We are back from a week of vacation/cruising. Loved the vacation. My plan was to have 2 protein drinks a day, one really OP meal and splurge just a little. That lasted day one and until dinner day 2. Then I went completely off the reservation for 6 days until last night. Back OP this morning with an unofficial gain of 6lbs. Here's the lessons I'm taking away from this trip:

1. My eating habits have not changed as much as I thought they did, I can fall at any time..very humbling and quite a wake up call.
2. Sugar in my system makes me feel terrible, sluggish and bloated
3. Without the 59lb loss I had before the trip, I would not have been able to comfortably do most of the things I did on this vacation
4. I crave water and vegetables now, never did before IP
5. I am absolutely a carb-aholic. Even though it makes me feel bad, I'll eat foods that aren't good for me anyway.. can't have just a bite (yet) without going over board.
6. Getting to my final goal is more important than ever while re-training myself to eat.

New mini-goals: 15lbs by Thanksgiving, 30 by Christmas... Here we go!

Hope everyone had a great week..I'm back on track.

Good for you for learning, it is a journey.

I hear you, thank you for sharing.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I know I'm carb addicted, and the thought of maintenance really does scare me. I'm hoping that being on P1 for a pretty long time, it will allow me to change what I crave and how I eat.

Again, thank you! And glad you're back on plan.

Thanks for sharing your lessons - something for me to really keep in mind when we go away for holidays in January

rcrochet - I will be going on a (planned before IP) cruise the first week of December. At that time, I will have been on IP for about 8-9 weeks. How do you suggest I eat at the 3 different meals on the ship? If you could do it over again, what foods would you choose?
Thanks for any input, Jen

I leave a week from today for an 8 day cruise. I am just starting day 15 on IP and I'm down about 14 pounds. I am terrified I am going to go hog wild but my doc said he can talk me through it. I feel so good right now without sugar in my system and I don't want to go backwards.

I stuck to only protein for breakfast, mostly just eggs, a slice of bacon or ham. I think I had a veggie omelette once. There weren't a ton of veggies to choose from that were IP friendly, so for lunch I usually had a salad and some type of meat when we were on the ship. When in port, both days our excursions included a mexican buffet with no IP friendly choices. I ate what was there, tried not to eat too much though. Dinner is where I went nuts. Bread and dessert every night. They had good choices, I just didn't make them. No regrets though, other than feeling really full and sluggish. Maybe I would try to eat the same things, just smaller portions if I had it to do over again... Enjoy your cruises!! We are starting to plan our next one, would love reviews on yours when you get back.

Thanks for posting this!

We're going to Hawaii Jan / Feb time frame for a 50th vacation celebratin- my husband & I and 2 good friends. I was going to go on phase 3 for the vacation, but my coach wants me to try to stick with phase 2. Although I dont want to backslide, this most likely is going to be my only trip to Hawaii and I want to be able to enjoy myself and the local cuisine (including the fruit!).

Our freinds tend to eat a large breakfast and then not until dinner when they're on vacation - On this program at least, I need to eat every few hours or I'm starving. This would work for me if we were just going to hang out at the beach every day, but I want to go out and see everything!!!! So I might have to bring a few RTD's with me or find somehting - too bad all of the portable food is restricted! I suppose 10 days with a restricted every day wouldn't be too bad (I tried eating one every day and was even for the week).

Do we do any "damage" to ourselves by not waking our pancreas up slowly? I've read the "real cost of cheating thread" and dont remember anything addressing this question -I'll have to check it out agan.

I figure I'll be at close to 100 pounds weight loss by then. My average has been 10 pounds a month. I want to get the weight off, but want to enjoy myself on this once in a lifetime trip too!

Did you phase off at all before the vacation? I am going on my honeymoon in February and I am trying to decide when to phase off or if I should go cold turkey to lose the max weight before the wedding. I am thinking of phasing off. I don't want to be sick.

Did you get any sugar headaches or feel sick from not having those "bad foods" for so long?

By the way- I am a Crochet through my mother.

Nashua Nutrition has some Proti-thin and Proti-diet wafers and bars that are less than 9 carbs after subtracting the fiber. I bought a few boxes from them for special occasions like yours where I need to be out and about but don't want a restricted.

Thanks! I'm an IP girl, but will look for those alternaives for vacation!

well..we must be related!! I didn't phase off because I planned to be OP for the vacation, it just didn't work out that way for me, lol. But I didn't notice any side effects other than feeling sluggish and bloated with all that sugar in me. The last few days starting over have been difficult..feeling hungry, craving carbs, but so far so good.

We just returned from an 8 day cruise. I stuck to the diet for 2 days and then I was so bored and trapped- I started eating and drinking. I gained 5 lbs and felt like garbage. We've been home 3 days and I'm down 3 pounds and back on track but I am almost ashamed of myself. I am not feeling the sugar let down and shock like I did when I first started the program so I suppose that's good. I feel confident about heading into the Holiday's- as long as I have good things to eat I'll be FINE.

Any suggestions for cruise food would be appreciated! I too have a Cruise coming up in February - and that's one of the reasons Im on this plan! I'd love to get into a bathing suit and not hide under my coverup!!! I have cruised before and know there can be healthy options, but also know that the booze, deserts, and choices off plan are everywhere!
What cruise line did you travel and where did you go?
I'll be on Royal Carib and heading to Eastern Carribean, so excited!

Thanks for your honesty - it got me thinking!

Lynnie, the drink packets are really easy to pack for a trip. I have the best luck with the peach/mango and the capuchino drink mixes where I can drink 1/2 bottle of water, then mix the drink mix. I also carry dark choc pudding to use as a shake (8oz water) for breakfast. Another easy to do with a bottle of water.
Good luck!!!!!
Ken