Disney Diet?

[Barahona6]

Me and my good Friend that is going on Princess weekend with me in May have both started a Weight Loss Challenge. Our trip is smack in the middle of our challenge. We have to weigh in every Sunday and post our weight. I am sure the hotel will have a scale at the gym or at least I hope!

Can anyone point me in the direction of calorie friendly places to eat. I would hate to sabotage our hard work. Although the Conewiches may have to be a cheat, perhaps shared among us all!

 

[worm761]

Nutritional information isn't readily available. Though some have noticed that BOG lunch menu has nutritional info available on Disney's website.

The best you can do is try to make healthy choices, eat proper portions, and remember that you are walking off half of what you eat.

 

[princessatheart90]

It's easier than you think to be on a diet in WDW and you will still enjoy yourself! Do your research and take a look at the menus ahead of time. A lot of the restaurants have healthy options for sit down service and counter service. You can substitute apple slices instead of fries, veggie burgers are available, grilled chicken sandwiches, and salads. Fresh fruit is also available in all of the parks if you would like that as a snack. You can also bring snacks into the parks. I bring Clif Bars, little ziploc baggies of almonds, carrot sticks etc. These are a few of my favorites to give you an idea

MK:
Columbia Harbor House - the grilled salmon with cous cous is delicious, the light house sandwich (hummus, tomato, broccoli slaw)
Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe - the grilled chicken sandwich is good, and you can get it with either apple slices or a cucumber salad, greek salad, veggie burgers, and turkey sandwiches are also on the menu
The Plaza Restaurant: the chicken strawberry salad is great!
Crystal Palace Lunch & Dinner - they have a variety of salads, veggies, fish, chicken, you name it!
Terrace Noodle Station - stir fry noodles, tofu is a stir in option

Epcot:
Japan Pavillion - Teppan Edo for the sushi sample, plus either the garden salad or the miso soup
Sunshine Seasons at The Land has lots of healthy sandwiches

DHS:
50's Prime Time Cafe - try the multigrain spaghetti with vegetarian meatballs

 

[princessallegra]

DH and I share a lot which really helps. I eat tons of salads which also helps. The amount of walking really really helps to burn calories. I would just be careful not to eat a ton of fried greasy foods and drink lots and lots of water! Good luck!

 

[FirstTimeDisneyVisit]

You will lose weight just by walking the parks all day no matter what you eat . I ate like a pig at WDW i was living it up ! when i got home i was so afraid to weigh my self but , to my surprise i lost 11pds !

 

[tony609]

I was having this same concern. I've been on jenny Craig. I'm on my 12th week now and have list 45lbs. So far..I want to loose about 40 more. I won't loose it before Wdw but I wouldn't mind 10 more pounds.. Lol prior to trip.

I will be off my diet to a point at Wdw but I will try and eat small portions and make better choices. I'm sure a few desserts will happen but hopefully with walking I won't gain much this upcoming may.

 

[appleorchard]

You will lose weight just by walking the parks all day no matter what you eat . I ate like a pig at WDW i was living it up ! when i got home i was so afraid to weigh my self but , to my surprise i lost 11pds !

Nice but I wouldn't count on it. That's highly unusual unless you were there for a month. Anyone who expects this is in for a rude awakening.

Even though I eat less and walk a good 10 miles per day at Disney, I GAIN weight temporarily, for several reasons.

I normally eat low carb. When I increase my carbs by any amount, I GAIN 2-3 pounds overnight. If you've been eating low carb, you might experience the same.

The heat and extra sodium cause me to retain fluid, which is good for a few pounds.

Increasing my exercise level by such a significant amount damages muscles and ALSO causes temporary water weight gain; damaged muscles hold fluid to heal themselves.

I'm over 60, which can impact weight gain and loss. I also have more problems than most with fluid imbalances. So YMMV. But I normally gain around 5-6 pounds in a week, not just at Disney, but any time I change my eating pattern.

Just wanted to give a realistic picture to whether or not you might lose weight. Walking burns far fewer calories than you think it does. Walking steadily for 3 full hours at 2 mph(a fairly slow pace) burns about 580 calories if you weigh 150 pounds. The trouble is, most of us stop and start when walking at Disney--we don't walk continuously.

 

[NuJoy]

I always gain weight by 1 pound per day. It doesn't matter if it is a long trip or short, eat a ton or a little. Disney food makes me puffy and swollen. Last 10-day trip in October, I lost 4 lbs. after returning from Disney by just not eating Disney food.

 

[katt789]

I do my best to eat healthy while in Disney, and find that it is fairly easy.

CS places usually have either salads or sandwiches, and I'll pick off the top piece of bread to get less carb in there.
-Portion your meals mainly protein, then veggies, then startch. Columbia Harbor House in Mk has some salmon and green bean type meals, same with Sunshine Seasons

-Kids meals are another good option, smaller portions (which is a main concern when looking to lose weight) and you can have carrots, apples or grapes or yogurt instead of fries/desserts. I've also subbed in those options for an adult meal as well.

 

[Enjoying Life]

Since I eat healthy regularly, I am able to cheat for a day or two here and there. Vacation is the time I cheat so...But if you asking how to eat healthy at Disney:

Treat healthy eating at Disney like you would eating out at any regular restaurants or fast food places. Avoid eating foods like pizza, hot dogs, soups, pasta, bacon, ham, pork, turkey, and chicken. (yes I said chicken). Avoid extras like ketchup, mustard, pickles, and CHEESE!

What's left to eat? Look for fish, fruits, and salads (with very little dressing). You can also eat a steak or a hamburger. Have as much lettuce, tomato, mushroom , and onions as you want. Here's the catch: you can only eat beef twice a week, and that includes all meals.

The problem with eating chicken at a restaurant as opposed to fish or beef is that the chicken is going to be loaded with all the extra chemicals and preservatives that cause inordinate amounts of unnecessary sodium. Fish and Beef is going to have less of that extra sodium. Fresh shellfish like shrimp, crabs, clams, and oysters are also good if you can get them.

 

[Enjoying Life]

I was having this same concern. I've been on jenny Craig. I'm on my 12th week now and have list 45lbs. So far..I want to loose about 40 more. I won't loose it before Wdw but I wouldn't mind 10 more pounds.. Lol prior to trip.

I will be off my diet to a point at Wdw but I will try and eat small portions and make better choices. I'm sure a few desserts will happen but hopefully with walking I won't gain much this upcoming may.

WOW! congratulations on the weight loss.. It's a lifestyle change and not a diet.. Kudos to you.

 

[Jadeey]

And make sure you avoid the soda no matter how tempting just one glass of coke sounds!

 

[Enjoying Life]

And make sure you avoid the soda no matter how tempting just one glass of coke sounds!

Agree. Most soda fountain stations have the Minute Maid Lite Lemonade which is a good option, as well as ice tea and good old fashioned water. But a wine or other adult beverage is good too!

 

[Enjoying Life]

The reason people feel bloated and swollen is because of the high sodium levels of the processed foods sold at Disney. Salt (sodium) makes you retain water.

Take Disney's turkey legs for example: A fresh smoked turkey leg is a delicious healthy food. It is naturally low in sodium. I can eat it like candy on my healthy diet. The turkey legs sold at Disney have been chemically processed and packaged in factories making them unhealthy and something I would AVOID like a sold out Justin Beiber conert!

A fresh turkey leg has 150 mg of natural sodium in it, while the processed and packaged Disney turkey leg has 1500 mg. AVOID!!

 

[tinkerpea]

You know what I can totally relate to the whole bloating thing at Disney!
Coming from the UK the food at Disney is so different from what we are used to here at home! I normally eat quite a varied diet of healthy foods and treats, when I go to Disney I actually always end up losing a few lbs due to the heat and all the walking so I totally agree with the pp who said about weight loss BUT I also end up bloating badly by the end of the 1st wk and on one trip I up on 8lbs of WATER I'm only 5ft and around 8stone 8 so that was so much water that nothing fit me that evening and I had to cancel dinner!!
Luckily I take water tablets and so I took a few extra and managed to rid myself of it by the next day " by the way I knew exactly how much water id put on as I always take digital scales with me lmao"

Anyways I try and only eat dessert every other night and I try not to eat too many fries lol but its always so hard to eat at Disney as even when you think it's a healthy choice it seems its not!!!

 

[Kalea]

I don't have any useful information or suggestions.

But I'm on weight watchers, and had been on the plan for 6 months when DH & I traveled to Italy in February. I took a complete break and spent 10 days eating whatever I wanted--pastries, wine, pasta, gelato, etc.

We did quite a bit of walking, but nothing super strenuous. I gained 5 lbs total. It took me 2 weeks to get back to my pre-trip weight and get back on track with WW.

 

[PrincessMe]

I'm another lucky one who always comes home from Disney a few pounds lighter even though I eat a horrifying amount of sugar. 7 pounds on the last trip. I credit the walking. We averaged just over 10 miles a day on our last trip.

I do not follow any formal diet rules at Disney but do tend to (1) split all of my treats with my husband, (2) only eat when I'm actually hungry (and stop when I've had enough); and (3) only eat those things I really want. The last one is key for me - I don't worry about nutrition on vacation and I don't waste calories on things I don't really want. That may mean I have a bowl of soup and dessert for dinner or a soft pretzel and a dark chocolate caramel for lunch. I'm not a huge eater and I know that I won't usually be hungry for snacks and dessert if I eat full entrees. Kids meals are great for breakfast.

Finally, it helps that my eternally thin husband is a vacuum cleaner and will happily finish everything when I decide I want one bite of every treat that is available in Epcot. So I don't have to choose between waste and waist. (Sorry for the bad pun - it is late and I'm feeling punchy)

One more thing.... I think it is more important to resume eating healthily the minute you get back from vacation than it is to worry about exactly what you are eating while you are away.

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

I always gain weight by 1 pound per day. It doesn't matter if it is a long trip or short, eat a ton or a little. Disney food makes me puffy and swollen. Last 10-day trip in October, I lost 4 lbs. after returning from Disney by just not eating Disney food.

That's the sodium!!!!


My tips...

Watch the sodium (aka, watch the bread and bakery items)

Which in turn will turn down the carbs

Drink lots of water to counteract the sodium

Olive oil and lemon makes wonderful salad dressing

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

I don't know if this will work for everyone.. But DH and I LOST 7lbs each over a week at WDW!!

But DH and I do a version of the Akins diet.. (Not by choice, it just happens)
Both DH and I LOVE steak/ prime rib..
So we don't eat very much during the day.. Saving room for our big meal TS of the day..

By looking at what we ate last time we Really did stay away from the the bread..

Morning we will have some ham and few eggs..
Lunch do a taco salad..
Dinner we order steak or prime rib.
We both eat our steak or prime rib 1st.. So by the time we get around to the side dishes we are just FULL FULL FULL..


O yes! Lots and lots of water!!!
We only ever drink water, milk or juice...

( we try to set a good example for our kids by not drinking soda why we are on vacation) plus I don't want to deal with a sugar crash later..

 

[cymbaldiva]

Me and my good Friend that is going on Princess weekend with me in May have both started a Weight Loss Challenge. Our trip is smack in the middle of our challenge. We have to weigh in every Sunday and post our weight. I am sure the hotel will have a scale at the gym or at least I hope!

Can anyone point me in the direction of calorie friendly places to eat. I would hate to sabotage our hard work. Although the Conewiches may have to be a cheat, perhaps shared among us all!

Stick with the same plan you're on at home and remember that 99% of Disney food does NOT taste nearly as good as it looks so it's not worth the calories or fat grams.

Truth.