The Honeymoon Begins

For as much as I complained about LA Weight Loss, I hit my goal weight by the end of week seven and in time for our honeymoon cruise. Sure, I'd still like to drop down to my all-time, hoochie mama low, but at this weight I easily fit into the party dresses of my salsa dancing days.

For this reason, it was a pleasure packing for the trip, getting reacquainted with my three closets, and saying hello to many articles of clothing I hadn't been able to wear in almost two years. By my calculations, I was going to need no fewer than 28 outfits for this trip--or four ensembles per day. This was a safe estimate. Morning wear would include pool and beach clothing, followed by casual chic attire for strolling around the boat and participating in afternoon activities. In the evening, I would need to dress for dinner (which included two formal nights), with appropriate clubbing outfits for late night prowling. As a result of my planning, poor Max ended up hauling 5 suitcases for the vacation, but, true to form, never complained once.

However, after day one of our honeymoon cruise, I am sure to be kissing my goal weight goodbye. Royal Caribbean makes it virtually impossible for me to control my food and drink craving. Our superior ocean-view cabin with balcony came stocked with two bottles of champagne, nuts, crackers, a cheese tray, and chocolate-covered strawberries. In fact, my belly expanded just looking at the presentation.

Max and I tried to work off the calories. Mariner of the Seas is a large, lovely boat. We toured its 12-floors before dinner, our only real exercise for the day, but not enough to burn off the welcome package or the prime rib dinner a few hours later. And as I rolled into bed at the wee hour of 10:30pm (wasting one of the seven night-time outfits), I promised myself to hit the gym in the morning and just after we finished our scheduled breakfast in bed.

Yeah, right.