SHOULD YOU LOW CARB CRUISE?
Coach Mike here freshly back from the sun, fun, and community building of the Low Carb Cruise. On Friday May 24th, Coach Jon & I joined over 200 other folk boarding the Adventure of the Seas for a 9 nine day adventure indeed! Sitting here now it is honestly way more difficult than I expected to put this experience into words in a way that will give you true insight into it but I will do my best!
Today I want to bring you my perspective on the event itself, cruising in general, and the powerful outcomes of the experience. I have also tasked Jon with sharing his top three takeaways from our trip that you will see interspersed as we proceed. Let’s get into it!
Cruising In General
This was my very first cruise and a 9 day/8 night sail is certainly a baptism by fire! I knew the ship would be huge but I had no real idea of what it would be like until I stepped on board. It literally is a floating city filled with more locations and experiences on board than you could ever hope to get in to on one trip. Figuring out the lay of the land, finding our room, and getting ready to hit the high seas were our first priorities. Luckily the Royal Caribbean app was there to provide maps, daily schedules, and details on all the venues for food and fun. As keto folk cruising it was important to us to understand our food options, the best ways to hydrate, where we could get physically active and of course what kind of sleep would we be getting. If you’re considering cruising honestly it can be a fantastic vacation opportunity for someone living a low carb lifestyle! There were always food options available in every venue including main dining, the buffet and cafes. Yes, you might need to adjust your order or move around some of the more tempting items but you never had to go hungry! They even had flavored sparking water and zero sugar options in the drink machines. The ship itself provided many opportunities for intentional activity and workouts. You are never lacking in steps on a ship but there was also a beautiful walking/running track on the top deck, a fully equipped gym and of course plenty of hot tubs & pools.
I’ll admit I was a bit of a skeptic stepping on board. I was definitely worried about sea sickness and rocking, but aside from 2 or 3 moments, mostly the last day when they were racing us back to Florida, I barely noticed anything. We were staying in an interior cabin as well and my claustrophobic side was worried but the room was great. It was spacious enough for the two of us and even became a quiet refuge from the chaos when needed. Once I figured out the ship’s layout I was able to confidently find the spots I liked best, usually the pool deck and the adult area. They even had Starbucks cold brew on board and knew my name and order by the 3rd morning! The crew of the ship was not only friendly but helpful and passionate about their ability to enhance your experience. Our server in Main Dining very quickly realized we didn’t need a bread basket and got to know our steak preferences. Oh yeah, I had their garlic butter escargot and discovered I am indeed an escargot lover, who knew?!
But this was not just an ordinary cruise… it was the Low Carb Cruise. So let’s talk about this amazing event.
The Event Itself
The Low Carb Cruise has been happening for years now and while facets of it resemble a traditional keto community event obviously the venue and it’s opportunities add a unique spin. There was actually a conference center on the ship and for 3 days of our cruise we had a very full but not overwhelming schedule of speakers and discussions. The LCC Committee busts their behinds to make each and every person in attendance feel welcome and to provide us with a truly enriching experience while we all have a lot of fun. Shout outs to Debbie, Kathy & Michelle for sure! Rachel & Joe aka the 2KrazyKetos (Check their YouTube here!) were our MC’s and started every day off with incomparable energy! Their own passion for this life style and the community were evident every moment they spoke. Each day also featured a full slate of well educated speakers from across the low carb community bringing us different topics that ranged from mindset work to the biochemical mechanisms of insulin and our fat cells. This year’s slate & topics included:
Coach Jessica Reynolds, “When Food is a Stronghold: Overcoming Emotional & Compulsive Eating”
Dr. Brian Lenses, “Smooth Sailing or Rough Waters: How Lifestyle Affects Metabolic Health”
Bronson Dant, “Principles Over Protocols: The Key to Success is You”
Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, “Biomarker Tracking for Cardiometabolic Health”
Ask Nurse Cindy, “Lighten Up! An Optimistic Approach to Our Health Journeys!”
Dr. Donald Vega, “Success Leaves Clues: 10 Lessons from Patients Who Have Had Success”
Dr. Tony Hampton, Is it Time for the Low Carb Community to Embrace Fruit Again?”
Natalie Grasso, “Build Your Body, Build Your Life: The Secret to Health & Body Transformation Beyond Age 40”
Dr. Csilla Ari D’Agostino, “Neuroprotective & Behavioral Benefits of Ketones”
Maria Emmerich, “Protein vs Fat for Health & Weight Loss”
Mitzi Champion & Rebekah Bavry, “Dr. Ken Barry’s Proper Human Diet Q&A”
Dr. Tro Kalayjian, “Understanding Food Addiction: Never Fail a Diet Again”
Dr. Lucia Aronica, “What if a Keto Diet Could Transform the Way You Eat Forever?”
Joe & Rachel Stauffer, “How to Make an A$$ Out of Yourself!”
Dr. Ben Bikman, “Shrinking Fat Cells: Energy vs Insulin”
Michelle Hall & Jen Winkler’s Personal Testimonials
And of course…
Jonathan Shane, “Women Deserve Better: Empowering True Healing Through Bio-Individual Ketogenic Diets!”
Rachel & Joe even provided opportunities for the audience to share their stories, and I got a few minutes to talk about my journey and how I honestly never thought I’d be physically capable of even going on a cruise! As you can see it was a wide range of diverse topics discussed and they provided something for everyone regardless of where you were at in your learning process and journey. Each day also contained a Q&A session with the day’s speakers so you could dive deeper into their topics or just get their opinions on your question. I especially enjoyed when they were asked their personal favorite meals on their low carb journeys!
I’d be remiss as well if I didn’t say, as biased as it sounds, Coach Jon crushed his speech! If you have never seen him speak he is as engaging and energetic on stage as he appears in his posts and videos. It was a powerful experience to see him speak with authority and passion about how there are ways that our currently models of research and application can overlook the bio-individual needs of women at times. To say I am proud of him for standing strong as he shared some opinions and experience that contradict some of the louder messages in the health space would be an understatement. We will be doing a deeper dive into his work on this in a future blog, so watch for that!
The Committee also arranged many opportunities for us to just come together and talk including sitting together in the Main Dining Room and a fantastic 1920s themed party night in our own venue, complete with a DJ and the electric slide! The Low Carb Cruise never lost focus on the topics and issues that brought us all together and ensured that you left with a greater understanding of this lifestyle that so many of us use to thrive in our personal lives.
The Community
I’d be leaving out a huge component of this experience if I focused exclusively on the speakers and their presentations, or the features of the ship. Namely, the Low Carb Cruise attendees and the community we created together on our 9 day adventure. At most low carb events you may find time to have personal discussions throughout the day but often head back to your hotel or off on your dinner plans with close acquaintances. Here we were all together in one place which provided the opportunity for discussions to continue and deepen as the days progressed. Connections and true friendships could be built outside the confines of a conference room and often did. Some of my favorite moments were talking to other attendees in the pool or late night in the Cafe scraping the toppings off a slice of pizza. We were able to hear the personal stories and experiences of so many people we had never met before in a way I know I have never experienced. I have left every low carb event I have ever attended feeling energized and driven, but with this one there was just something different and I truly believe it was the capability to start a discussion and have it continue to grow as the cruise progressed. The extended time allowed us all to move past the surface and find deeper connections. Seeing the individual experiences of each attendee was definitely a unique and life changing event.
In Closing…
The Low Carb Cruise 2024 was such an incredible experience and is certainly a way to continue your growth and understanding of the low carb lifestyle while also finding time to enjoy yourself. We often attend keto events with the intention of socializing and having fun adventures in a new location but soon get overwhelmed by scheduling and FOMO. On the LCC you can indeed have the best of both worlds in an environment that is open and supportive of everyone regardless of where you are in your personal journey. We also discovered that cruising itself can be a great experience when you are living an active ketogenic lifestyle! Sound like fun? Be sure to check out next year’s cruise that is going to… ALASKA! And heck, you never know, you might see some familiar faces on board!
