Chigirlcruzin

Hi girls. Just a quick check in. Seems like you girls are sticking with it! I am NOT doing good at all. Richard is starting the new weight watchers system so I think I am going to do it with him. Hopefully by Mid May I will feel better even if I haven't lost a lot of weight yet.

 

Richard got a call from a company that he interviewed with last week. They asked him if he was still interested and that he should hear something by the end of the week. My sister worked in human resources so I called her and told her what they said and she said it sounds very good esp since they called him. SO we are just praying about it.

 

Hope everyone is having a great evening/

I haven't posted here in a LONG time. I lost 24 pounds on WW 2 years ago and kept it off for the most part. Last fall, I went to Vegas for a week, then Hong Kong for two weeks for work, then Vegas for another week. Then when I came back, I didn't get back on the horse and ended up gaining 8 of my 24 pounds back. Right about then was when WW introduced the new program. I started that, and the weight is gone! It is SO easy to follow, and you truly get a lot of food. I honestly feel this is going to be a forever thing as I NEVER feel deprived. I highly recommend the new WW program.

I'm getting tired of the same lunches over and over... any ideas there? Something quick, but I do have access to a microwave, toaster over, etc. Maybe I'll get some stuff to make southwest salads. :cool:

Every Sunday, I make a big batch of soup or chili. I bring this throughout the week. Today I made turkey 3 bean chili. I get a lot of my recipes from skinnytaste.com. Haven't had a bad one yet. Last week I made the lentil chicken soup.

Loreal owns Lancome......and almost everything else under the sun :) Go on their website and check out how many companies they own, it's amazing.

 

I am a big fan of Loreal's Double Extend tube mascara, it coats each lash into a tube that washes off easily with warm water.

 

I have just been introduced to Urban Decay's brightening primer... I think I like it but have noticed my face breaking out ...which is usually unheard of.

 

What makes a primer work???

Seriously, most of the cosmetics companies are owned by either L'Oreal or Estee Lauder :p

I'm a huge fan of Laura Mercier's oil-free primer from Sephora. Not sure what makes it work, but my makeup doesn't budge. Of course, I also use Urban Decay's All Nighter Spray.

I have seen them in certain drugstores too. Do they come sized?

Yes, they do, based on calf width.

I struggle with this same problem. I just got back from Hong Kong. A friend suggested I wear compression socks for the LONG flight (16 hours from Chicago O'Hare to Hong Kong; luckily I was in business class). I was fine the first couple days, then the swelling started. Ugh! I'm sure it's the sodium in the food...I rarely eat out at home. Anyways, I put on the compression socks for the flight home. When I got home last night and took off the socks, my calves, ankles, and feet were normal size! Yay! Going forward, I'm going to sleep with these things on. I'm only 33, so I refuse to wear them when I'm out and about (and I want to wear cute open toe shoes), but in the cabin, I'm cool with wearing the compression socks. I bought mine at a running store for $45.

Brooke, I am so impressed with your perseverance. And good for you for getting a trainer...I know hiring one made all the difference for me. One tip that he gave me is to eat more protein. He suggested 100 g a day (I was 150 at my heaviest) on days I worked out. Once I made this change, the weight fell off. I lost 18 pounds in 10 weeks. You're doing great though...keep up the good work!

PS...I see I got off the Freedom the same day you got on. My mom and I are doing a cruise a month from today...can't wait! Enjoy your cruise!

Brooke, congrats on the 2 pounds! You're doing fantastic :)

So, I got home too late to see The Biggest Loser. What were some of the tips they gave for eating out? I'm getting nervous because my busy travel season is starting at the end of the month...business trips at the end of the month, cruise Nov 1-8, Thanksgiving, then I'm gone most of Dec on business trips. I DO NOT want to undo what I've done.

I don't post often here and have a lot to offer. I lost 80 lbs and WW in 1 1/2 yrs and have 25-30 to go 'til goal. There are great thing about WW and not so great things too but won't get into them here unless you want me to expound on them. ;)

 

As for Activity Points (Exercise Points), with the new Momentum plan that went into effect last December, they are used after all your Weekly points are depleted and carry over for the week as Brooke stated. Previously, they were use them or lose them per day.

 

If you have any questions or want any specific advice, ask away!

Thanks for the clarification. I haven't really taken to Momentum, and I continue to follow the old Flex plan because it's worked for me.

I'm trying to be helpful here as a successful WW loser. The key to success, in my opinion, is planning ahead. I write out my whole day with 2-3 points left so I can have a piece of candy or whatever. I bring a lot of food with me when I go to work.

I just looked at my points scale, and it says that you'd be earning 5 exercise points if you do 20 minutes, not 8. You're not supposed to carry over the points from day to day...it's use 'em or lose 'em the day you exercise. I was also told to not use more than 4 exercise points, even if you earn more. I don't necessarily agree with this...I do 2 hours of high intensity exercise daily (burning 900-1200 calories according to my heart rate monitor), so I need to eat more.

I lost 16 pounds in 2 months following WW, and I've been maintaining for the past 5 weeks. My cruise is in 5 weeks...I can't wait. I am a little concerned because I do a decent amount of business travel in Oct, cruise and Thanksgiving in Nov, and am gone on business the first 3 weeks of December.

Brooke,

The appeal of Weight Watchers and the reason people are able to stick to it is because it allows you the flexibility to have the occasional splurge/bad decision. You had the points, you chose to use them on pizza. Nothing wrong with that. You used some of your flex points - fine, they give you the flex points for a reason. This isn't a diet - it's a lifestyle change. With the lifestyle change, you can still enjoy your favorite foods in moderation. My mom lost 40 pounds on WW. She went to McDonald's today and had a small hamburger and small fry for 10 points. To compensate, she was having 1 point soup and half a sandwich for dinner. Her craving was satisfied, and she made a smart decision. I've been following WW for 8 weeks now and have lost 13 pounds. Saturday is my weigh-in day and splurge day. You have to do it occasionally or you'll go insane! Don't beat yourself up, just get back on the horse the next day :)

CHI..OMG..How ARE you ? I was just thinknig about us gals from Brenda's thread! Hope you are well...Menina

I guess that thread is pretty much dead, huh? I've been well. Things didn't work out with that guy from college. We tried, but it just isn't happening. Glad we tried it though. Since we broke up in college, I always wondered "what if." Now I know. I have a new guy I have my eyes on. I'm also working out with a trainer that's very nice eye candy :) How have you been?

Hi ladies! I too have been reading this, and I've been reluctant to say anything because I don't have much to lose. I've lost 9 and want to lose 7 more. However, that doesn't mean I don't struggle. A year ago I weighed what I'm trying to get to. I spent 3 months losing that weight, and then work travels, a stressful family situation, etc, got in the way, and I gained back a good portion of the weight I lost. I'm 5'4" and my heaviest was 157, I got to 135, got back up to 151, and I'm currently at 142. My goal is to get to 135 again. I follow Weight Watchers, and I work out about 10 hours a week. A person in my range would normally get 20 points a day, but because I work out so much, I would consume about 24 points a day. I reached a plateau, and the leader said because work out so much (1.5-2 hours at HIGH intensity) I needed to INCREASE my food intake. She recommending increasing to 26 points a day. In a week of doing this, I dropped 3 pounds! I'm working out with a trainer that said those extra points should be in the form of protein. My point is, sometimes you have to eat more. I know we all want to lose and lose NOW, but you can't starve your body - you still need to eat. Kimmer1, I added up your calories, and you're only consuming 1245 calories a day. Maybe add 100 or so calories and see what happens? I know the typical calorie range for losing weight is 1200-1500, but everybody is different. I consumed 1500-1600 calories each day this week and lost. When I get done losing, I have to continue to eat the way I have been, or else I will gain it back. This is how I have to eat. When I eat this way, I stay thing; when I get sidetracked, I gain.

For those of you that cook and are looking for a yummy, healthy, quick meal, I offer this recipe. It would be 5-6 points depending on the size of the chicken breast. The recipe serves 4, but since I live by myself, I divide it in quarters...very easy.

4 boneless chicken breasts

4 teaspoons sesame seeds

1 teaspoon paprika

4 teaspoons butter/margarine, divided

2 cups Corn Flakes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In plastic bag, crush Corn Flakes. Add sesame seeds and paprika. Add chicken and shake to coat (some people might want to dip the breasts in milk first). Place coated breasts on baking sheet and add 1 tsp margarine to each breast. Bake for 20 minutes; salt and pepper to taste.

You might be tempted to skip the margarine to save the calories (or at least I was), but it tastes soooo much better when you put it on.

OFFICIAL CRUISE CRITIC PLATINUM CRUISERS

01 CRUZN BUCKEYE - OHIO

02 Icarrythebags - Ohio

03 CrazyAboutCruising- New York

04 bbiggar-Wisconsin

05 Cotton

06 VoyagerFL - Florida (via Indiana)

07 Tom-n-Cheryl - FLORIDA

08 Nautical but Nice - Missouri

09 Elaine515 - Florida

10 LHP and family - Memphis

11 Ladyspoilt and family - Tennessee

12 Cruiser64-Florida

13 Beach4me - South Carolina

14 YesitDonna - Massachusetts

15 RICHFRET - Florida

16 JBHCW-Jane-North Carolina

17 BARBARA J.W KENTUCKY

18 MrPete - New York

19 Doug910 - Florida

20 GottaLuvCruising - Florida

21 Mich6674 - Florida

22 Luv's Crusin' BJW North Carolina

23 JJudy-Michigan

24 burtonsgigi - Fort Mill, SC

25 Cruisedogs2 - Yorktown, VA

26 OBX_FIN and obx_fintoo - Virginia

27 ahoys-only one ahoy--Kathy from Florida

28 ILuvCarnival - Cleveland, Ohio

29 crusinsusan - PA

30 gator bait - Florida

31 jlcga - Florida

32 dls - California

33 Blueocean and husband - Ohio

34 Ronath - Louisiana

35 Mosel - Florida

35 MILEMRKR63- HARVEY CEDARS, NJ

37 PeterV - London United Kingdom

38 bthorn1108 - Florida (by way of Massachusetts)

39 Mike/Cheryl - Omaha, NE

40 Suzys - New Jersey

41 PSRCPA - Florida

42 Host Graham - Rochester, NY

43 CoCoNut Willie- Texas

44 Grouchpuss - Arizona

45 pam7553 - Illinois

46 molme-Georgia

47 meltla (Tommy) New Orleans, LA

48 bonniemari - Tennessee

49 cruzinsteve - Texas

50 jy148 - New Jersey

51 cld1225-Virginia

52 Carnivalkim-Georgia

53 rburns44-Ohio

54 Karter - Florida

55 Birdiegirl - Minnesota

56 Emtnmare - Minnesota

57 mamawg- Blue Springs, Missouri

58 Diane F and Jerry - California

59 rpsinnj - New Jersey

60 gymbrat33 - Florida

61 bonstersd - California

62 Bea2002- Florida

63 Sandgnat- Geogia

64 Cjm61 - New York

65 Kstrickman - Maryland

66 rwdtgt - Florida

67 Louisiana Joe and Family

68 earlethepearl

69 Litewait ( plus dd 21, & ds 15) San Diego, Ca

70 Quickrate- Florida

71 sk8rpatty - California

72 shortstop95 (jane & luke) delaware

73 SCUBA Mark - Texas

74 dotshub- Larry & Doris - Florida

75 woodi- Oklahoma

76 volman and kipmom - Tennessee

77 Bases5 Florida

78 Lv2camp&cruise- Chris and Kim, Tennessee

79 KenMo & DH - Missouri

80 smarks & DH oldfart - GA.

81 Floatway and Hubby - Friendswood, Texas

82 Luv2cruz44 - Redding, CA

83 Stircrzy - Texas

84 irishgirl - Michigan

85 Candigirl41 - So. CA

86 luv2cruise777l - So Ca.

87 Cruise from NY

88 Joel (Cruzman), LA (Lower Alabama)

89 Amanda, also from Lower Alabama

90 75Vette - Missouri

91 Yogi2929 - San Bernardino County, CA

92 JaguarGirl - Jacksonville, Florida

93 vettebuf - Elaine and Frank and Jon, Sicklerville, NJ

94 airmanship - Arkansas

95 *Luv2Cruise*- New York

96 Flynlo - Oklahoma

97 cruisergirl2002 - Indiana

98. Deaf Dude - New Orlean

99. Dan40&Barb-Florida

100. G'ma-Voorhees NJ

101. JMW / MJW MB SC

102. MelBCroozer - Covington, LA

103 Shawnie - Canada

104. Mikel1733 & Sally - Nebraska

105. DarthGrady- Florida

106. Southbayer - So Calif

107. pmc7704 - Florida

108. MarylandLady - Maryland

109. Smoofdaddy and Mama Linda - Tennessee

110. FunShipFan - New York

111. mek - Ohio

112.S.S. Oceanlover - PA

113. Cbcruiser - San Diego, CA

114. CWcruisers - San Diego, CA

115. MDR Cali Cruisers - SoCal

116. DGP1111 - Florida

117. Crazycath - SoCal

118.M&J-Florida

119 keene state mom New Hampshire

120. Bigboataddict - E. TX

121. nowendy - Marrero, LA

122. Chigirlcruzin - Chicago

Trying a third time...somebody posted at the same time nowendy posted as well as when I posted, so we dropped off...adding us both back in :)

OFFICIAL CRUISE CRITIC PLATINUM CRUISERS

01 CRUZN BUCKEYE - OHIO

02 Icarrythebags - Ohio

03 CrazyAboutCruising- New York

04 bbiggar-Wisconsin

05 Cotton

06 VoyagerFL - Florida (via Indiana)

07 Tom-n-Cheryl - FLORIDA

08 Nautical but Nice - Missouri

09 Elaine515 - Florida

10 LHP and family - Memphis

11 Ladyspoilt and family - Tennessee

12 Cruiser64-Florida

13 Beach4me - South Carolina

14 YesitDonna - Massachusetts

15 RICHFRET - Florida

16 JBHCW-Jane-North Carolina

17 BARBARA J.W KENTUCKY

18 MrPete - New York

19 Doug910 - Florida

20 GottaLuvCruising - Florida

21 Mich6674 - Florida

22 Luv's Crusin' BJW North Carolina

23 JJudy-Michigan

24 burtonsgigi - Fort Mill, SC

25 Cruisedogs2 - Yorktown, VA

26 OBX_FIN and obx_fintoo - Virginia

27 ahoys-only one ahoy--Kathy from Florida

28 ILuvCarnival - Cleveland, Ohio

29 crusinsusan - PA

30 gator bait - Florida

31 jlcga - Florida

32 dls - California

33 Blueocean and husband - Ohio

34 Ronath - Louisiana

35 Mosel - Florida

35 MILEMRKR63- HARVEY CEDARS, NJ

37 PeterV - London United Kingdom

38 bthorn1108 - Florida (by way of Massachusetts)

39 Mike/Cheryl - Omaha, NE

40 Suzys - New Jersey

41 PSRCPA - Florida

42 Host Graham - Rochester, NY

43 CoCoNut Willie- Texas

44 Grouchpuss - Arizona

45 pam7553 - Illinois

46 molme-Georgia

47 meltla (Tommy) New Orleans, LA

48 bonniemari - Tennessee

49 cruzinsteve - Texas

50 jy148 - New Jersey

51 cld1225-Virginia

52 Carnivalkim-Georgia

53 rburns44-Ohio

54 Karter - Florida

55 Birdiegirl - Minnesota

56 Emtnmare - Minnesota

57 mamawg- Blue Springs, Missouri

58 Diane F and Jerry - California

59 rpsinnj - New Jersey

60 gymbrat33 - Florida

61 bonstersd - California

62 Bea2002- Florida

63 Sandgnat- Geogia

64 Cjm61 - New York

65 Kstrickman - Maryland

66 rwdtgt - Florida

67 Louisiana Joe and Family

68 earlethepearl

69 Litewait ( plus dd 21, & ds 15) San Diego, Ca

70 Quickrate- Florida

71 sk8rpatty - California

72 shortstop95 (jane & luke) delaware

73 SCUBA Mark - Texas

74 dotshub- Larry & Doris - Florida

75 woodi- Oklahoma

76 volman and kipmom - Tennessee

77 Bases5 Florida

78 Lv2camp&cruise- Chris and Kim, Tennessee

79 KenMo & DH - Missouri

80 smarks & DH oldfart - GA.

81 Floatway and Hubby - Friendswood, Texas

82 Luv2cruz44 - Redding, CA

83 Stircrzy - Texas (some of us got left off in an earlier posting)

84 irishgirl - Michigan

85 Candigirl41 - So. CA (2nd try)

86 luv2cruise777l - So Ca.

87 Cruise from NY

88 Joel (Cruzman), LA (Lower Alabama)

89 Amanda, also from Lower Alabama

90 75Vette - Missouri

91 Yogi2929 - San Bernardino County, CA

92 JaguarGirl - Jacksonville, Florida

93 vettebuf - Elaine and Frank and Jon, Sicklerville, NJ

94 airmanship - Arkansas

95 *Luv2Cruise*- New York

96 Flynlo - Oklahoma

97 cruisergirl2002 - Indiana

98. Deaf Dude - New Orlean

99. Dan40&Barb-Florida

100. G'ma-Voorhees NJ

101. JMW / MJW MB SC

102. MelBCroozer - Covington, LA

103 Shawnie - Canada

104. Mikel1733 & Sally - Nebraska

105. DarthGrady- Florida

106. Southbayer - So Calif

107. pmc7704 - Florida

108. nowendy - Marrero, LA

109. Chigirlcruzin - Chicago

never mind

01 CRUZN BUCKEYE - 0HIO

02 Icarrythebags - Ohio

03 CrazyAboutCruising- New York

04 bbiggar-Wisconsin

05 Cotton

06 VoyagerFL - Florida (via Indiana)

07 Tom-n-Cheryl - FLORIDA

08 Nautical but Nice - Missouri

09 Elaine515 - Florida

10 LHP and family - Memphis

11 Ladyspoilt and family - Tennessee

12 Cruiser64-Florida

13 Beach4me - South Carolina

14 YesitDonna - Massachusetts

15 RICHFRET - Florida

16 JBHCW-Jane-North Carolina

17 BARBARA J.W KENTUCKY

18 MrPete - New York

19 Doug910 - Florida

20 GottaLuvCruising - Florida

21 Mich6674 - Florida

22 Luv's Crusin' BJW North Carolina

23 JJudy-Michigan

24 burtonsgigi - Fort Mill, SC

25 Cruisedogs2 - Yorktown, VA

26 OBX_FIN and obx_fintoo - Virginia

27 ahoys-only one ahoy--Kathy from Florida

28 ILuvCarnival - Cleveland, Ohio

29 crusinsusan - PA

30 gator bait - Florida

31 jlcga - Florida

32 dls - California

33 Blueocean and husband - Ohio

34 Ronath - Louisiana

35 Mosel - Florida

35 MILEMRKR63- HARVEY CEDARS, NJ

37 PeterV - London United Kingdom

38 bthorn1108 - Florida (by way of Massachusetts)

39 Mike/Cheryl - Omaha, NE

40 Suzys - New Jersey

41 PSRCPA - Florida

42 Host Graham - Rochester, NY

43 CoCoNut Willie- Texas

44 Grouchpuss - Arizona

45 pam7553 - Illinois

46 molme-Georgia

47 meltla (Tommy) New Orleans, LA

48 bonniemari - Tennessee

49 cruzinsteve - Texas

50 jy148 - New Jersey

51 cld1225-Virginia

52 Carnivalkim-Georgia

53 rburns44-Ohio

54 Karter - Florida

55 Birdiegirl - Minnesota

56 Emtnmare - Minnesota

57 mamawg- Blue Springs, Missouri

58 Diane F and Jerry - California

59 rpsinnj - New Jersey

60 gymbrat33 - Florida

61 bonstersd - California

62 Bea2002- Florida

63 Sandgnat- Geogia

64 Cjm61 - New York

65 Kstrickman - Maryland

66 rwdtgt - Florida

67 Louisiana Joe and Family

68 earlethepearl

69 Litewait ( plus dd 21, & ds 15) San Diego, Ca

70 Quickrate- Florida

71 sk8rpatty - California

72 shortstop95 (jane & luke) delaware

73 SCUBA Mark - Texas

74 dotshub- Larry & Doris - Florida

75 woodi- Oklahoma

76 volman and kipmom - Tennessee

77 Bases5 Florida

78 Lv2camp&cruise- Chris and Kim, Tennessee

79 Chigirlcruzin - Chicago, IL

LOL! You can bring SPAM if you really want to. I would be curious to have this drink recipe though...

Yes, but I doubt you'll want to go to the DR that night since you'll miss the game!

We were on the Celebration in '95 when the ship caught fire...what an experience. Carnival was great...refunded the air and cruise and gave us a future free cruise which we took on the Jubilee the following year.:D

While I was upset that my cruise was cancelled, I was just so grateful that I was not on the ship when the fire happened! That had to be some experience...floating around with no AC, electricity, etc. I knew Carnival made good on it. We got a lot of perks on our Imagination cruise too - much more free alcohol than normal, OBC - due to the issue.

That was my first cruise in 1995. My parents took me on a cruise for my HS graduation. We went to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. Just curious.

I also graduated rom HS in 95. I was supposed to go on Celebration on 6/24/95 with my 2 best friends. The Wed (I think) before we're supposed to leave, I see the Celebration on the news - there's been a fire!:eek: Carnival cancelled my cruise, but they sent the Imagination out a week early. Since it was a bigger ship, they were able to accommodate some pax from my original sailing, and we got on! As you can see from my signature, I still got on the Celebration, post-fire refurb.

I don't have pics, but I stayed in 4133. It was situated between 2 lifeboats, so I could look out to the water. It was really nice to have the window and natural light when I paid for an inside.

As for the dress code - days are casual. Most wear a bathing suit with shorts and t or a sundress over it. Evenings are dressier, but still casual. You'll see everything from sundresses to capris, jeans, and shorts. Despite all the racket you may read here, the vast majority of people do adhere to the dress code.

I am thinking this would not be a problem since it would not be infecting anyone else. I get blood transfusions every 6 month and I would assume all is well, except my husband was with me and I usaly get blood from him or my parents.

 

I wish I would have read this. Now I have questions!

You should still be OK. You're the recipient, not the donor:) To not give you a needed transfusion would be negligence.

I believe if you want to donate for yourself in the event of surgery, no problems since it would be earmarked for you and could be disposed of afterwards if not needed. I think the same thing applies if a relative wants to donate specifically for you. The restriction only applies when it's going to the general blood bank.

Just got off today. Have to agree with K&DW about Chris Jefferson the CD. He was incredibly personable. Funny story about Becka. There was a guest on board that was on his 37th cruise. He's one of those guys that is always "on" (do you know what I mean?). Anyhow, the entertainment staff had a Q&A yesterday. The guest on his 37th cruise had a question, and Becka leaned over to Chris and said "Oh no, not this ***** again." It wasn't in the mic, but I heard her. Oops.

Back on topic - A few things - you'll be sailing from the new Miami terminal. When they start to board, there will be a rush of people; it isn't very orderly. Be prepared to wait in line a lot during embarkation and debarkation. Customs at Miami has become very stringent. Because of the new terminal, you will be assessed a $1.28 per person charge on your sail & sign. Cornhole tournament is very popular. If you want to play, get there early. Scarlett's is phenomenal - don't miss it - well worth the $30. Aft pool has a sliding dome if it rains. There are plenty of chairs available on deck - chair hogging is not necessary.

I wrote a very detailed review about my cruise. Check it out.

Yor response reflects EXACTLY why passports should be obtained! If the passport was "in hand" when you didn't think you needed it, it wouldn't have been a problem, would it. Deals come up unexpectedly at times, and passports in hand allows you to get in on that deal with no stress.

My parents have never travelled outside the country. Our cruise in Oct will be the first time. They were supposed to get passports a couple years ago just in case they saw a good deal? I don't think so. That's a complete waste of money. They did get their passports yesterday.

I have heard on these boards as well as an article in our local paper that the cost for a passport is going to go up "significantly" this March. So you might want to get one sooner rather than later.

I read that on the boards too, and I told my family to get their passports now before the increase occurs. What are your thoughts on this increase? I think it's ridiculous that they are increasing the fee in conjunction with requiring them for trips that now longer required them, especially if the rumor is true that the fees could double. If they waited a year or two to increase the price, I think it would be easier to swallow.