Using cruise to help keep me motivated!

[alleauna]

Hi there! I love web discussion boards, but this is the first post I've made to one regarding cruising! :) My name is Shauna, I just turned 36 Sunday, and we are going on our first cruise in October of 2005 to the Bahamas via Carnival Triumph. :D Needless to say, we are EXCITED!

 

I've always said that if I had a BIG reward ahead of me, maybe that would help keep me motivated to lose weight. I have half of my body weight that I need to lose...we're talking 150 pounds or so. It is so daunting! I never had this problem until the kiddos came along and here I am 16 years later, heavier then I ever imagined I could get!

 

So! One week after knowing we are going to go on this cruise, I have lost 5 pounds so far! :D I would LOVE to keep in touch here to give one another support. My husband (and best friend) is very knowledgable. He is a health and fitness nut, though he has some pounds he'd like to shed as well. I know the details to just about every diet known to mankind. ;) Best of all, I love to help others and to offer my encouragement.

 

What I'm doing right now is jump-starting myself. I am having to get off caffiene, sugar, and all that bad stuff. I started weaning myself down to a liquid fast this past week. I use GNC's ProPerformance Pro Protein powder. It's protein/fat/carbs/calorie ratio is perfect for me. I grab a Slim-Fast if I'm on the go and don't have the time or means to mix my GNC shake.

 

This week I started supplementing breakfast with a shake and drinking it for snacks as well. The past couple days I've been able to supplement it for lunch as well as my hunger/cravings have gotten better. I hope by Monday I can begin supplementing it for all of my meals and snacks, along with veggie juices, sugar-free jello, broth, caffiene free tea/coffee drinks, sugar/fat free frozen pops, etc. I will keep my calories at 1200+ so I don't go into starvation mode and it helps ensure the weight won't come back on the minute I eat "real food"!

 

So that is what I am doing! I can hardly wait to "meet" you all and "talk" with you! I need to post some questions about cruising, but the minute I saw this forum, I knew I had to start here. :) I'm going to spend some time reading today to try to get to know you!

 

Shauna

[BuilderMan]

Welcome to the boards Shauna! And welcome to the wonderful, addictive, world of cruising!!

 

You'll find some great motivation here for sure. We're here for you anytime you need to vent, inquire, or celebrate! :D We're all here to help each other anyway we can!

 

Thursdays we do a "weigh-in". You don't need to post your actual weight, but rather, just whether you lost, gained or stayed the same.

 

We're all doing different WOE's here. Whatever works for each one of us is what we do. Some have great success on one particular plan and others don't do so well. The key is to find what not only works for YOU, but what type of plan you can live with forever.

 

Sounds like you're off to a great start! We look forward to chatting with you!

 

Lynn

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Hi Shauna, I only usually frequent this board on Thursdays but I just want to say HI, I know you can do it. I know it sounds like a lot but just take small steps at a time. Don't get upset when after several weeks of big loss that suddenly you cannot drop a pounds. It can be done. I have lost 40 ponds since January 1st I still want to loose another 17 pounds. The really tough part will be maintaining:eek: I have found exercise is the best thing but start out slow. I now do at least a 30 minute work out every morning then evey night after work swim for at least 20 minutes.

 

Good Luck

[JennyT]

Hi Shauna,

 

How exciting for you to have booked your first cruise!

 

I too am needing to "halve" myself... I need to lose about 160 lbs. It is pretty daunting. My DH and I are doing the South Beach diet. I'm down 35 lbs in 8 weeks. It had been coming off pretty quickly at first, but has slowed way down - still showing a loss each week though!

 

I just wanted to say congratulations, and to let you know that you're certainly not alone out there!

 

Good luck!

[pbinn]

good luck to you..and congratulations on booking your cruise. I have booked my first one for 11/2005 . I lost about 35 pounds 3 years ago..kept most of it off but have put almost 10 back on. I need to lose about 15 now before my cruise . My hubbie and i cut back the carbs and it was the only thing that worked for me. Snacked on sugar free ice and fudge pops and cut out the pretzels and popcorn. I have started to excercise recently and thought the cruse would motivate me as well. Good luck to you and happy cruising!!!

[indiaksue]

Welcome Shauna,

 

I too have found a wonderful home here. I will be taking my first cruise in January, and have been coming to these boards for 8 months. Only about 6 weeks ago did I check out this one. What an unfortunate mistake for me, because I have found such a great support here for weight loss. I need to lose around 80 lbs, but I decided to break it up into smaller goals. This way I don't feel overwhelmed.

 

I have had great success by making the comittment to feel better, not look better. I feel so much better and have great energy. Sometimes I think I am healthier than my DH who doesn't have a weight problem, but doesn't eat right at all.

 

Just remember that there are lots of people here who share the same problems, and we are always here for you.

 

Angie

[alleauna]

Thank you for the warm welcome!

 

Lynn, Yes, I’m really thinking cruising is going to be an addiction for us! :p I’m really looking forward to participating in the weigh-in on Thursdays. Relief it is that I don’t *have* to post my weight! ;)

 

Lisa, Congratulations on your weight loss thus far and thank you for the encouragement. :) I’ll look forward to “seeing” you on Thursdays! Not much longer and you’ll be cruising in November. Bet you’re really anxious!

 

Jenny, Congratulations on your loss and how awesome you are still losing consistently! I can hardly wait until I am down 35 pounds. I haven’t been down that much for well over 5 years now. Keep up the great work!

 

Pbinn, I’m glad to see we aren’t the only ones having to wait a long while for our first cruise. I know you have to feel like me in that next fall is going to take forever to get here now! :cool: I just look at it as more time to get down to the weight I want to be. You’ll have more than enough time to lose that 15! Good luck!

 

Angie, I’m encouraged in your positive comments about the forum here. How are your smaller goals coming along? I have actually done the same thing with my first goal being very much in reach so as not to get discouraged. I thought of my favorite Dr. Phil quote when reading your feelings about wanting to feel better, not look better…

 

~Your "get-real" weight has little to do with numbers on a scale or other device. It means:

You like your body and live in it with pride

You are happy and truly at peace with your size.

You accept your God-given uniqueness.

You like what you see in the mirror every day.

You focus your attention on living well, rather than looking good.

So, lovingly accept yourself, your natural body frame, your height, your bone structure, your entire genetic makeup — and set your sights on goals that match these factual realities, goals that you can realistically achieve. There is an optimal you, but it can only come from getting real about yourself and setting realistic expectations for success, so that you can become a "supermodel" or "superstar" in your own life, on your own terms, and according to your own standards of fitness.~

 

Isn’t that awesome?! It’s my motto! :D Thanks again, everyone! Really looking forward to celebrating with you as I lose before our cruise!

 

Shauna

[JR_Janet]

Thanks for your story. Isn't it great to come to a place and share and receive the motivation needed to go on. I just love hearing all the success stories. I used to get WW magazine just so I could be motivated by the successes. But WoW, the successes in this group are phenomenal. I'm new to the board this week and already finding it such a help. I "got serious" and started my present diet and exercise program on March 11. I have lost 24 lbs. and hope to lose another 16 before our cruise in November and another 20 after that. It is slow going but this time I'm really doing it. You can too. Let's all hang in there together. Janet

[pbinn]

Ok..now for the motivation!! I got The Firm in the mail today with the step and bar. Now all i have to do is actually get up and do it. I know i should get up early in the morning..but im so not a morning person. Maybe if i buy a bathing suit in a smaller size and hang it up like in that commercial..haha

[ElaineB2]

I've had a difficult time since we returned from our Alaskan cruise on 6/27 getting motivated again to lose and watch what I eat. I feel sort of depressed that we have no cruises booked. Thinking about and tossing around different ideas but nothing concrete. I also think it will be awhile before we do book anything. (Expensive year ahead of us! Son graduating from highschool, etc.) I did just give myself a pep talk this morning that I need to get motivated again so I started keeping a food diary. I've always struggled with weight and have found that about 10 lbs. per year keeps creeping up on me over the past few years. I'm 41 and finding it more and more difficult to lose. When I got serious in Jan of this year, I was at my all time high but that was a 15 lbs. gain from quitting smoking in Oct. That came off relatively quickly (from about end of Jan. until end of Feb.) Now the scale fluctuates up and down a couple of pounds. I just can't seem to get serious about losing more. Overall, I'd like to lose a total of about 30 lbs. - would love about 45 but realistically I don't see myself being able to do that. I had been walking pretty regularly during the spring but now it's so hot and humid that I can't bring myself to do it. Keep telling myself that I could go to the mall, but I guess it's just laziness. For this pledge that is going now, the Thurs. weigh-ins, I pledged to lose 10 lbs. - so far it goes like this - the first weigh in I was down a couple, then we cruised, ever since then, my weight has been yo-yo ing up and down a couple of lbs. Can't seem to break from the original weight that I started with on our first weigh in of 6/17.

 

Sorry all that I babbled on so much. It really does help me to write about my struggles from time to time - even if it gets so long winded that no one reads it!!!

 

Good luck to you Shauna and welcome! You are going to love cruising. We have only been on 2 cruises, our most recent to Alaska, and I am addicted!