SailorMarg

I'd rather not travel with my portable fan but I do strongly prefer to sleep with a fan moving the air.  Is a portable fan something our cabin steward can provide us?

A quick update.  My ketones have been back to 1.3 since yesterday so that took about 3 to 4 days of strict keto.  Not bad at all.  My weight gain is down to only 2 lbs up.  As expected I've dropped 3.3 of the water weight pounds that were added during the cruise very quickly.  
 

Most important I feel great, mentally and physically, being back to my keto cooking and eating.  I like knowing exactly what I'm eating, and I love my cooking. 
 

I'll check in one last time when I arrive at my “cruise embarkation weight”.  Let's see how many days back to keto before I'm where I started before the cruise.
 

Thanks to everyone for the kind and encouraging words.  It was fun sharing the experience with y'all.  Maybe I'll do it again on my 7 day February 2020 Vista cruise. 

I checked my weight gain this morning after 6 days of not counting calories but trying to make keto friendly choices (and choosing not to do so on Day 4 of the cruise). I gained 5.3 lbs.  Not as bad as I planned for, but not as good as I hoped for.  The good news is I anticipate dropping those pounds in as little as 2 weeks now that I'm back to strict keto (20g or less carbs per day) and counting calories (1200-1300 a day).  
 

My ketones are starting to rebound also.  Back up to 0.9 this morning after eating strict keto yesterday.  I'm hoping to be back in my goal range of 1.5-2.5 in the next couple days.

I'm satisfied with the results of my intentional eating decisions during this cruise.  I'm satisfied with the balance I chose.  
 

I'll check back one more time, when I'm back in ketosis.

I'm also happy to answer questions about the cruise, the ship, etc.

Happy sailing. 😊

Today was the final day of our 5 day cruise.  It has been a great cruise, with great weather.  We are so lucky to live only 3 hours from Galveston so these quick and easy 5 day getaways are a great thing.

Today I started the day with another sugar free vanilla latte made with heavy whipping cream.  I will miss those, but those calories are going to have to be reserved for cruises. I'm not looking forward to seeing what my weight gain has been during these 5 days of no calorie counting, but I'm okay with my decision to not count calories and am looking forward to getting back into my very satisfying eating routine at home.
 

We ate in the MDR for Sea Day Brunch around 11:30.  I ordered an omelette prepared with spinach and onion with a side order of bacon and sausage.  It was filling and tasty.

For dinner tonight we had our final early seating in the MDR and I ordered the broccoli cheese soup which was very good but in retrospect was probably not very keto friendly.  I also ordered the seafood escabeche which was fantastic.  Will order two next time!  A Caesar salad followed.  Nothing on the entree menu appealed to me so I ordered the $20 up charge surf and turf, which is a lobster tail and small filet mignon.  There was some broccoli serves with this.  It was an enjoyable meal, but I’m ready for my simpler meals at home that I'm in more control of the ingredients.

My ketones have dropped further to a pretty much non-existent, 0.1.  I think my carb heavy day yesterday is still catching up and it will be a few days back on strict keto before I get back to my normal range of 1.5 to 2.5.

I will check back in to update when I'm back in my normal range in case anyone is interested in how long it takes.  I will also update what my weight gain was on this cruise given what I've eaten.  
 

The main thing I have realized during this experience is that I don't see myself ever going back to my days of carb heavy sedating eating habits.  On a cruise or otherwise. It's so nice to go to bed every night, on a cruise, not feeling uncomfortably full.  I have found lots of great keto friendly choices that have kept me very satisfied. It has been a positive experience.  

49 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

Beneficial dietary ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis are related but very different.

 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324237.php

ShakyBeef, thanks for stepping in and trying to help others understand but I stopped making that attempt a long time ago as I realized most people choose to misunderstand.  They certainly don’t spend any time reading scientific journals that show study after study the benefits of high fat low carb eating.  If it’s someone I care about, and who cares about me, and not just some internet stranger looking for a battle, I show them my pre-keto labs and my labs after 2 months of keto which have dramatically improved. That usually gets them off their limp high horse. 

41 minutes ago, wesorbeth said:

Diabetic Ketoacidosis is life threatening your body is consuming muscle for energy in dietary ketosis your body is consuming fat for energy.  In both you may have NASTY breath though.

The bad breath thing only lasted a couple weeks for me.  Unless my husband is lying to me. 😆

Yesterday was Day 4 and we were in Progreso.  We had booked a private tour with Yucatan Cenote which I highly recommend if it is in your budget.  We toured the Uxmal Ruins, then had a swim in a private cenote where it was just us.  Lastly we had a meal that was prepared by a local family in their humble home.  I anticipated a carb heavy meal, and knew I would not refuse anything offered by the family.  So, for lunch I ate 2 small (4”?) corn tortillas which were made table side over the open fire, some puréed beans (maybe 1/4 cup), some white rice (maybe 1/2 cup), grilled pork slices (maybe 4 oz), and various condiments such as homemade salsas and onion relish.  I understood that my decision to embrace this experience would take me out of ketosis and I was okay with that.  I checked my ketone levels a few hours later and was happy to see it had only gone down to 1.3. 
 

Because we had eaten lunch so late (2:00) we didn’t want to go to the MDR for our early 6:00 seating and chose to make Steakhouse reservations instead for 8:00.  My choices there ranged from less than keto perfect to “are you kidding me” carb heavy and I relished every bite of my decision to let me ketones fall where they would.  I didn’t want to completely restrict my choices in the Steakhouse and I didn’t.  Did I order everything I would have during pre-keto days?  No.  I resisted the risotto, Mac and cheese, onion rings, etc.  What I ordered was the stuffed mushrooms which surprisingly came with a panko crust.  They were delicious and I had already decided this would be a non keto meal so I didn’t worry about the panko.  I then had the lobster bisque which also was so rich and so delicious.  I chose the Prime Cowboy Steak, rare, with garlic broccoli rabe and mushrooms as my sides.  It was a gorgeous and perfectly prepared piece of meat.  Yum!  I made the decision to order cheesecake for dessert.  I knew I was leaving ketosis for awhile and decided to make the best of it.  I ate half the piece, which was huge, and I savored every bite.  
 

So, y’all have witnessed my first conscious choice to break ketosis, and surprise!  it was on a cruise. 😆  I'm okay with that and fully anticipate going right back to full keto today and for the foreseeable future.  My ketones were 0.8 this morning and I’m interested to see how long it takes to recover from yesterday.

End of Day 3.  We had dinner in the MDR at the 6:00 seating.  I ordered the seared tuna appetizer which was extremely small but very tasty.  Then a Caesar salad.  For an entree I ordered the lamb shank and requested extra grilled cauliflower.  I love the lamb shank with its curry flavor.  I did order the sugar free dessert but limited myself to two bites.  Again, I drank about 8 ounces of champagne.  Tested my ketones about 2 hours after finishing and it was 1.2.  Not great, but I'll take it.  Especially since I rebounded to 2.2 this afternoon after having been 1.0 last night.  This frequent ketone monitoring has really been interesting.  I usually only test a few times a week. 
 

Tomorrow will be challenging because we've hired a private tour in Progreso which includes lunch at a private hacienda.  I don't know that I will have a lot of keto options as I'm imagining tortillas, beans, and rice will play a big part of the meal.  I'm bringing my snacking pecans as a back up.

53 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

SailorMarg, will you be dining in the Steakhouse on this cruise?  If so, in addition to the obvious steak (ribeye, medium rare for me), might I suggest the tuna tartare, if they still offer it?  Yummy! 

We usually do dine in the Steakhouse, at least once a cruise.  But, this cruise we are with a couple who does not want to do so.  So, it's MDR every night for the first time in awhile.  Tonight they did have a “Seared Tuna” appetizer which was nearly raw (yum!) and very tasty, although it was minuscule.  That's okay though because my calorie count is out of control compared to what I had been doing at home.  I'm not looking forward to facing the scale come Friday morning. 😬.  The good thing about Keto is I know I can lose it pretty “easily”.

Day 3 and our first port day.  Cozumel.  We reserved spots at Nachi Cocum.  Just got back.  I ordered vodka with soda and brought MÍOS to flavor it.  I brought my favorite, Blueberry lemonade...delish!  While we were there this is what I ate; wings (unbreaded and unsauced) which were okay,  seafood soup which was 80% seafood and incredibly delicious, shrimp/octopus/squid ceviche which was tasty and very fresh, and lastly I ordered a grilled grouper which was flavored with garlic butter and was so fresh and so yummy.  Just had half a Guy's burger patty with cheese topped with my favorites (same as the first day).  Just checked my ketones. 2.2!!  A successful, filling, and very satisfying day in Cozumel so far.  Not to mention the weather was perfect, the water warm, and the company excellent. 😊.  We will still go to dinner at 6:00 and see how that goes.  This keto on a cruise thing is a piece of cake.  Figuratively, of course. 😉

2 hours ago, momof3cruisers said:

There is probably a bit of sugar in the Caesar dressing too. 
 

Great job sticking to your plan!

 

may I ask what monitor you have and about how much it cost?

I paid $115 for the Keto Mojo Premium Starter Kit which included 60 ketone strips and 60 glucose strips.  I've restocked the ketone strips and they aren’t cheap.  Pretty much $1 each.  I order 50 for $50.  https://shop.keto-mojo.com/products/ketone-glucose-meter-premium-starter-kit

Today is day two of the cruise.  I did order another latte around 9AM, so broke my fast early.  We went to Sea Day Brunch around 11:00.  Steak and Eggs (filet mignon and two fried eggs) with a side of bacon.  That kept me plenty full until dinner.  

Checked my ketones this afternoon, 2.7.  Doing good.

For dinner I ordered stuffed mushrooms, Caesar salad, sea bass entree and grilled shrimp entree. Our waiter knows now to not bring any potatoes, rice, etc. on the dish and subs veggies instead. Oh, they also know to bring a couple cheese plates at the start of the meal, while ordering, instead of bread.  Yum!  We did order the sugar free dessert to each take a couple bites knowing it wasn’t keto.  Well, a couple bites turned into maybe 6 bites.  I also drank 10 ounces of champagne.  
 

I just checked my ketones.  1.0.  Yikes!  No sugar free dessert tomorrow. And maybe half the champagne.

I thought it might be interesting for those that are eating Keto to follow my Keto experience as I live it these 5 days aboard Carnival Dream.  I've been eating Keto for almost 4 months and have lost about 30 lbs.  I count my calories and macros also.  My average calorie count has been 1200-1300 a day.  I purchased a blood ketone monitor to keep track of how well I'm staying in ketosis as I learn to eat this way.  I've been firmly in ketosis pretty much the entire 4 months, after the first 4 days.  
 

I intend of eating Keto while on this cruise and have brought my ketone monitor to see how well I'm doing.  What I'm *not* doing is counting calories, so I anticipate some weight gain, and will be interested to see just how much at cruise's end.  I'll share that with y'all too.  I'll post what I'm eating and any ketone levels I monitor. 

I also intermittent fast, so no breakfast.  First meal is at 12:00 with second meal at 6:00.  Nothing between 7:00PM and 12:00PM.  So, 17 hour fast.

Yesterday we boarded and for lunch I ate two Guy's burger patties with cheese which I topped with shredded lettuce, a few tomato slices, some sliced onion, pickles, bacon, and mayo.  Chopped it up and it was delicious!

Mid afternoon I purchased a sugar free French Vanilla Latte made with heavy whipping cream.  The BEST latte I've ever had.  So good I was interested to see my ketones that evening to see if it had in fact been sugar free.

We had early dining so at 6:00 I ordered, and ate, shrimp cocktail with minimal cocktail sauce, Caesar salad, flat iron steak, creamed spinach, and shared a mahi-mahi with my husband.  All sauces were minimally consumed.  Oh, and I drank about 10 ounces of champagne I had brought aboard.

About two hours after I finished eating for the day I checked my ketones.  I want to stay 1.5 mmol/L and above.  I was right at 1.5.  Success on day one!

22 hours ago, Donoiv11 said:

 

Not sure that's true. I've used FTTF a number of times and always cut up to the front of the buffet line. 

Don't feed the troll y'all.  And if they're NOT a troll then they need even less of our attention. Move along and leave this alone.

1 hour ago, Newe08 said:

So I asked John on his FB page if people sailing out of Galveston would still be able to order Dr. Pepper on the ships and he confirmed yes!!     

My husband can breathe again. 😜

19 minutes ago, sanmarcosman said:

That's a Coke product. Maybe he can develop a taste for Mr. Pibb which is a Pepsi product. I've done it in a pinch and they both contain prune juice! 🙂 

Surprisingly, Dr. Pepper is neither a Coke nor a Pepsi product. “Dr Pepper Snapple Group is an American multinational soft drink company based in Plano, Texas, and as of July 2018 it is a business unit of the newly formed publicly traded conglomerate Keurig Dr Pepper....In the United States, Keurig Dr Pepper does not have a complete network of bottlers and distributors, so the drink is sometimes bottled under contract by Coca-Cola or Pepsi bottlers. Prior to the initial Cadbury Schweppes investment-turned-buyout, 30% of Dr Pepper/Seven Up products were produced and distributed by Pepsi bottlers, and another 30% by Coca-Cola bottlers. The remaining 40% were produced and distributed by independent bottlers (mainly consisting of Dr Pepper/Seven Up premerger regional bottlers) and the Dr Pepper/Seven Up Bottling Group. Currently, the majority of Pepsi and Coke bottlers bottling Dr Pepper are owned by PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company after their buyouts of their major bottlers. Presently, Dr Pepper Snapple relies on its own bottling group to bottle and distribute its products in more than 30 states.”

The only thing my husband wants to know, what about the Dr. Pepper?!!

We just returned from a cruise aboard Holland America's Eurodam.  After introducing themselves, the main Dining Room servers first ask if anyone has any allergies or dietary restrictions.  Every time.  The food preparation was pretty straight forward, I did not notice a processed taste.  The soups, especially the French onion soup, can be particularly salty, but that’s the case pretty much everywhere other than homemade.  Portions are small, something we like.  I'm sorry to hear about Princess.  I've wanted to try them, but now it sounds like they have gone the way of Carnival and Royal Caribbean and made their food on par with Golden Corral.

Update on Eurodam's Decorations.

We are onboard since a Sunday 12/09 and I posted above that there was not a single Christmas decoration to be seen and that we were told they would be decorating for the 12/16 cruise.

Well, last night the elves must have been very busy because we woke up to a beautifully decorated ship!  We asked in the main Dining Room this morning how long it took and we were told that with 200 people working it took all of 30 minutes!  It’s beautiful.

We boarded the Eurodam yesterday, December 9, in San Diego and there is not a single Christmas decoration to be seen anywhere.  When speaking to Guest Services on another matter we asked about this and we were told that they will be decorating for Christmas on (for?) next week's cruise which starts December 16.  That seems a little late to me.  Also, we have heard no Christmas music being played through the sound systems onboard.  No complaints here, the ship is absolutely lovely as is, I’m was just surprised that the decorating schedule isn’t fleet wide.

This is not new news.  The warning came out in January. If you are just now learning of it then that is on you.  Part of safe travel is being responsible for knowing the current state of affairs in any region you are traveling and this is no one's responsibility other than your own. Just like when I visit family in Baltimore, I will avoid areas known to be unsafe.  I imagine if the State Department issued warnings for US cities, Baltimore would rate a level 4, yet I comfortably enjoy my visits there as I will enjoy my visit to Mazatlan.  I will maintain awareness of my surroundings and follow the guidelines as set forth by the State Department.  I truly do not feel the risk is any greater in Mazatlan than it is in Baltimore.  I personally feel comfortable with the level of risk I assume in visiting areas deemed acceptably safe by the State Department for US Government employees to travel.  But that obviously is a decision to be made by each individual as the perception of risk varies greatly from person to person.  When was the last murder or kidnapping in the areas approved for US Government employees to travel within or the approved direct routes to those areas?  When was the last time a taxi driver from the cruise port kidnapped or murdered a cruiser en route to The Cathedral.  Understand your risk and decide your level of comfort with that risk.  Bon Voyage!

As for cabin 1042 specifically, there is a non-cabin space just forward of the cabin from which we have heard a LOUD roaring sound twice that lasts maybe 15 seconds. Our guess is that is has to do with a charging system for the vacu-flush toilet system (actually my engineer husband's guess). We’ve only heard it twice and it lasted just seconds. Of course if it happened in the middle of the night it would be a bad thing, but I think they can control when it happens, maybe? It was nothing that would keep us from rebooking this same cabin, but wanted to clarify my statement of not hearing anything.

I am currently aboard the Zuiderdam in cabin 1042 and I have not heard anything from the deck above, including anything from B.B. King. I have heard a bit of bass coming through from above when I’ve been in the hallway outside the cabin, but absolutely nothing inside the cabin.

Update. We left on time. Thank y’all for the information on the cause of our delayed embarkation. It’s been a lovely day aboard and sail away from NYC at night was amazing. We are told that there will be an unscheduled stop in Newport tomorrow on our “Sea Day” to retrieve the tender as they have repaired the winch.

They finally allowed us into the zig zag line for security, but have not opened up the security lines yet at 12:20. 20 cruises, although the first from NYC, and I’ve never seen anything like this.