I'll have what she's having!

My problem with my yo-yo life is the fact that I practice "all or nothing" thinking, I am either "on" a diet or "off". Learning to eat in moderation so when I finally get to a healthy weight is a bigger goal for me than just losing it.

So with that said maybe the cruise could be a good time to practice moderation, have a few treats but don't go "off your diet" and eat everything in sight. There are exercise options on board too, that might help you remember your goals.

Family members may not support you, because if they see you making healthy choices it will be harder for them to look at what they are putting into their own mouths. Most folks eat like it's going out of style on a cruise.

I have only been on one cruise, but want to go again. One thing I noticed is that healthy choices are often not presented appealingly as the mounds of sweets and carbs onboard. I would take some protein bars or shakes, or whatever your plan allows to take care of some of my hunger, so I could then make better choices at buffets.

And it's not all about the food, my favorite memories have to do with the pool time, dancing and games, shore trips and just hanging out. I actually don't remember the food that much. So have fun!

I have to say, it can be done to eat in moderation. For me, eating is social, so it's hard for me to NOT eat a meal when others are eating a meal.

Right now I'm doing intermittent fasting - my version of it. Basically, very little food intake (300 or less) until dinner time around 7 pm. Then, I eat a big dinner with my family.

When I was just at that conference Lunch and Dinner were social meals. I did my morning fast, but then had a very light salad for lunch - salads can fill the plate looking like a "big" meal without being overly caloric, so it doesn't look odd to people sitting with you. Or, one day I took a couple thin slices of meat and had a couple slices of pineapple - keeping it very light.

Then, at dinner, I just made good choices. I skipped the starchy stuff and went for the proteins and vegetables. And if there were several choices of protein (which there always was), I chose the least caloric - so salmon over prime rib. I skipped dessert 3 of the 4 nights (and wish I had skipped it the fourth as it wasn't even good).

At night I would tally up my calories for the day and while it was a 'tad' higher than what I eat at home, it was definitely within my range I'm shooting for.

Best thing? I didn't feel deprived. How can I feel deprived eating poached salmon, grilled asparagus with tomato, mozzarella and basil salad? That's DELICIOUS!

And to help me keep on track (because I'm a bit crazy). I brought my scale with me. My weight still bounced up a bit for several reasons (travel, higher carb count, and it's my mid-cycle weight gain I always get near ovulation), but I didn't get to IGNORE the numbers and seeing the uptick (for me) helped me reel it in or keep it reeled in next day with eating. For some people that would be discouraging and would lead to more eating, so you have to know yourself to know if that would be a help or a hinderance.

We are going on a week long vacation in July and I'll do the same thing for eating. Though, this time will probably skip lunch all together for cost reasons and then enjoy a big meal with family for dinner.