Going Overboard

Cruises are evil.

Don't get me wrong - it's the best kind of evil. The kind of evil you want to jump right back into, spend more time with, get to know a little better. But when you're trying to not gain 150 pounds - they're downright dastardly.

It was one of the best trips I've ever taken, and I'm bummed as all get-out to be back home, but my oh my. Before you even get on the ship, US Customs offers you a plate of freshly baked brownies with vanilla ice cream. You can hardly turn them down, not after they give you that look.

Then, immediately after stepping aboard, you are roughly grabbed up by four burly stewards who hold you down while a fifth forces breakfast sausages and slices of New York strip steak down your gullet, massaging your neck to make sure you swallow.

Once you finally make it to your stateroom, you find plates upon glasses upon trays of various carb-traps and calorie-cocktails with notes affixed that say such things as "Eat this or face the consequences" and "Imbibe this or perish." You notice that an array of security cameras frequently pans across the sumptuous buffet to verify that you are indeed following their instructions.

And so forth.

All right, so I could have done worse. I did make a number of health-conscious choices here and there, although they were far outweighed by my large number of health-unconscious choices. I ate some salads, steered mainly clear of some common pitfalls such as burgers, pasta, and sausages (had only 3/4 of a hot dog over the course of the 5 days, and they practically grew on the walls like ivy), and did exhibit some degree of portion control (only once went up for seconds at the buffet, and often left food on my plate).

We did a little bit of walking, especially in Ensenada and Cabo, but surely not enough to work off our food babies. Now that I'm (mostly) over my cold, I'm going to start stairclimbing and treadmilling the pounds right off.

I got home a couple of hours ago, and I'll be honest - I haven't weighed myself. I'm afraid to. I'll weigh myself tomorrow morning and get the bad news, but I'm concerned that I've put on everything I'd lost.

I'm just trying to focus on the fact that weight that is put on more quickly than usual can generally be taken off more quickly than usual, and gosh dang it I am going to make that happen. It's back to making smart choices and treating my body right.

But it sure was fun while it lasted.

Starting weight: 222.4 lbs
Day 21 weight: Somewhere between 200 and 300 lbs
Total loss: -27.6 lbs, +/- 50 lbs