so I ordered the $20 up charge surf and turf, which is a lobster tail and small filet mignon.  There was some broccoli serves with this.  It was an enjoyable meal, but I’m ready for my simpler meals at home that I'm in more control of the ingredients.

 

My ketones have dropped further to a pretty much non-existent, 0.1.  I think my carb heavy day yesterday is still catching up and it will be a few days back on strict keto before I get back to my normal range of 1.5 to 2.5.

I will check back in to update when I'm back in my normal range in case anyone is interested in how long it takes.  I will also update what my weight gain was on this cruise given what I've eaten.  
 

The main thing I have realized during this experience is that I don't see myself ever going back to my days of carb heavy sedating eating habits.  On a cruise or otherwise. It's so nice to go to bed every night, on a cruise, not feeling uncomfortably full.  I have found lots of great keto friendly choices that have kept me very satisfied. It has been a positive experience.  

[Clarasgrandma]

Thanks for sharing.  I try to eat low carb as much as possible.  Very encouraging!

[jc4me]

Thank you so much for sharing!  Looking forward to seeing how long it takes you to "recover".  Have a safe trip home 🙂

[CruiseJB]

On 11/19/2019 at 2:46 PM, summer_girl said:

Thanks for posting...I was wondering about doing my bulletproof coffee on the ship but wasnt sure about available blenders etc. 

I purchased a travel milk frother from Amazon.   Milk Frother Handheld, Travel... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FB63V3R?

Edited November 21, 2019 by CruiseJB
Update url

[SailorMarg]

I checked my weight gain this morning after 6 days of not counting calories but trying to make keto friendly choices (and choosing not to do so on Day 4 of the cruise). I gained 5.3 lbs.  Not as bad as I planned for, but not as good as I hoped for.  The good news is I anticipate dropping those pounds in as little as 2 weeks now that I'm back to strict keto (20g or less carbs per day) and counting calories (1200-1300 a day).  
 

My ketones are starting to rebound also.  Back up to 0.9 this morning after eating strict keto yesterday.  I'm hoping to be back in my goal range of 1.5-2.5 in the next couple days.

 

I'm satisfied with the results of my intentional eating decisions during this cruise.  I'm satisfied with the balance I chose.  
 

I'll check back one more time, when I'm back in ketosis.

 

I'm also happy to answer questions about the cruise, the ship, etc.

 

Happy sailing. 😊

[ShakyBeef]

Thank you, SailorMarg for the review and the update.  I love your attitude and that you made conscious, fully knowing the pros and cons, with no regret!  Good on you!  I'm sure those pounds will drop off quickly.  It's scary how fast they pile on when we take a break from keto!😮  But most of it is what I think of as "temporary weight" and doesn't stick to us when we get back in the groove of our regular way of eating.  Thank you so much for sharing this cruising perspective and experience!

[ninjacat123]

Great report! ShakyBeef is so right about "getting back in the groove of our regular way of eating".  Looking forward to an update after some time in "real life".  Thanks for posting!

[jc4me]

Enjoyed following your trip.  Thanks for sharing!

[ShakyBeef]

23 hours ago, ShakyBeef said:

Thank you, SailorMarg for the review and the update.  I love your attitude and that you made conscious, fully knowing the pros and cons, with no regret!  Good on you!  I'm sure those pounds will drop off quickly.  It's scary how fast they pile on when we take a break from keto!😮  But most of it is what I think of as "temporary weight" and doesn't stick to us when we get back in the groove of our regular way of eating.  Thank you so much for sharing this cruising perspective and experience!

 

Crud.😕   I just noticed I left out an important word.   The above should read:  "I love your attitude and that you made conscious decisions, fully knowing the pros and cons, with no regret!"

[Lerin]

LOVE this review, it's one of my favorites ever. 

I've been doing keto friendly meals off/ on for about 6 months and have a cruise coming in January, all your details were really helpful. Thanks

[martini_guy]

On 11/19/2019 at 5:55 PM, soonernstlouis said:

My wife & I have both been on keto for over a year and both took a break from keto on our recent 7 day sailing (8 days including extra day in port).  Both only gained about 3-4 pounds not following keto but felt really sluggish with the high carb foods every day.  
 

Planning on following a modified diet next October for our next cruise; eat 1-2 keto meals and 1 cheat meal each day.  Just going to be more picky about eating unnecessary carbs (Guys burger buns, maybe no pizza since I’m not a fan) and hope for net zero gain with the amount of walking we do.

I basically did this last January. Had 2 cruises in the span of 5 weeks. I avoided unnecessary carbs like burger buns, picked the meat out of my deli sandwiches and just scraped the toppings off my pizza. I had a couple of cheat meals but nothing that was pure carbs like pasta or rice. I also had the drink package and limited myself to light beers and bourbon/diet. Ended up gaining around 2 lbs. Was worth it as it didn't take long to get back to where I was.

[FLcruisergrl]

On 11/19/2019 at 5:55 PM, soonernstlouis said:

My wife & I have both been on keto for over a year and both took a break from keto on our recent 7 day sailing (8 days including extra day in port).  Both only gained about 3-4 pounds not following keto but felt really sluggish with the high carb foods every day.  
 

Planning on following a modified diet next October for our next cruise; eat 1-2 keto meals and 1 cheat meal each day.  Just going to be more picky about eating unnecessary carbs (Guys burger buns, maybe no pizza since I’m not a fan) and hope for net zero gain with the amount of walking we do.

That’s my plan, although not necessarily a whole cheat meal. Maybe a piece of bread with dinner or a dessert.

[Shaded Lady]

Thanks so much @SailorMarg for the review! I love your attitude! I told my health coach this week that I think this keto diet will be successful for me because I don't see it as a 'diet' so much as a lifestyle- eating a huge plate of pasta or loaves of bread are a thing of the past, and eating those carbs represent the exception, not the norm anymore. Like you said, once you get back home and back to your 'normal' things will right themselves...

 

Great job!

[StillPooh]

On 11/22/2019 at 8:28 AM, SailorMarg said:

I checked my weight gain this morning after 6 days of not counting calories but trying to make keto friendly choices (and choosing not to do so on Day 4 of the cruise). I gained 5.3 lbs.  Not as bad as I planned for, but not as good as I hoped for.  The good news is I anticipate dropping those pounds in as little as 2 weeks now that I'm back to strict keto (20g or less carbs per day) and counting calories (1200-1300 a day).  
 

My ketones are starting to rebound also.  Back up to 0.9 this morning after eating strict keto yesterday.  I'm hoping to be back in my goal range of 1.5-2.5 in the next couple days.

 

I'm satisfied with the results of my intentional eating decisions during this cruise.  I'm satisfied with the balance I chose.  
 

I'll check back one more time, when I'm back in ketosis.

 

I'm also happy to answer questions about the cruise, the ship, etc.

 

Happy sailing. 😊

Technically most of what you gained was likely retained water, not actual weight. You have to consume roughly 3500 calories more than you burn, to gain a pound. I seriously doubt you consumed an excess 17,000+ calories on this trip! 😳

[pcrum]

I love this post.  I have been on Keto for a little over 3 years and have maintained a 80 lb. weight loss.  I love the Keto lifestyle.  We did a TA in April and I was very intentional about my food, trying to stay as Keto as possible (but did indulge in some desserts).  I gained a bit after the cruise (7 lbs after 15 nights), but took it off very soon after returning home.  I feel so much better with eating Keto and would never go back to carb filled meals.  

Edited November 24, 2019 by pcrum

[SailorMarg]

A quick update.  My ketones have been back to 1.3 since yesterday so that took about 3 to 4 days of strict keto.  Not bad at all.  My weight gain is down to only 2 lbs up.  As expected I've dropped 3.3 of the water weight pounds that were added during the cruise very quickly.  
 

Most important I feel great, mentally and physically, being back to my keto cooking and eating.  I like knowing exactly what I'm eating, and I love my cooking. 
 

I'll check in one last time when I arrive at my “cruise embarkation weight”.  Let's see how many days back to keto before I'm where I started before the cruise.
 

Thanks to everyone for the kind and encouraging words.  It was fun sharing the experience with y'all.  Maybe I'll do it again on my 7 day February 2020 Vista cruise.