Best places to eat without feeling stuffed

[pooh2001]

We do not want to do an ADR for any buffet.
My DH always eats too much and gains weight at WDW

Any suggestions ?
We do mostly EPCOT and MK
One day at AK and maybe 2 days at DHS if it is finally updated
We will stay in a studio at the BWV
We tend to do 9 or 10 days in WDW.

We like $ and $$ per entree prices, but would consider two $$$ meals.

Please suggest where you would eat.

Thank you for your expertise

 

[Wild4Walt]

At a lot of TS locations it seems the view is the bigger the better, but I'm with you. I'd like to enjoy my meal but not feel stuffed or overfull the whole trip. We tend to do more QS because of that, but a few TS that we found to be closer to the serving portions you'd see at a local restaurants are:

• 9 Dragons at Epcot.
  
• BOG at MK
• Sci Fi Dinner theater at HS
• Yak and Yeti in AK

We also have shared meals when there was something we both liked and did more lunch TS than dinner. It allowed for more time to 'walk it off' which helped with the full feeling.

Of course, it's all relative depending on your daily food intake on an average day.

 

[hakepb]

I love Teppan Edo (Japan) towards the end of a trip because it doesn’t make me feel overly full. Plus the flavors are nicely balanced.

 

[arminnie]

I often order a QS child's meal if they have something other than burgers and nuggets. For table service I usually just get an appetizer.

 

[steg]

Tutto Gusto Wine Bar, Kimonos/Tokyo Dining, Spice Road Table for Tapas/Apps

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I agree with Spice Road Table for the small plates and apps. I usually also get the lamb sliders there and share them as you get 3. Tokyo Dining and Kimono's as well (Kimono's has the better sushi).

In MK, I would do Skipper Canteen. I had their fish dish and it was very light. The Wave at CR also has lighter dishes.

In AK, perhaps just go to Nomad and order apps.

 

[monorailsilver]

I haven't been in 4 years so I can't comment on where to eat but when we went 4 yrs ago, I lost 5 lbs!

I have never lost weight in Disney, you know eat breakfast, then have a chocolate covered banana, then lunch, so,e kind or ice cream, dinner and then some treat.

What I did differently is we drank water. Soda was only allowed on pool days and we were in the pool all day long. We ate CS so we knew what we were getting, DH and I would split a salad and another entree (from CS). I think we only felt full when we ate at WCC and when I was still eating crab legs at CM while the rest of my family was on dessert!

We love the salad from the sunshine food court in the land. We have it at least twice. And we are by no means skinny people!

 

[disneyvoice]

My DH and I can't stand feeling stuffed at WDW. Here's what we do.

We still make ADRs but when we have an ADR we severely limit our food the rest of the day. We aren't breakfast eaters so we usually just skip breakfast when we are at WDW as well. We will then eat our first meal at around 11:00. Sometimes that is an ADR but usually it is us just sharing something more creative from a QS. Then we will do an ADR around 6:00 but we usually split an entree or some appetizers. We also like to go to the TS restaurants but sit at the bar instead of making ADRs. That way we can share a few appetizers and drinks. We rarely ever both order our own entree. We rarely get snacks at WDW - we simply aren't that hungry for snacks. If we see a snack that sounds good and we are hungry, we will just split it but then we won't eat a meal after that unless we are hungry. We don't strep about cancellation fees for ADRs. Typically if we decide we aren't hungry for an ADR I will just reschedule the ADR for a day sometime in the future and then cancel that ADR. But if it isn't possible to reschedule it we cancel anyway and just take the penalty fee (sometimes you have to call to cancel an ADR for the same day, you can't always do it via the App). We would rather lose $20 then go to the ADR and force ourselves to eat when we aren't hungry.

At Epcot we love Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar. They have some great shareable plates. We sit in the little alcove with the sofas, have an shareable platter and some wine. We also really love Spice Road Table - they also have some great shareable items. Tangierine Cafe is also a great place to share a platter. We LOVE the Mexican Slaw at the QS place in Mexico. We will split the cheese empanadas and ask for an additional order of the Mexican Slaw. Les Halles in France has some sandwiches that can be shared that are yummy. Sunshine Seasons has some really great healthier options that are smaller or shareable too.

At MK we love to split the Mac n Cheese (especially the BBQ chicken version) at Friar's Nook although they might be changing the menu there. Columbia Harbor House is also great for splitting items. We actually love Casey's Corner so we often split a hot dog and fries there.

At AK we usually split something a Flame Tree BBQ, however there are a LOT of really interesting options at the various carts and the Marketplace area (check current menus) so we sometimes opt for those.

I don't have a lot of advice about HS because we haven't been there in awhile.

Honestly though if you know you are going to share things you can really eat anywhere you want at WDW (besides the buffets) and have a yummy, satisfying meal without feeling stuffed.

We find that even when we limit our food our weight is still up a bit when we get home for a day or two simply because all the food at WDW has so much sodium. After a few days we are typically back to normal weight. If we have done a lot of walking sometimes we have even lost weight!

 

[holden]

I just eat a salad or an appetizer if I don't want to be too full.

 

[fla4fun]

I think the biggest thing you can do NOT to feel stuffed is avoid the dining plan. There's just too much food if you eat it all.

When you go OOP, you just buy what you really want. Want a full breakfast? Get it. Want a salad instead of a steak? Get it. No app or dessert? No problem. I always pay OOP, I don't eat at buffets, and I'm never stuffed when I leave a restaurant because I only purchase what I'm hungry for.

If you like to dine light, I suggest looking over the appetizers at the various TS restaurants as well as the lounge menus. There are often items that work well for a meal. For example, I like the General Tso's appetizer at Nine Dragons because it's like Chinese slider sandwiches. If I'm a little hungrier than that, I might order a side of rice or veggies, depending on the mood.

 

[Eastern]

I lost weight on our last trip. Skipped breakfast, early lunch, drink water all day, light dinner, don't eat all the fries. Had an occasional cocktail. We don't usually get dessert. You can eat anywhere, just make careful choices and order less than you think you'll need. You can always get a snack later if you are starving.

If you are there during food and wine, just have a couple plates for lunch or dinner.

 

[gillep]

I also hate feeling too full, I don't think it has much to do with where you eat, as what you eat. I can eat at my favorite buffet (Boma) and leave happy, but not stuffed, by just eating small amounts of my favorites. I also usually get appetizers vs entrees, and split QS meals with DH, so that we can each have a couple of our favorite snacks too.

 

[Lady de Winter]

I think the more expensive restaurants strive for quality over quantity, so I'd go that direction. A few places let you choose the size of things like steak, such as whether you'd like the 6 oz or 10 oz filet. You can ask them not to bring the bread service. Have you tried Jiko? The portions I've had there have always been very reasonable and the timing of the service isn't rushed, so you don't eat past the full mark and don't realize it. It usually has decent availability as well.

I also agree with the suggestions of eating in the lounges and sharing food when you both want the same things.

 

[lovethesun12]

I think it's more of what you eat than where you eat. If he doesn't want that feeling he can check out the menus in advance. Most offer chicken/salads/salmon which will always leave you feeling better than ribs/etc.

 

[seashell7290]

Just ate at Tiffin's at AK. Smallest portions of delicious food I have ever had. Pretty difficult to be stuffed there if you ask me.

 

[Laurieannc]

You can get wonderful and healthy food at Kimonos in the Swan. Also, you might consider eating at the bar at Flying Fish and doing only the apps. We also like to split a salad and a pizza at Via Napoli. You can also go to Il Mulino or BlueZoo and get some of the lighter fare. At DHS go to Brown Derby and get the cobb salad and a soup--very filling meal that won't make you feel stuffed.

 

[olliesmom]

I don't really have any specific restaurant recommendations, because I would say most of the serving sizes at WDW are quite large! DH rarely wants to split anything, but when I travel with my mom we tend to split an appetizer and entree and it works perfectly for us! Or we order three appetizers and split them between us. I haven't come across a restaurant yet that had an issues with splitting menu items (TS) and would often even plate them separately for us. We make sure to tip well for their extra effort, and it's a dining style that lets us sample a lot of different foods without being uncomfortably full!

Sometimes we also go the kids meal route, but I find the adult entrees are generally a lot more interesting.

 

[HopperFan]

We like just ordering a few appetizers to share. Marrakesh is one of our favorites, some beers and entertainment along with it.

 

[pooh2001]

Thank you for the suggestions