Mark and I just got back from our fourth Marriage Cruise. I call it “The Love Boat”, but it’s really the Family Life Love Like You Mean It Cruise, and it’s fantastic! The lectures, meetings, and services are all focused on being a Godly, loving, couple, and we so believe in it we’re committed to going every year for the rest of our lives. Plus, we love cruises:)
I get asked, “how do you eat well on a ship?” Everyone know that cruise ships are Food Central, food (seems) free, and it’s everywhere, 24-7.
Mark and I weighed ourselves the day we left, and we weighed ourselves the day we got back,…… we both weighed the same. No weight gain and I didn’t expect any weight gain, so no surprise either.
I don’t gain weight over the holidays, on vacation, or – and this used to be a problem for me for years – over the weekend, ever. I don’t diet, and I eat enormous amounts of fat, and big hearty dinners.
I’m not bragging, I’m not lucky, and I’m not special. I just know that I’m not a Calories In – Calories Out body, I’m a Chemistry Set. My body is full of cells and hormones and enzymes and I need to put food in that allows everything to run like God intended.
Here’s the secret when it comes to food: 3 meals a day of Real Whole Food: plenty of healthy fats, TONS of vegetables, clean and lean meats, a little fruit, a little nuts and seeds, and whole fat, raw dairy. I never snack, neither does Mark. We don’t need to because we’re not hungry between meals. It’s actually really easy to eat healthy on a cruise ship; nothing’s organic or local, but there’s a great selection of meats and vegetables, and olive oil galore; our plates are stacked!
When we get to a holiday or a vacation, we STICK TO OUR PLAN, here’s why.
(1) We’re scared of gluten and chemicals. They cause cancer and chronic diseases. (2) We shy away from causing ourselves Food Hangovers or Bloated Stomachs. (3) We remember we love feeling awake, alert, energetic, and healthy.
In other words, we’ve trained our brains when it comes to food. Most people don’t. Most people – and we’ve been here – struggle with wanting grains, sugar, and chemicals. These substances create the same addictions – in the brain – that drugs and alcohol do. You might not think of yourself as a food addict, but if you eat foods that trigger addiction centers in the brain, you are.
You either need to wean off the bad foods, or go cold turkey, but if it’s just about weight loss, and if you don’t have a plan, it’ll never work. That’s why almost 100% of everyone who loses weight on a diet, gains it back. 50% of those people gain back more than they lost.
You don’t have to give in to food addiction; you’re not doomed to be sick, overweight, or tired, honest. Get in touch with me, think where you could be in a year if you weren’t controlled by bad food. Think what your life could be like if you got to focus on living instead of your weight or managing your illnesses. Think of the positive changes you could create in your children’s lives if your home was healthier.
Other people change; we did, you can too!
On that end note, here’s our dinner last night: venison sausage, collards, onions, and garlic cooked in butter and coconut oil and brie cheese, and a side of sautéed plantains in coconut oil and butter, with plenty of salt! SO DELICIOUS!
