It will be at the end of my phase one. I'm dreading it already.

Thoughts on "goingoff" a week. I hate having to start over but want to "enjoy" the vacation.

Geessh, and i thought i started the program at a time i could complete it with omly one brief obstical (Easter).

Thanks for input

The reports from the recent Carnival cruise mis-adventure is enough of a deterrent for me!

Is DH TRYING to sabotage you? Did you ask if you can do it next year and do something more diet-friendly this year?

Most people who "take a break" never return. There are a few among us who have but if you look 6 months back in posts, see who was going to take a break. Besides a handful, are they back to plan and losing weight or have they disappeared?

Let's focus on the positive. Not sure what cruise line you are sailing with, but most of them have very high quality proteins served at meals. Take your IP lesson to heart and focus on the proteins.

This is where a good coach should be able to do you some good. Ask your coach to help you map out a plan for your eating. You can enjoy good food on a cruise without going 'hog wild' and eating everything in sight, in fact, after being on a diet for awhile, it would probably make you ill to overdo it.

Phase 2 is not really a carb adding phase, so you might want to phase off earlier so that you are in phase 3 or 4 when you go on the cruise, then go back to phase 1 or 2 if you need to lose additional weight.

There will be a lot of other activities that you can do besides eat, read up in advance on what is to be offered and make sure to take advantage of everything!

I think having a plan in mind will be key for you. You do not want to be 'winging it' on a cruise!

You can eat very well on the cruise in Phase 1 or 2 and have a great time. Being active and in the world while eating well are going to be part of your life when you are maintaining or losing. Just inform the restaurants of your dietary restrictions.

I have a good friend who regained twenty pounds while on maintenance because she returned to old eating habits without continuing to eat well. If you make the choice to eat well for your lifetime and not just to lose the weight you will enjoy activities and the good food available. Even on maintenance we only have fun days once per week.

Best wishes and have fun on the cruise!

I would just stick to veggies and protein..maybe being less concerned with amounts..probably not what a coach would say.

Anyway a cruise..thats fantastic! Enjoy it!

Every week my coach asks me if I have any social engagements that we need to develop a plan for so this may be where you need to lean on your coach. Also, as someone else said, the things we are learning in IP are tools for life -- low carb, right protein, etc. so use that as a guide.

Losing is the easy part -- I'm sure most of the people here have lost weight before -- maintaining is where the real work begins.

Good luck and happy traveling.

I lost weight on a cruise before I was on IP. I just stuck to veggies and protein. I also walked a lot around the decks.
It was quite easy actually because all the veggie prep was done for you which is why I have to watch I get them all in, so much work with them.

Hey Pat, really think you need to change your avatar, you are no longer at 30 lbs lost!!!!!

You should be able to find veggies and healthy protein choices on the cruise. Just stick to the plan and bring lots of your IP foods with you. My coach asks me each week if there's anything coming up that may cause me to stray....I always say no as I have no intentions of going off plan until I see this through to the end. I am going away in April with my husband but I'm hoping to be in maintenance by then and will just watch what I'm eating while we are gone.

Have fun on your cruise! Where's the cruise headed?

Just remember to "enjoy" your vacation u don't have to eat badly, they usually have a variety of food so you can still eat healthy. Plus they usually offer so much entertainment, u can keep busy and not eat all day. I remember my cruise ship having a gym too.

You're not going to be happy about it but you can get it done.

We took a Norwegian Cruise last year. This was before I was on IP. Our friends came along. She makes her own baby food. Will NOT let her kids eat any baby food she hasn't made. When she boarded, she gave the food to the steward for her floor. They put the food in a fridge for her and the restaurants microwaved it for her at meals.

They should do the same for you.

I just wrote a long post about a similar situation in the past day:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...-while-ip.html

I think the fundmental question is just how disciplined are you? When you read the post above, you'll see I went on a pretty decadent trip (part land, part cruise) and did a very controlled phase off (2 weeks P2, 2 weeks P3) in preparation for the trip and then I had whatever I wanted on the trip. First full day back I went on P1 again. Read the post for the details.

If you have great discipline and choose to stay OP, there's no easier way to do it than on a cruise - there's everything you need, as basic as can be (as well as everything else - but just ignore all other foods). If you aren't that disciplined in the face of constant temptation, then phase off carefully and do the best you can BUT get right back on P1 the first full day back home. You will be glad you did.

As Scorbett said, too many people take a trip, go off program and never come back, so sad...make a responsible choice, you are worth it. And remember, you can always have the food later (after you reach goal) that you are giving up now - there's that "fun meal" in maintenance every week.

I actually never thought "Oh no" and "cruise" would be in the same sentence. I'm hoping DH will take me to the grocery store!!
Life is a journey, and your journey is going to take you on a cruise. ENJOY and make a plan so you're not totally derailing your efforts.
Think how much BETTER you'll look in skinnier clothes. And maybe, maybe DH will consider taking you on a low carb cruise so you can get the "advance" info for the rest of us.
Give my love to Sven and Yurgen and tell them to keep the massage rocks hot 'cause Pattie and I are WAITING OUR TURN IMPATIENTLY!