I'm back!!! (long but on topic)

Well, just got back yesterday from hot, sunny ***** Cana. I have to say it's one of my favorite places on earth. The resort was absolutely beautiful, and so was the weather. Food/drink issues still prevail, though. When we first got there and checked in, they gave us each a small glass (maybe 3 ounces) of fruit juice. No booze, just fruit. Well, I was thirsty and drank it....and spent the next few hours dumping. Since they grow sugar cane and use their own sugar making processes, it might have been highly concentrated and I couldn't tell. Needless to say, fruit juice was off my list for the rest of the week. Drinking (alcohol) became an issue because I am not used to drinking rum and diet coke all day long, wine with dinner, and an after dinner drink. I use the term dinner loosely, because by dinner, I could not eat at all. To make matters a little worse, I started back on my prozac again, and knew I was not supposed to drink with it but I wanted to 'relax and have fun'. Towards the end of the week, I limited my alcohol to a glass of wine with dinner and that made all the difference with me. Food in foreign countries with me is still an issue and I am never sure how my pouch is going to take certain things. I stayed away from the desserts, the ice cream bar, and such. Breakfast was mostly eggs with whole grain bread. I was a little afraid of the fruit and I'm not much of a fruit person to begin with. Lunch was basically a salad with veggies and a piece of chicken. Sometimes I'd add other things...things I'd normally not eat at home... but mostly just that. These all inclusive places are hard for me...not so much that I'm tempted to eat things bad for me, but that I never know how things are going to affect the pouch. I start working next week and I'm going back to my old routine with cottage cheese and yogurt for lunch. I'm also happy to say I didn't gain weight on vacation...I actually lost a couple of pounds. Basically, I'm reaching out to other fellow WLS people who travel alot...we're going on a 9 day cruise in November....and I want to know how people handle these all inclusive buffet situations and how it affects their pouch. I hope everyone had a great week and looking forward to catching up with you guys! Love, Joanie

Thanks for the heads-up on this, Joanie, and welcome back! Soon, we're heading to one of those all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica. I'm trying to wrap my brain around how I'm going to deal effectively and sanely with 24/7 food and alcohol at my fingertips. Guess we'll just have to be very busy indulging in other, more gratifying activities! Glad to see you posting - missed you! M.

Joanie, The last cruise that we were on went pretty well. I found something on every dinner menu that I could easily eat and the staff was very accomodating about providing alternatives if I wanted something else. If you don't see something that you are sure your pouch can handle, just ask. I don't know about the resorts, but most of the cruises will give you a choice of going to a sit down breakfast or a buffet, same for dinner. I avoided the buffets and tried to have the dining room service because it was easier to stay on track. Lunch was usually a buffet and I have a very wasteful way of dealing with buffets. I LOAD up my plate with nothing but protein. I leave no room for pastas, desserts or side dishes and I get out of line and go back to my seat. There's no way I can eat a full plate of protein, but it keeps me away from getting things that might make me sick. I always end up throwing away 3/4 of a plate of food, but the ship has to throw it out uneaten food anyway. Spain was probably the easiest place for me to stay on track. There was lots and lots of fresh seafood and vegtables. No fried food and portions were a reasonable size not the HUGE American portions that we get here. I was a size 10 and much larger than any native Spaniard I came across. As for drinking alcohol, I can't drink more than a sip or two of wine as it goes directly to my head and have not tried rum and coke since I can't handle carbonation and rum is made from sugar cane. Back before I put myself on an abstinence plan to save my liver, I would have a Bloody Mary or Vodka and Cranberry juice. Either of those was safe for me. On the last road trip with The Man and his brothers, I drank a ton of water with lemon (Ken's advice) and Virgin Marys. Glad you're back! Hugs, Connie

One more question, Joanie - will I have to worry about the quality of the water in Jamaica? Was this an issue for you this trip? Can anyone else weigh in on this? M.

I am not sure about the water in Jamaica, but in ***** Cana it is strictly bottled water. The resorts do filter their water, but they don't advise you to drink directly from the tap. We had a mini bar in our room filled with bottles of water, beer and soft drinks. I did have diet coke and rum....their sodas there don't seem to be nearly as carbonated as what we have here, and I usually stirred it around to get the bubbles out. Once there I did order one, and they gave me regular coke instead. Since I am not a big soda drinker, I didn't know the difference until I dumped (for the second time that week). It didn't bother me to stay away from the breads, pastas and potatoes, but what upset me was eating the things I'd normally eat at home----veggies and beef, fish and chicken....and having it not agree with the pouch. For some reason, I found doing the cruise much easier...more Americans...more attention to dietary needs of different individuals....and less alcohol since your price doesn't include it. They even had beautiful sugar free desserts which I tasted. The foods in ***** Cana were actually not bad fat/sugar wise...lots of fresh things, but not always prepared in a manner we are used to. I know I am making this vaction sound like a real chore, but it really wasn't...I had a WONDERFUL time and would recommend it to anyone. I guess being away from home and what I'm used to brings out my food fears...I'm not sure. Joanie

Hi there Joanie; Welcome back. It's nice to hear from you again. I'm glad that you enjoyed your trip. I'm afraid that I can't give you any travel advice, because I haven't done any since my surgery. All my spare change is being sucked into the gaping maw of the "Dreaded College Beast" as both of my daughters are at that stage. I'm looking forward to the info this post generates, however, because I do plan to do some traveling ASAP. Mike

Hi Joanie, Sounds like a wonderful trip. I would love to go someplace warm and sunny, but if it doesn't involve getting there in the RV chances are I won't be getting there any time soon I am learning to just deal with it when there is an 'all you can eat' situation. I can't eat all I want no matter what. When my pouch has had enough it lets me know and it sends back what doesn't fit!!!! We just came back from a weekend in Ocean City (MD) with friends for St Patrick's day. It seemed like a total waste to have to pay $11.95 for the brunch buffet for me, but I had to think of it as enjoying the company of friends rather than an eating event. Happy 3 years! Hugs, Mo