"Umm, I'll have the Lobster Bisque, the Cheese tart baked in cheese, then the Prime Rib with the butter side and twice baked potato and I'll finish off with the chocolate cheesecake and another coke... err make that a diet coke...I'm watching my weight".

I kid you not, this is a typical cruise dinner aboard the Disney Magic. When it's all inclusive, it's alllllll inclusive. I threw caution (and my calorie counter) to the wind and ate as I pleased and loved every artery clogged minute of it. We would wake up and make our way to the breakfast buffet where I'd have a fresh croissant, some eggs, maybe bacon and fruit. Then lunch would be another buffet of Asian dishes, pastas, or maybe pizza and burgers on the pool deck. Then every single night we would dress up and make our way to some fancy restaurant where we would choose an appetizer, a soup or salad, an entree and a desert. I never even let myself think about how many calories I was consuming because why bother. And after 2 glorious weeks we came home and were tossed into turkey Christmas dinners, Birthday cakes and pizza parties.

So in short, I put off getting on the scale until yesterday. I was actually not as worried as I thought I would be because Greg kept telling me I looked the same and my clothes seemed to fit the same as well. But the verdict is in...

Weight Today (post holiday and cruise): 166
Feeling: WHHAATTT?? I don't know how it happened. It must have been the walking, swimming and de-stressing. But although the numbers are not as bad as I thought, I know that a lot of my muscle has turned to mush and I feel more sluggish than before. So YoHo YoHo it's back to work I go.

Thanks for staying tuned everyone. How was your holidays? Who wants to join me in a Spring 2010 10K run??

Well it has been a week and a half of my meal shakes and I must admit, I like it. I like feeling like there is some structure and predictability to my daily food intake. Before the shakes I would wake up and spend the day fighting my urges and hoping for the best. But with the shakes I know what I'm having for breakfast and lunch and I have all day to prepare and plan a hearty and healthy dinner. I've eliminated the guessing and hoping that when lunch rolls around I'll have the stuff and the will power to eat something healthy and good for me. Now I just throw some fruits and yogurts or whatever in my blender, add some powder and sip away. It's filling and yummy.

I prep some boiled eggs and trail mix things for when I want to munch on something, and we're keeping lots of christmas oranges around too, so even my snacking has been going great and I'm finally feeling like the eating part of the equation is under control.

Fitness wise, I've been running lots at the gym working my way up to doing a 10 kilometer run. I've been really enjoying it actually and I average about 11 minute miles and can run 2 miles fairly well. I'm a sweaty mess by the end but at least I'm feeling good and could keep going. However my nasty shin splints are acting up again so I need to keep working on that and giving them some rest.

I'm doing 30 minutes of running/walking about 4 times a week, 20-30 minutes of weights 4 times a week and one hour of swimming once a week. In January I'm going to be in a WorldBeat dance/cardio class for one hour once a week as well so that might help switch it up a bit too. And in the spring I'm planning to do my first 10 K run! All this scheduling and planning is the only way I keep getting it done. Only recently is it starting to become "fun-ish". So if you're in the midst of working out, I encourage you to keep at it because it does get easier as you gain confidence as well as stamina.

Anyways, as I prepare and pack for my 2 week Florida trip I have mixed emotions. On the one hand I really want to enjoy myself, have fun and indulge when I want to. But on the other hand I don't want to come back and be right where I started, nor do I want to go back to that feeling of grossness and lower self esteem. I think my "plan" such as it is, is to indulge but avoid pigging out. I think that's the good thing about going on a cruise; everything is included so if you want to try something but you only want a few bites then that's okay. So maybe I'll get what I want and have a few bites and keep my portions reasonable. Or maybe I'll check my "plan" with my baggage and do what I want!

Any tips for travelling?

Weight Today: 165 (less than pre-pregnancy weight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Workout: yesterday 60 minutes, tonight 30 minutes
Feeling: Excited to be less than pre-preggo weight but still pluggin away. I'm actually feeling more determined than ever now that I'm back to where I was before I became pregnant. Ironically I'm the same weight (minus one pound) that I was on the cruise we took 3 years ago, after which I became pregnant. Hmmmm.