11 weeks out and on a Norweigan cruise....

[jjmcrash218 94]

I was sleeved on 1/20/15. To date I have lost some 48 lbs in the 11 weeks since my operation. I hope this will inspire some of you that this operation is not something that will handicap you but will actually free you to a much more enjoyable side of life.

One of the things my wife and I enjoy is cruising. Pre sleeve it was all about the food and the beer. Life has changed now as my 2XL body is just now adjusting to a “lumpy” but comfortable “L” size. My eating habits have become healthier and less the big part of my day. The thing is…. I couldn’t in all fairness to my wife stop vacationing (my wife is not overweight). Veterans of 23 prior cruises over the past 16 years, I had to see if it was possible, and as soon as possible. We booked a cruise on NCL Sun out of Tampa to coincide with my transition into stage 5 (solid foods). I learned a lot this week. And I like what I learned. BTW it was the best cruise ever. No alcohol, small portions…. I had my doubts. But I stuck to the plan. It was easy and doable. Here is what I learned, how I coped, what I did, how I ate and how I did weight wise.

1. I decided on day one that everything I ate would be quality….no bread or Pasta. I ate steak, shrimp, chicken or pork for lunch or dinner, no sandwiches , no sweets… I want to emphasize that there are and to my surprise always were good options on every buffet…..especially for sleevers!

2. Breakfast everyday was eggs, cottage cheese (yes the had it) and if I had room a little yogurt. After which we sent for coffee from room service to enjoy later on the balcony.

3. My day started on deck six everyday with my wife ….which has an open air walking track (on most boats ) for 8 to 10,000 steps….about an hour of leisurely walking. By day 3 I was actually jogging small stretches of the track.

4. Dinner every night was a small bite of an appetizer or a few bites of salad and about half the portion of meat. No dessert, instead I would treat myself to a single espresso after my wife finished her dessert

5. I drank ice Water, skim milk and occasionally made myself an ice coffee in my waterbottle everyday.

6. I drank no….yes zero alcohol!!! It did not bother me a bit. My wife did drink and I got all the exercise going to the bar for her….lol

7. At night we took in as much of the activities and shows as possible.

8. Late night occasionally we would get a small bite at the late night buffet. Most nights.

9. I challenged myself to do a shore tour ( I never liked doing things because of my weight ) We did cave tubing in Belize and snorkeling in Roatan Honduras. Which is “not” like me.

10. I think the toughest thing on the cruise is the looks the waiters give you when you don’t finish your meal….I got a lot of…. “you no like? I bring you something else?” I gave a simple “I’m fine…it was delicious!” which works everytime.

11. I think my smartest idea was though to bring a nice water bottle… it was very handy.

12. I bought a new T-shirt in every port in my new size “L” That was a great feeling.

So what was the end result? I was never hungry, slept great, ate some tasty things, met a goal of at least 10k steps every day and still lost 3.2 lbs. It was the first cruise that I actually fit in the clothes that I came on the boat in. I hope this blog encourages you to get out there……but you have to follow the plan and be strong enough to stick to it. It wasn’t hard at all.

LOVING MY SLEEVED LIFE

John M

[liannatx 897]

Great post! I love your outlook, and congrats for having a great time and staying on plan! Imagine, actually losing weight on a cruise!

[miller1109 116]

I am at goal...and going on a cruise in January. Can't wait. Thanks for the tips, they will certainly help me maintain.

Edited April 6, 2015 by miller1109

[heftyhoosier 30]

Great post! Very inspiring! I'm going to the beach next month and I wonder what it will be like without alcohol. Your post made me feel better.

[Mistie 201]

Thanks for the info, John! I'm an avid cruiser (28ish), and that's one thing I have worried about. I'm actually trying to figure out how to schedule surgery given my cruising schedule It's nice to know that you were cruising comfortably so soon after surgery, however!

[AlanaRN 419]

Enjoyed reading this! Congrats!

[MamaBiv 6]

Thank you for posting this. We also have a cruise scheduled for 11 weeks after my surgery. I was very concerned about where I would be by that time. This is very helpful information.

[Deerfield 7]

Thanks for posting this. My husband & I love cruising. We went on one end of Feb & my surgery was this past Monday. I'm looking forward to our next one whenever that is & your post certainly helped give me some ideas.

[missheidi47 127]

Thank you for the info. I have cruised a couple of times in the past, but am scheduled for a dream Alaskan cruise in August. I will be almost 5 months out by then, but I was wondering about the challenge of the food. I'm planning to bring along some Protein Powder and bars just in case, and my water bottle.< /p>

[Hauergirl 15]

That is so awesome! Thank you for sharing!

[pixieredhead 79]

I love this post! Me and my husband are going on an Alaskan cruise in July, I'll be 15 weeks out. These are some great tips! I am genuinely happy for you to have had such a wonderful trip!

[PMJ 55]

Great account, that picture says it all…living the dream, I could smell the tropical air. Thank you so much for sharing!

[Thankfulmomof3 41]

John thank you so much for posting this!! My kids and I are going on our FIRST cruise ever this October on the Disney Dream to the Bahamas and I was wondering how it was going to be food-wise with my sleeve (I will be almost 8 mos post-op when we go). I have gone to Disney's cruise website and it looks like they will have a lot of bariatric friendly options! Your post just gave me that much more reassurance!

[notjustanotherdiet 1]

Thanks for your post! Leaving on a cruise in 12 days and I was nervous! No More I CAN do this!!

[Chrystee 838]

Pre-surgery, my gf and I went on a cruise.. I actually lost 10 pounds.. we worked out in the morning.. ate healthy, small meals, and stayed up all night dancing! Had a blast!