Having The Time Of Our Lives: Personal Recollections On The 2009 Low-Carb Cruise To Mexico

Here we are on The 2nd Annual Low-Carb Cruise to Mexico

I’ve been home a few days now from The 2nd Annual Low-Carb Cruise to Mexico and I can’t stop thinking about all the excitement that happened for me and about 40 fellow low-carbers and friends on the Carnival Ecstasy as we sailed down to Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico from Galveston, Texas. Although we had some GREAT memories from our first trip together in 2008, this year was even BETTER because we had so many new people and a fantastic array of special guest speakers.

Christine and I hopped on a Continental Airlines flight out of Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday morning, January 19, 2009 to make our way to the Houston airport. On the plane ride there, we got a snack of more than just peanuts…but that doesn’t mean it was very healthy for you. The salami and processed cheese was the best they had to offer along with whole grain crackers, fat-free fruit chews, and a Kit-Kat bar. Needless to say, that food didn’t grace my lips at all!

Once we landed in Bush International airport in Houston, Texas around 1:00pm, one of my forum moderators Linda and her husband picked us up and gave us a ride to the Galveston, Texas port where the Carnival Ecstasy was docked for our cruise. We made good timing since it was the Martin Luther King holiday and we later found out they delayed boarding until around 1:30pm anyway to fix an issue with the ship. By the time we got in line, there was only 15 people behind us. Just in the nick of time!

This was our third time on the Carnival Ecstasy (1995 and 2008 previously), so we were VERY familiar with where everything is. That’s helpful when you feel so overwhelmed by the magnitude of being on a cruise ship, but there’s something mysterious about not knowing where things are. We DEFINITELY look forward to going on a different boat next year…more about that in a moment!

Since we were running late getting on the ship, within seconds of arriving at our cabin we heard an announcement over the intercom that the safety drill would be commencing in five minutes. Gee, welcome to the cruise! We’ve been through this drill before, but they REQUIRE everyone to be at their assigned station for further instructions with a life jacket around their neck. As you can see, I didn’t like wearing mine too much because it did a better job of blocking the sunlight! Nevertheless, I’m glad to know that thing is there in case something were to happen with the ship.

After a relaxing night getting reacquainted with the Ecstasy and enjoying the plush comfort of those cabin beds (seriously, they’re better than any hotel I’ve ever stayed in!), I was wide awake at 5:00am on Tuesday morning. So, I decided to get up and start scoping out the place when EVERYBODY was asleep. I ended up on the Lido deck to see if there was any food out besides the 24-hour pizza parlor. Nope, not yet! But the boat was rocking pretty heavily which probably explains why I was awake so early. That tipped over the plates in the dining area as you can see from the photo above. And when I went to the bathroom, there was ICE in the urinals?! I’m told it helps keep them clean. I don’t think I’ll be trying that at home anytime soon, though.

One of the best parts of being on a cruise ship out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico is watching the sunrise and sunset each day. Nothing is more romantic and I caught a glimpse of the sun rising on the first morning of the cruise. Spectacular doesn’t even begin to describe it…you just gotta see one for yourself! Nothing is more beautiful than that!

Later in the morning around 8:30am we had our first set of meetings with the low-carb experts who joined us on the cruise this year. First up was Dr. Eric Westman and his assistant Adele Hite who talked about what it is like conducting low-carbohydrate research and why it is so sorely needed to bring about the necessary changes in dietary policy and improve health. They stressed how the patients in their Duke Lifestyle Medicine Clinic in Durham, North Carolina are seeing unbelievable results with their weight issues, diabetes, and other health problems almost entirely from following a low-carbohydrate diet. We knew Dr. Westman and Adele from attending previous Nutrition & Metabolism conferences as well as visiting their offices in North Carolina. I had a blast singing a parody of “California Girls” by The Beach Boys with Dr. Westman that night called “I Wish They All Could Be Carbohydrate-Free.”

The next speaker was the ever-present low-carb cookbook author Dana Carpender who provided some truly amazing tips and suggestions about how to spice up your low-carb menus with just a few minor changes in the ingredients. She shared with us her inspiration for many of the recipes in her bestselling books and was quite vocal about her love and adoration for low-carb living. This was my first experience meeting Dana in person and I gotta tell you she is certainly one-of-a-kind! She’s definitely someone you’ll never forget after you meet her. And the girl can dance, too!

Our final speaker for the first day’s meeting with the low-carb experts was Dr. James E. Carlson. Dr. Carlson discussed how he used to be a hard line low-fat, high-carb proponent until he realized for himself how that way of eating was destroying the health of him and his patients. He switched to low-carb nutrition in the late 1990s and has never looked back. Just as he did in my podcast interview with him earlier this month, Dr. Carlson laid it all out there on the subject of insulin, why calories really don’t matter as much as we think, and the incredible results he is seeing in his patients who eat low-carb. It was an honor and a privilege to meet Dr. Carlson and Monica who both said they’d like to come back again next year.

With the first meeting over, it was time to play. One of my favorite things from last year’s cruise was playing Texas Hold ‘Em on this really snazzy electronic table. You sit down, slide a card into the machine and play against the others at the table. There is no human dealer–it’s all done electronically. You could sit at the table for hours playing if you wanted to and have a good time. I know I did this year…although I made myself get up and do other things, too.

I know, I know, you wanna hear about the food, right? Can you REALLY stay low-carb on a cruise, Jimmy? Well, I proved that with my menus from the 2008 cruise, but I did it once again on the 2009 cruise even eating some truly delectable dishes like that glorious 2g low-carb cheesecake above (and the best part is it wasn’t very sweet at all). See for yourself the photos and descriptions of what I ate on each day of the cruise and how I kept on livin’ la vida low-carb even while on vacation (yes, it IS possible!):

January 19, 2009 menu
January 20, 2009 menu
January 21, 2009 menu
January 22, 2009 menu
January 23, 2009 menu
January 24, 2009 menu

One of the most popular entertainment options many from our group availed ourselves of during the cruise was karaoke. It usually took place immediately following our dinner service in the Blue Sapphire Lounge. For those who heard about my “accident” from last year’s cruise, you’ll be pleased to hear I survived without a scratch this year…although the DJ guy tried to make me train wreck singing “You Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer. It wasn’t perfect, but close enough and I had some GREAT help with dancing from Adele’s son Jakob who was a big hit with the crowd. I did trip the DJ up when I rapped Run DMC’s “You Be Illin” which is the song I busted my head open with last year. Yes, I did a few “normal” songs too, such as “1999″ by Prince, “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker, and “Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison.

Those last two songs were dedicated to Christine who wasn’t feeling well at all this entire cruise. We don’t know how she injured herself, but she went numb from her shoulder all the way down to her forearm just before the cruise. She brought a sling along to keep people from bumping into her accidentally. Muscle relaxers and hydrocodone kept her as comfortable as she could be, but she wasn’t able to participate and mingle as much as she would have liked. That dress and pair of shoes in the photo above was my “cheer you up” gift to her in Progreso, Mexico when we arrived there early on Wednesday morning.

This year we opted out of doing any excursions since we HATED the Horseback ride through the Mayan ruins last year. It worked out great since Christine’s injury prevented her from doing anything anyway. But we had a wonderful time wheeling and dealing with the vendors on stuff–I got a 45-minute massage on the beach for just $15, bought a couple of sterling silver bracelets for Christine for $40, and that sunflower dress and shoes I showed you above was a grand total of less than $25. If you want to find some great deals, Progreso is the place to do it.

Christine and I enjoyed visiting an authentic Mexican restaurant while in Progreso and we were surprised by a man with a guitar who was singing for the guests. I gave him $5 and asked him to sing my wife a love song. It was beautiful even though I didn’t have any idea what he was singing. Who cares? My pretty woman got serenaded to. I had a naked fajita while Christine enjoyed homemade chips and salsa and the traditional fajita plate. We LOVED it!

On Thursday morning we were in Cozumel, Mexico which is a little more modernized than Progreso. Our ship docked in a different place this year, so we had to pay $7 for a taxi to take us down to the shops in downtown. On the way to the taxi we saw this three-man band playing music. They greeted the guests who were on their way to excursions in Cozumel.

After doing some shopping and getting Christine a Tanzanite ring she had been begging for, we stopped by a restaurant called Senor Frog’s. Before the cruise, we were contacted by the manager who saw a group of low-carb dieters were coming on a cruise. He offered a 20% discount to our group and said he’d be happy to accommodate our nutritional needs. Since this was such a generous offer, I HAD to stop by just to support someone who understands why livin’ la vida low-carb is so important. And the food was OUTSTANDING! Christine and I got a really nice souvenir there, too, with that photo and frame you see above.

With the cruise starting to wind down following our two stops in Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico, we met together again on Friday morning for another session of talks about the healthy low-carb lifestyle. First up on this day was Jackie Eberstein who talked about what it was like working with the late, great Dr. Robert C. Atkins in his complementary medicine practice in New York City for three decades. I told the guests in attendance that Jackie is my go-to person whenever someone asks a question about the Atkins diet that I have no clue about. She explained so many areas of health that are easily improved simply by implementing carbohydrate restriction. I was thrilled to have her and her husband Conrad come along for this year’s cruise.

After Jackie’s presentation was finished, we heard from Judy Barnes Baker who told us about a very special cookbook project she is working on that could make a major impact on the health of diabetics when it releases. She shared some specifics about this book she is writing and encouraged low-carbers to be hopeful about the future regarding diabetes and low-carb. More details from Judy herself will be released when the time comes, but I was so happy to meet her at last and have her speak to our group. What a wonderful woman!

The final speaker of this second session was me. I shared about my 180-pound weight loss success in 2004 and how it evolved into the “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” blog and podcast show I have today. I told some funny stories along the way of my low-carb journey and started to wrap up my thoughts. But then my wife Christine said I should mention my motivation for continuing because of what happened to my brother Kevin–I lost it! My emotions let loose and I couldn’t stop crying as I talked about how my own brother died in October 2008 because he was following the recommended low-fat, high-carb diet his heart doctors had him on. It was the first time I’d cried about Kevin being gone and it was quite cathartic. I thanked Christine for making me cry in front of everybody. It was a good thing–a VERY good thing I needed to do!

We then watched the Mary Bissell documentary My Big Fat Diet about Dr. Jay Wortman putting the First Nations people in Canada on the diet of their ancestors–low-carb. Everyone got a big kick out of it and was eager to ask their burning low-carb questions of all the experts for a special Q&A wrap-up. It was a very memorable trip that I wish more people had been able to participate in. But never fear, because there’s always next year!

That’s right, if you want to be a part of The 3rd Annual Low-Carb Cruise in 2010 tentatively set to sail out of Jacksonville, Florida down to the Bahamas in mid-March, then be looking for further details at my blog in the coming months. Many of this year’s guest speakers have already said they’d like to go again next year and I’m working on rounding up several more to be with us as we set sail once again with a group of low-carbers.

You’ve heard from me now about what this 2009 cruise to Mexico was like, but what about some of the other guests who were a part of this historic event? What did THEY think about being a part of this experience? I created a YouTube video designed to do just that:

If you wanna see more pics from the cruise, be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 from my Facebook page as well as from my wife Christine, our UK friend Ailsa Washington, and our outstanding cruise coordinator Becky Gandy.

Speaking of Becky, I want to publicly give a huge THANK YOU to her for coordinating the logistics of this cruise again. I am not a very good organizer which is why Christine helps keep me straight at home. Becky, along with Ailsa Washington and Debbie Hubbs, did a yeoman’s job putting this thing together as we’ve set the groundwork for future cruises.

If you are even REMOTELY interested in coming with us in 2010 down to the Bahamas, then go ahead and mark your calendars and start saving. The price is VERY affordable with a per person cost around $350. Not too shabby for memories you will cherish for life! Feel free to e-mail me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net if you’d like to go with us on next year’s cruise. I’ll keep you informed of what is happening with it and send you information on costs as they become available.