Well, I am back from vacation and trying to get into the swing of things again. Crafting has been the last thing on my mind since I got back on Saturday, and it probably won't be a high priority until the million other things on my to do list are complete.
My first priority and motivation were pretty clear. I started the Holiday season with 3lbs more than my "ideal" weight. After taking the cake decorating class and eating through the Holidays I added about 8lbs to that. By the end of the cruise I just got back from I felt like all of my clothes were too tight. I figured I gained a couple of pounds, but when I jumped on the scale out of curiosity when I got home I gained 6lbs! That is one pound per day on the ship!
This shouldn't have been surprising because there is always food readily available everywhere and anytime you might want it. You start getting into the deplorable habit of eating every 90 minutes. The day starts by room service bringing you breakfast...this you keep somewhat healthy: scrambled eggs, apple juice, wheat toast and jam, and some fresh fruit. Then you venture out into the ship, onto the boardwalk section where the free donut shop is. You adore donuts. They are you favorite food, and they are free. So you have
one OK two donuts.
It's 11:30 or so by now so you wait and hour and then go grab lunch from the cafe. You grab a fairly healthy sandwich...and then a cookie. Deciding to stroll about the ship while nibbling your cookie you find yourself on the pool deck just as you finish it. Your tiny hand is feeling bereft and needy right as you look up and see the self-service frozen yogurt machine. So you take a cone of fro-yo as you pass. You manage not to eat much more than maybe another cone of fro-yo for a long while and then you're wandering around the ship with 2.5 hours left until dinner and you think, "I should go grab something to hold me over." And you do...you go get a piece of pizza because it's free, and you might get too hungry before dinner actually starts.
Finally, you manage to make your way into dinner. You would think by now that the amount of calories consumed would make you feel sick and you would just pick at dinner. But the formal dinning room has the best food on the whole ship. Everything is made with heavy cream and butter and is extra delicious. You can order whatever you want...even two of something if the mood strikes you. You feel a sense of accomplishment with every bite you get down while cruising. So you eat 3 sourdough rolls, a vidalia onion tart, sea bass with asparagus, the dessert sampler, and a piece of the cheesecake. And after going to your show you stroll down for another cookie while waiting for the late night entertainment to start.
Really now that I think about it the miracle is that I
ONLY gained 6lbs. So armed with determination and an empty refrigerator I decided to do the South Beach diet and cook all my food instead of buying it. I managed to cook every night so far - and each meal took less than 20 minutes to throw together. Our menu so far has been:
- Night 1: Chipotle seasoned Mahi Mahi burgers with sliced avocado
- Night 2: Garlic and Herb marinated Mahi Mahi with steamed green beans
- Night 3: Grilled sirloin steak for Ben, Gardein for me and the rest of the steamed green beans
- Night 4: Mahi Mahi burgers with mixed green salad with pecans, tomatoes, red peppers, and avocado
Throughout the day we munch on raw peanuts and pistachios, sliced red pepper and broccoli dipped in hummus, skim milk cheese snacks, or mozzarella and tomato salads.
