Weight Watchers Tips While On Vacation

[KerriK85]

I recently lost a full 25 pounds and i would HATE to gain anything back while on vacation in a few days. Has anyone counted their points while staying in florida on vacation? or any tips that helped you? of course walking is gonna get me some activity points, so im happy about that! lol

By the way, keep this thread going even past the vacation, i think it can help any others in my situation!

 

[kapoof]

eat healthy cereal and fruit for breakfast (skip the pancakes) for lunch a salad perhaps, and dinner something lighter chicken or fish with veggies, don't forget to fill up on water during the day. also allow yourself an ice cream mickey bar for dessert. for snacks some crackers or a granola bar, or more fruit. the daily walking will be a great workout itself! have fun!

 

[stacyleigh1978]

I'll be on WW as well while we're on the trip. So far, I have lost 45 pounds. Vacations always make me nervous because I'm so worried about gaining some of the weight back. My biggest problem was always soda, snacking, and lack of exercise. In Disney, obviously exercise will not be an issue. I plan on drinking plenty of water instead of the Coke that I normally would have chosen. In terms of using our snack credit, I'll probably choose a bag of popcorn each day. I love popcorn and it's probably one of the healthiest choices on the snack menu (a piece of fruit is a better option, but I know I won't end up choosing it!).

Best of luck in your weight loss journey!

 

[LuvMikEMouse]

DH and I plan to share meals. While he doesn't need to lose weight, he's very supportive. We will share then get something more if we need it. I will definitely stay away from the bread basket. If I have a sandwich, I'll remove at least half of the bread. Most restaurant meals are really two meals! Probably the main thing is to be aware of what you are eating. I think Disney is the only place I've gone on vacation where I haven't gained weight! Good luck and don't fret too much, all that walking will do wonders for you!

 

[LaurieN]

I'll be on WW as well while we're on the trip. So far, I have lost 45 pounds. Vacations always make me nervous because I'm so worried about gaining some of the weight back. My biggest problem was always soda, snacking, and lack of exercise. In Disney, obviously exercise will not be an issue. I plan on drinking plenty of water instead of the Coke that I normally would have chosen. In terms of using our snack credit, I'll probably choose a bag of popcorn each day. I love popcorn and it's probably one of the healthiest choices on the snack menu (a piece of fruit is a better option, but I know I won't end up choosing it!).

Best of luck in your weight loss journey!

Watch out for the popcorn!!! It's cooked in oil, so there may be a lot of hidden calories in it (that's why it tastes so good).

 

[pepperw23]

I take the calories that I would normally be allowed to eat in a day and I divide them up based on what meal I want to enjoy most on vacation, then I eat whatever I want.

For example if I can have 1500 calories in a day, and I know I want a cheeseburger later, I will treat breakfast and lunch accordingly. Don't forget to add in your exercise!

I do this about once a week or so even when I am not on vacation. I have lost 25 pounds since March using 1200-1500 calories a day and 60 minutes of cardio broken out in to sessions.

 

[OceanAnnie]

DH and I plan to share meals. While he doesn't need to lose weight, he's very supportive. We will share then get something more if we need it. I will definitely stay away from the bread basket. If I have a sandwich, I'll remove at least half of the bread. Most restaurant meals are really two meals! Probably the main thing is to be aware of what you are eating. I think Disney is the only place I've gone on vacation where I haven't gained weight! Good luck and don't fret too much, all that walking will do wonders for you!

We plan to do this too. We have done it before and it works out great. It's always too much food for us. Most of the time we aren't real hungry anyway because of the heat. We're usually more thirsty than hungry and we will stick with water or unsweetened ice tea.

I have only lost 10 lbs., but it is a big accomplishment for me. It was the most stubborn 10 lbs. I have ever met! I'm not inviting those pounds back, that's for sure. I hope to lose 10 more over time.

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

I'm going to go to opposite route and say, it's vacation, you should eat. That said, I don't mean pig out and go crazy! DH and I did weight watchers and although we don't count points anymore, we are really more aware of what we eat, portion size, etc. Just be aware...I say enjoy yourself but don't go crazy and I promise you won't gain the weight back!

We went on a long weekend to WDW about 2 months after we started weight watchers. We shared CS meals because the portion sizes are so big but we must have gone WAY over points. With all the walking, when we got back, I was pretty much even (lost something like .6 pounds) and DH ended up losing 4 pounds!!

 

[OceanAnnie]

I'm going to go to opposite route and say, it's vacation, you should eat. That said, I don't mean pig out and go crazy! DH and I did weight watchers and although we don't count points anymore, we are really more aware of what we eat, portion size, etc. Just be aware...I say enjoy yourself but don't go crazy and I promise you won't gain the weight back!

We went on a long weekend to WDW about 2 months after we started weight watchers. We shared CS meals because the portion sizes are so big but we must have gone WAY over points. With all the walking, when we got back, I was pretty much even (lost something like .6 pounds) and DH ended up losing 4 pounds!!

I will say, if we're hungry we are going to eat! If I'm hungrier than normal there will be no sharing, that's for sure! But the beauty of sharing to me is I can eat some of the desserts. Usually by the time I've finished a meal that I haven't shared, I have no room for a dessert. Zero. I'm not a big dessert person, but at WDW I do like one now and then.

I do factor in the walking too.

 

[r&kmommy]

I think ALL the walking will offset any treats you may allow yourself... I agree with kapoof! If you eat healthy 99.9% of the time, allowing yourself one treat a day, drink tons of water and maybe a splurge meal or two during the week you will be FINE! There's so much walking (not to mention sweatting weight off LOL!!) that I doubt you will gain anything!! Good luck!

 

[Melani]

Don't be tempted by the fudge. It's awful!

It looks SO GOOOOD, but when you take a bite it's this really weird artificial fat tasting thing. Almost like the used Vaseline or something. Not like real fudge at all.

We tried fudge at BW, Main St. & CR. All awful.

So just walk away knowing you're not missing a thing but over whelming guilt that you wasted calorie & $ on that stuff.

The cream chees pretzels on the other hand

 

[Minniemama350]

I think ALL the walking will offset any treats you may allow yourself... I agree with kapoof! If you eat healthy 99.9% of the time, allowing yourself one treat a day, drink tons of water and maybe a splurge meal or two during the week you will be FINE! There's so much walking (not to mention sweatting weight off LOL!!) that I doubt you will gain anything!! Good luck!

I lost 30lbs on weight watchers and was running 12 miles a week and did not have this experience. I gained 4-5 lbs. The walking makes you tired and hungry, but unless your metabolism is really burning high, I would not start thinking I can eat anything anytime. You basically have two choices if you want to be sure: 1) count your points(you can get a point converter from WW online store) 2) eat sensibly and drink water unless you are allowing yourself a treat. I would allow myself predetermined treats. BTW, I also had a very hard time upon my return going back to 22 points a day. Good luck! I hope you are successful!

 

[Dollyrar]

I've lost 19lb on weight watchers so far in 8 weeks, in anticipation of my WDW vacation in 4 months I've still got a bit to lose, but Disney is my reward for working hard all year. I sure as hell won't be taking my weight watchers points counter with me!
I've found that once you're aware of how much food you actually need each day (much less than you think, I'm afraid! ), that it helps make the choices needed in order to keep things in balance. Deep down, I think we all KNOW what we should be eating and doing in order to not put on weight, it's just that it takes preparation and planning. This is my problem, in that it is easier to get takeaway food on the way home than it is to shop, prepare and clean-up my own meals at home. That and having a desk-job, which is no excuse in itself, but it does make it a bit easier to start piling the pounds on.
On a spontaneous vacation though, I do not want to be planning what I want to eat every day, let alone dictating/guessing what the other 3 people I'm with will want each day.
My plan is to get to the lower half of my healthy bmi, and if I put a few lb's on over the 2 weeks I'm there, hopefully I should still be in my healthy range or thereabouts. Either way, I'll just address it when I get back to the real world.
My only rules will be to just have the standard size of foods (no 'super-sizing' etc), and to have a smaller/healthier main course if I fancy a dessert. I don't want to be calorie counting when I'm spending quality magic time with my family.
Well done on the amazing weight-loss you've achieved, and I hope you have a fantastic vacation!

 

[Friendofpluto]

Does any of the restaurants have nutritional information at Disney? Otherwise it is hard to tell if you really are ordering healthy. One exception, at Le Cellier- I order my favorites all the time.

 

[scottish/canadian]

When I mom and I went away for the weekend (not to Disney sadly), I did some prep work before we went. I looked up the nutritional info online for many of our favourite restaurants and figured out what would be the most points friendly options. I put all of that info on a handy little cheat sheet and I could pull it out to reference if we went to that place. No nutritional info online = do not go there as they are probably hiding something! It was a great little exercise as I learned that what I was ordering and thinking was healthy, really wasn't - but I was able to find a better option and even leave room for a breadstick or two at the Olive Garden! I even factored in a Cold Stone or Auntie Anne's pretzel and usually had points left each day without using any extras!

 

[CathieArms]

I've been doing WW on and off for about 4 years and I've had great success with this program.

I have two thoughts on WW and going to WDW. The first is that you DON'T want to gain all of your weight back, but you also want to enjoy the food at the various restaurants. So, this is my best advice:

1. Fruits and Veggies are your friends! As often as you can, order fruits/veggies as a side accompaniment to something that would normally come with fries.
2. ENJOY your food. By that I mean, take a bite and put your fork down to chew. Don't hold your fork in your hand while you're chewing because then you're more likely to shovel move food in faster.
2. Don't be afraid to try something new, but LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. When your body starts saying "I'm not hungry any longer," then it's time to stop...regardless of how good it is.
3. You're not wasting food if you don't finish everything on your plate, because - when you eat beyond "satisfied" - you're wasting your money on WW as well as the time you've invested in the program. So, choose what you'll waste: your time, energies and money that you've already invested, or the food in front of you when you're not hungry.
4. Order/share desert, but remember that the first bite is ALWAYS the best bite. After that, it's just another bite. So eat a bite or two and maybe pack it up for someone else to eat later.

I hope those tips help...

 

[katybugsmom]

Thanks for all the tips! I'm getting ready to start WW in anticipation of our trip to WDW in December!

 

[HMGar]

My husband and I have both lost weight and have been working at it since August of last year. We were concerned about this issue when we took a Disney trip in October only a few months after starting our diet. We were both really pleased to discover that after our trip we hadn't gained any of our weight back and we hadn't been particularly careful about what we ordered in the restaurants. We didn't pig out, but we certainly didn't say no to the rice crispy treats either. I guess all of the walking each day kept the weight in check.

I say go and enjoy yourself, but don't go crazy. The exercise each day should balance out the extra calories you consume during meal times.

 

[bangzoom6877]

I'm a Lifetime Member of WW and I am always nervous about gaining weight on vacation. The walking at WDW helps, but I'm a person who does intense exercise 5-6 days a week, which includes intense cardio and weightlifting. The walking I do at WDW (with 2 small children) is definitely not getting my heart rate up enough to consider it cardio. But I am neurotic and I will exercise on vacation (I've done it many times before). That said, other things you can do:

1. Try and stick with the filling foods as much as you can. Even if you are not formally measuring food and counting points, these foods will satisfy you faster, you will feel better physically (they're not rich foods in the heat). Stick to fruits as snacks, salads with chicken for lunch, etc.

2. At buffet lunches or dinners, fill up on veggies first. Choose lean sources of protein and limit fried foods and cream sauces and soups.

3. Drink lots of water...you will need to in order to avoid dehydration.

4. Don't eat until you are completely stuffed. You should feel satisfied, not hungry, yet comfortable.

5. Allow yourself some treats here and there. If you don't, you may binge later on something you don't even enjoy as much anyway. Have a little, get it out of your system, move on.

6. Make sure not to obsess about food, and enjoy Disney World for ALL it has to offer. Take in all the attractions, the sites, the beauty of each theme park, enjoy the people you are with and your resort too!

Sticking to the above 6 things should help you to avoid any major weight gain, you should feel well physically while doing this, and when you get home it will be much easier to start counting your points again daily!

 

[qtwns]

Does any of the restaurants have nutritional information at Disney? Otherwise it is hard to tell if you really are ordering healthy. One exception, at Le Cellier- I order my favorites all the time.

I want to know this, too. We're planning a Sept. trip and I should be at my final goal by then. But I want to maintain and not gain.