TravelRocker

Hi, this is going to sound like a silly question as I have previously sailed on Divina but.....we were having so much fun and seeing/listening to so many great bands, (Monsters of Rock) that I entirely forgot to "do the shopping"!

I just read on another review thread that there were great Italian products/souvenirs to purchase. Now my question is this....Are they still selling Italian products and souvenirs or has that gone away since Divina started sailing out of Miami Beach for the Bahamas etc? Thanks in advance, :)

Hi Everyone, well, I'm back from my 3 days in Miami Beach and 4 on the high seas on my Monsters of Rock cruise. I'll be giving a mini-review in a day or so but for right now I'm pleased to say that when I went back to my meetings I only gained 8/10 of a pound. A lighter top would have put me even-steven! we just "rocked" the calories off those 4 days and nights!

I just came off the wonderful MSC Divina after 4 days and nights of virtually "no kids".....I counted 3 that I saw, yes 3 children the whole cruise.....but of course this was for Monsters of Rock! I would never book a cruise of any kind during spring break or mid-summer etc....unless I had kids myself, :)

Too, too cute! I'll be doing the "Happy Dance" myself on the 29th, can't wait, :)

You might try looking at the Roll Call listing for your dates, someone may have started a thread, or call MSC and just ask if your cruise has a large group booked as well.

Sometimes these can be quite fun, there's been stories on here of celebs or sports greats or musicians being on the cruises, regular peeps can see them around. A little bonus I say! :)

Port side front end of the middle hump

As always, thanks, :)

Hi, I am in 12165! I believe it is on the end cabin of the "hump", right??? Thanks Skier 52, :)

Hi, yes, once in a while we have to shake things up as your body gets used to the same amount of food or the same Points range if you are doing Weight Watchers. . Years ago a gal named Wendie devised a staggered Points plan to get your thermostat going again and burn those calories like in the beginning.

Google Wendie Plan and there's dozens of entries. Start with the one that says Weight Watchers Information" by Angelfire, (pale pink background with roses.) You don't have to be on WW to do this, it applies to any diet plan where you fall into the same meals every day. Eat big one day and small the next day, shake it up! This is the same principle as exercise when your body gets used to your workout and you stop seeing results. Good luck with breaking that plateau!

Welcome PT Angel, (are you a therapist?) Well, I never got started on Simple Start but last night after our meeting I sat in with the Newbies again to get a refresher course. What I need to do is go out and get the fat-free or non-fat versions of what I have been counting Points for before. Mainly cheese, Cottage Cheese, yogurt etc., most everything else I already eat and have. I'll give it a whirl and see if I can notch the scale down. My leader said a shake-up wouldn't hurt, even though I did lose 2 more pounds last night. So far 28.2 lbs. down! :) Enjoy your weekend everyone!

YIKES! This reminds me of that old TV commercial, "Don't hate me because I'm Beautiful". :)

Hi there, I printed this whole thread out and read it the other night. I feel for you in that I have lost (and regained) over 60 pounds over my lifetime and on the downward trend right now, it gets harder and harder. Had I known it would be harder now I would never have regained it the last time. On top of it all I had a total hip replacement 1 1/2 years ago and some of the exercise I used to LOVE I can't do anymore. It is very frustrating. My exercise now consists of walking and marching around the house during commercials at night, every little bit helps, :)

Now with this said, you have received some very good advise from other posters, Anita is an expert on so many things, I love reading her posts. If I can add one little thing here.....if it's not IN THE HOUSE you CAN'T EAT IT! Do not buy your "trigger" foods, no excuses, and no your kids don't really NEED that junk either. Train them early to eat right. The cupcakes......throw the leftovers AWAY! Don't keep them around thinking you'll have one a day till they are gone etc. it does not work! You also said that fruits and veggies are expensive.....I don't know if you have 99 cent or Dollar stores where you live, but here they have really increased their food areas and you can really load up on good stuff that would cost $4.00 or $5.00 at a regular supermarket. and Fast Food is not really cheap, with the burger, fries and drink it adds up, and you're killing yourself in the meantime. (Have you ever seen the Documentary called "Supersize me", about a guy who ate nothing but McDonalds for a month? His Physician pulled him off of it mid-month! Also, find a copy of "Fast Food Nation", a real eye opener. There's an additive in the "Secret Sauce" to get you hooked, :)

Lastly, if you really want to be motivated to stay on a good reduced calorie and exercise plan there is a TV series now, I want to say on the Lifetime Channel called "My 600 pound life", it tracks the life of people who are morbidly obese who have no control and their families are horrible enablers, resort to bypass surgery. Most of them after starting to eat right and start getting exercise are very successful.

Congratulations on signing up for the 5K, the path to success starts with just one step! Good Luck with your game plan in the future, Summer is coming!

Have them fill up your glass at the end of your dinner......and walk it back to your room......:). No but really, you can buy drinks at any bar, anytime and take them back to your cabin, they're just cheaper with the pre-ordered vouchers.

Yeah, I just printed out the "shopping list" and tips and combos and it looks like I can make a sandwich a mile high, haha. I'll report back on it after a week or so.....

I was just wondering about this......has anyone here tried the new Simple Start Program just to shake things up??? I'm losing...but it is so darn slow and I don't want to get bored and go off the rails. Was talking to the hubby this morning that I might try the new Program for a few weeks and see if I a) like it and b) will it activate the good weekly losses I was having. I think I'm just too stuck with the same-old-same-old. Anyone try the new Plan yet??? What do you think??? Thanks, :)

Karen, My closet is a comedy show with sizes from 18 to 6 lol. I was so excited when I figured that I had lost enough to wear my dress pants again and they all were too big..(one of the only bad things about weight loss) That's when I ordered the Sears pants. I was surprised how good a quality they were. We are going to almost the same places...different dates. Maybe next year!!

Jo

Yep, I'm going thru the same thing right now, for years had a box of "too small but too cute to get rid of" jeans. I tried on two pair this morning and they fit like a glove, (Yippee), BUT will be too big for my cruise! I used to have a sewing machine, (in the stone age, haha) and could just zip up the inside seam but it's long gone. Soooooo....back to square one. I've become an expert at catalog shopping and working the sale coupons or QVC, they have a good return policy.

Right now I have committed to jumping up and down (out of my comfy chair that is) during the Olympics commercials to get in my 10,000 steps, I'll have a path worn out in the carpet by the time it's over, that's a lot of back and forth. But I know two weeks of sitting on my butt would not be a good thing. I also have a set of those squishy weighted balls on the arms of the chair to use during the events.

It's been s-l-o-w going the last few months with the weight loss, only 1.8 last Thursday night but at least it's going in the right direction. I think my meals need a good shake-up, I seem to be eating the same 10 things all the time, it's fast and easy but I need to mix it up more. This Winter has been a doozy, can't wait for the Spring to come, and our cruise of course, :) Cheers!

Two things, check duty free at the airports for good deals on perfume. I found a massive bottle of "Angel" mismarked at $60.00 at SFO once. Also, check out QVC. Lori Grenier has these little perfume atomizers that you put on top of you big bottles and "pump up" your perfume into them. They are perfect for your purse or carry-on the plane.

Thanks everyone, I had no idea Tangee was still available....somewhere, will definitely check that out and a few others as well, Cheers!

Hi, I know there have been several threads regarding the longevity of lipsticks here and I did research them. I'm still on my quest for the brand that "really" stays on. It's always 14 hours this and all day that but....it never is! What I am looking for is the kind that the screen stars wore in the 30's and 40's, the kind that "stained" your lips even after the main coverage is gone.

I remember when I was a kid my Mom used Tangee, in a metal case no less, and it stained her mouth and stayed on..... I keep trying the new ones that come out and am disappointed 95% of the time. Best yet so far has been Maybelline, think it's 14 hours and it actually does "stain".

I've got dozens and dozens of lipsticks that just glide on and come off just as fast, I keep one pink, one red, one brown and one burgundy in my desk drawer at work to use them up but when I go out I hate having to always reapply all night. Help!!! ( I guess when the cosmetics industry discovered that the faster it goes the more you'll buy)!

Some of this stuff they advertise now looks like colored glue, I've even heard guys say they don't want to kiss girls that are wearing the high gloss stuff. What have you found that does the trick.....thanks :)

Have you tried Ryka? I get mine on QVC, they are absolutely a put-on-and-go shoe. A few years ago we were almost out the door for our Italy cruise and I forgot to pack my black tennis shoes, I remembered I had a pair still in the box that had come in the day before. Since I have such a good "relationship" with Ryka I stuck them in my suitcase and the next day walked 15 miles in Rome and it was like marshmellows. Ryka's are made with a wider toe box so you're not pinched.

I am also a fan of Clarks shoes, they have many styles in wide. Their sandals with the "lexi" sole are so comfortable that you can wear them all day as well.

I've been hooked on Betsey Johnson lately. She has one style that I have in about 6 different colors and decor. They're about 10x11, made of padded material, have two side to side horizontal zippers on the front that I keep my camera, tickets/passes, gum, small tablet and pen for notes, small stuff like that. Top zipper for security. They're a lightweight but strong semi-padded material so very lightweight. They're "edgy" with flowers and skulls and sequins, some "edgier" than others, haha.

I do have other styles in leather that I got on QVC, Tignanello has beautiful ones and B. Makowski, (though lately his prices have gone thru the roof.) BUT,........you can find all these brands at Ross, Marshalls and TJ Max for much, much less. :)

Well, OK then.....last night I saw an advertisment for the Olympics and the Opening ceremony is actually on Friday night. Thursday is a preview of 2 new events I think....so I may go to my meeting on Thursday night afterall, I really do hate to miss them. :)

Just curious, does anyone do the "Wendi Plan" anymore???

Hi, a few weeks ago our leader told us about the new partnership between WW and Jolly Time Popcorn. I picked up a box of the Kettle Corn, (says Healthy Pop Kettle) and it's not bad, not as much of the sweet taste as the regular but.....it's three points for the whole bag.

I've had a rough last couple of weeks, got wrapped up in some very bizarre legal stuff when a friends mom passed away and I was named Executrix without my knowledge! Talk about a shock, I overate a little bit and backslid 2 pounds. I am so back on track today it's not funny though, have about 65 days till my cruise and I want to go down at least another size/ 10 pounds. Stress is a bad food trigger for me but I put on the brakes. Unfortunately my meeting night is Thursday and I'll miss 2-6-14, I refuse to miss the Olympics Opening Night! :)

Hi to all our newbies, keep up the good work, we have a great group here, very supportive, cheers!

It really is amazing when you actually add up all the water you've downed during the day and realize it's just the water in your coffee! These cold days....chugging water is the last thing I want to do but in the evening I often feel dried out, eyes scratchy and lips chapped, even get leg cramps or twitches and a few big glasses will remedy all of it. I'm trying to incorporate it into my day as well, but it is easy to forget. I know when I do it really makes a difference on the scale. :)

Wow, impressive list! I can personally vouch for many of the Northern California, (Napa, Sonoma and the Livermore Valley) wines, enjoy! (Hic) :)

Yes, I can see where that would be unnerving information. Tell me this.....was Celtic Thunder the headlining band for the cruise but were there several other bands also playing??? I have a feeling that your cruise is still legit but they'll just get another musician to take his place and carry on.

I say this because for the last 2 years the lead singer of one of the headlining bands for the Monsters of Rock cruise was sick, 1st year seasick, 2nd year didn't even make the cruise because of illness. That ship cruised!!! The rest of the band got different lead singers to do his part and it was a very lively "jam".

I hope this is the case, I can't see any Promoter cancelling a cruise because of one musician! He would be out a few million dollars! Oh....and you can forget about getting any money back, that's not how they work, even if you have Trip Insurance they do not refund for bands cancelling. getting refunds is a very time consuming and restrictive procedure. Better go and just have fun!