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How to gain weight on a cruise:

Step 1: Eat whatever you want
Step 2: Don’t go to the gym (nope, not even once)
Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2

Learning how to lose weight I’m still trying to get down, but knowing how to gain weight, I’ve got that in the bag.

Recently my family and I went on a 7 day cruise to the Bahamas. While I’ve been doing great in my weight loss journey I was dreading have less control over my food options and more access to those tempting, carb laden meals. Of course, my cruise did offer a variety of fresh fruit and a salad bar at just about every meal but with the variety of other options I gave in.

I found it very difficult to say no to 24 hour pizza, free room service and self serve ice cream along with other delectable favorites such as a daily Asian buffet, carving stations, chocolate fountains, and a full dessert area. I don’t even like sugary foods but with delectable treats such as chocolate melting cake, crème brulee, and tiramisu, it was hard not to take just a bite of just a few.

One thing that I love about cruising is that all of your meals and most entertainment are all included in one price.  I mean who doesn’t love have someone cook you meal after meal and best of all there being no clean up.  Unfortunately, enjoying it too much and having the mentality of “well I already paid for it” can be a huge downfall.

Attempting to eat the price you paid for your cruise (believe me, I tried) will cause you to not only overeat but you will also find yourself eating items that you would never eat at home. I mean seriously, I was eating things I wouldn’t of eaten at my highest weight.  So, instead of focusing on all the “paid for” healthy options I focused too much on the “paid for” unhealthy options.

One thing I did notice about eating all this “yummy” food was how I felt towards the end of the week.  Ughhh….  I was bloated and sluggish and couldn’t wait to get back to the gym and my regular eating habits.

So where am I now?  A week after returning, I’m happy to share that while I still have all the happy memories of my cruise I no longer have the many pounds that I put on.  After a week of healthy eating I’ve lost all the weight (and it was a lot!) that I gained on the cruise and I’m back on track.

If you’ve gotten off track, jump back on board! Don’t let your past mistakes determine your future goals!

Chubby, chunky, fat, pleasantly plump…call it what you want but these terms are something I no longer want to be.

I haven’t always been overweight.  I remember the days of being thin (thinking I was fat) and blending into the crowd.  OK, perhaps I’m a little too boisterous to blend but I definitely looked more like others in the room.  During those days, I never worried if a chair would hold me, didn’t worry if I’d fit on a ride, only walk by plus sized stores and overall didn’t appreciate how healthy I really was.   Once I got married, that all changed.

Of course, my weight is not my hubby’s fault, though it would be nice to blame it on someone else.  As a newlywed, I ate late at night, didn’t count calories and tried to keep up with my husband’s never ending appetite.  Unfortunately, he had an awesome metabolism, I did not.  As gaining weight often does, it crept up on me. As the seasons passed I would go up a size or two a year while always making excuses for why I was buying larger clothes.

Once we started having children, my weight only continued to go up.  I was frustrated, angry, and overwhelmed.  I was scared of the effort I would need to put in and attempted to push it to the back of my mind.  That all change this spring when my mom and I  joined Weight Watchers.  I even posted a picture on my Couponing With Rachel Facebook page in hopes of chronically my journey…eventually.

Sharing my journey takes a leap of faith because while sharing my love of coupons is fun, it’s not quite as personal as my weight.  It’s scary to put it out for the whole world to see but I’m finally peeling back the layers (figuratively and litterally 🙂 ). I hope that some of you may find strength in a normal person like me losing weight and will start a journey of your own.

So how have I done so far?  As of today, I’m down a total of 46 pounds.  I can see that 50 lb goal on the horizon and I can’t wait to get there!