Dieting at Disney

[run4fungrl]

I am planning my first trip to Disney and arriving on my 33rd birthday! I am also on Weight Watchers! I would appreciate any low cal food tips and general tips that anyone can give. Thank you so very much!

 

[firemanx]

well i dont know how long your trip is for but cheating wouldnt be a bad idea @ disney as it releases leptin in the body and cause u not to have cravings and actually will speed your weight loss. So have a little fun and in my opinion cheat if its for a couple days then get back on the plan and start shedding

 

[PhoohWhoWho]

I am on WW too and i say have fun all the walking and sweating we will be doing will pay off! Just watch the snacking go for pop corn, Fruit, Yogurt. Have fun you will do great!

 

[alyssa810]

It's really hard to keep track of points at the parks, but know that you're going to be earning crazy activity points from all the walking!! drink lots of water, and just remember, if you fall on off track while on vacation, it's ok as long as you get right back on track once you're home. I'm a WWer too, and I almost always lose or stay the same, and I still manage to get in my creme brulees, no way joses, and ice cream cookie sandwiches, just in moderation; and I know that once I get back home, it's not as easy to have creme brulee, no way jose, or an ice cream cookie sandwich.
You can do it!! And it's going to be your birthday!

 

[BeccaGrace]

I'm on WW too and we are using the dining plan (gulp!)...My plan is to get lots of APs from walking and switch to Flex (I do Core) for the week. I am sharing meals with my 2 year old (who likes to eat!) and will eat healthy breakfasts, lighter lunches (at places that have carrots as a sub for fries), and allow myself to enjoy my dinners (including dessert) but make sure I only eat until I am satisfied and not view it as a week to eat everything in sight!!!

Another thing I did was check out all the menus on AllEars and figure out places I could make better choices and try to figure out rough points for things I may want to get...I didn't get too strict about it because I don;t want to think about food the whole week and would like to try some of the things I have heard so much about (Le Cellier cheese soup & pretzel bread!) but I figured if I try to pre-plan a bit I will make more educated choices or at least try for smaller portions of things that are important for me to try.

Hope this helps!!!!

 

[jann1033]

i was on ww whenwe went and hubby and i shared ts meals, most places have veggies and salads now, even counter. only thing is some of salads were predressed. i did good on the meals but fell part with snacks! that was asurpise as i did not think i would... oh well i had to do better than if i hadn't watched at all.

 

[goofie4goofy]

I always watch what I eat

What I usually eat in WDW

Breakfast=fruit, yogurt, coffee, water, a small muffin or 1/2 muffin or ww toast

Lunch=depends on where we eat, but usually salad with any cheese, sour cream, dressing removed....Brown Derby I have the tuna cobb...no avacado..Mexico...taco salad w chicken all fattening stuff removed and use salsa for dressing. Other than that I never eat anything fried, sauteed, breaded, drenched...well you get the idea. Keep in mind a serving of protein is the size of yourpalm and starch is the size of a golf ball.

For a snack I love Dole whips...just the pineapple and a pineapple spear.

I also love cocktails in Epcot espically Margaritas and Champagne

Chocolate covered strawberries are a great thing to eat really!


Dinner=usually a splurge meal for me. I will have an appetizer usually a lean protein like shrimp or sushi, salad (dressing on side) and always fish for an entree..I do eat carbs but cut the portion in half. I never eat from the bread basket either. Sometimes we will split a dessert if it's worth it. I have a cocktail while looking over the menu (vodka martini) and we always have wine with dinner.

I also stay away from SALT..popcorn, hotdogs,chips, pickles and drink tons of water, which I do anyway.

Well that's it...very easy..no secret...Really don't avoid any foods (except salty ones) enjoy in moderation and you will be fine.

 

[maxaroni]

I had planned to be very careful but wound up eating more than I would have liked. However, the walking and sweating balanced it out and I didn't gain a pound. I came home and right back on track.

 

[Ladyhawke10]

I've been on weight loss diets during a couple of my past trips, and during one two and a half week trip, I actually came back 10 lbs lighter!

Anyway, I remember trying to avoid most of the sit down restaurants (too frustrating) and eating mostly counter service w/ my family. I had the rice krispie treats for a luscious snack once a day (the ones I purchased were about 200 calories at the Boardwalk Inn's sweet shop). I drank lots of water from bottles I brought from home. I ordered soup as my entree as much as possible (the soup at the WL is awesome). I snacked on whole fruit and dole whips at the parks--also had one of those twists in adventureland w/ the frozen yogurt and orange juice--awesome. I never ate anything fried or packaged or preserved like hot dogs/ chips, etc.

I remember having a fantastic lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table that was a barbeque chicken breast. It came with an apple cake that I ate a few bites of. Awesome, and unfortunately, I recently saw it was no longer on the menu. I need to write for its reinstatement!

I remember great soup at Flying Fish and having a few bites of teriyaki chicken in Epcot, as well as barbeque chicken at Animal Kingdom.

Good luck! All the walking should help!

I think the most important thing I found was that eating lightly had absolutely no impact on how much fun I had on the trip. It was definitely just as great, if not greater, because I wasn't dealing with food coma at any point during the trip! I felt really good the whole time

 

[It's A Happy Day]

I have done quite a bit of menu research on this as I too am on a weight loss plan. Not weight watchers but still changed my eating habits and wanted to try to stay as close to my normal regime as possible...our last trip all I remember eating was burgers and chicken nuggets and fries for a week. Well after some research I found that most counter service meals include some healthy choices such as a variety of salads or wraps that you can request either no dressing or dressing to be put on the side. All sit down meals offer some great choices too such as fish, chicken, and also salads - again asking for sauces or dressings on the side will help too. As far as snacks there are healthy choices too - fruit stands that offer whole fruit choices and you can purchase bottled water or ask for a cup at counter service places for free. There are now many healthy choices to be found in the parks and resorts with minimal effort on the consumers part.

As other posters have mentioned...1st and foremost have a great trip, you will be doing alot of walking so it will help take care of those splurges you might have - I know I plan to enjoy a few desserts/goodies along the way and that if I fall off the track I will return to my normal routine once we return home.

 

[newholidayx2]

ahhhh I gained about 4lbs over our two week vacation Aug 13-27.
I did lots of walking - averaging 25,000 steps per day
tried to watch what I ate but I gained anyways
It was fun but now I need to get it off - pants are tight

 

[athenna]

I am planning my first trip to Disney and arriving on my 33rd birthday! I am also on Weight Watchers! I would appreciate any low cal food tips and general tips that anyone can give. Thank you so very much!

I am a lifetime WW member! I've lost 72 pounds
My #1 best peice of advice I can give you, is not too stress out about it too much, you don't want it ruining your vacation.

Most WDW restaurants now have healthy options-salads, veggie burgers, etc. Most fastfood places, you can get carrots instead of fries, which is helpful to me, when my travelling companions want burgers. Drink plenty of water. You'll be doing so much walking, that you'll earn tons of activity points!
I remember my 1st trip to WDW on program (last Nov) and we were at AK and had the munchies, that have a stand by the safari, w/all healthy options. I bought a bottle of water, and carrots, and it really did hit the spot.

More advice-if you have a favorite WDW treat, that you always get, or you would get if you weren't on program, DON'T turture yourself. Allow yourself the 1 treat or you'll probably regret it. My favorite WDW snack is those BIG chocolate chip cookies that the sell in the candy shop on Main St in the MK, no trip for me is complete if I don't have one. Even though I am devoted to program, I will not deny myself from having 1 per trip. And I always return having stayed the same or a pound down.
Good luck and let me know if I can help any more!

 

[Matt'sMom]

I agree with those who said that all of the walking and additional physical activity while at WDW will result in your burning more calories daily than what you likely burn while at home. That said, you should be ok with increasing your caloric intake proportionally while there.

My approach is simply to continue to make relatively healthy & informed dietary choices--while not depriving myself entirely of those foods that I would enjoy sampling. I looked over the menus at the TS restaurants where we have AR's, and checked for entrees that would fit within my normal diet (primarily fish/seafood and vegetable based dishes). I also scanned the menus for CS, and have noted those locations that likewise offer healthy choices (such as salmon, chicken that is not breaded or fried, vegetarian, etc.--there really are a variety of relatively healthy options available in each park). I will be drinking lots of water while at WDW, and plan to carry my own Splenda packets for sweetening iced tea during the TS meals (keeping my beverages calorie free). We are on the free dining plan, and will be there during the F&W Fest, so I will allow myself to 'splurge' a bit and sample a few of the deserts too--but plan to do so in moderation.

A visit to WDW need not be a threat to your weight loss/maintenance program. So go and enjoy your vacation, make informed & well thought out choices (while not depriving yourself), and you should be fine.

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

Just went back to WW after a 9 day vacation. I had regained 1.8 pounds. Even all the walking was not enough, probably because it was so HOT we didn't walk as much as usual. This was without any Ice cream and drinking only bottled water and a nightly cocktail before enjoying the Jacuzzi tub.
I couldn't resist having a sweet treat when everybody else in the family was having one. Should have bought a box of weight watcher ice cream treats to keep in the timeshare.
Good luck and have fun!

 

[VistaLeigh'smommy]

when I went for 2 weeks last March I gained 8 pounds! It was crazy! I ate everything in site and we didnt run around like crazy because we were there for so long so we took it really slow. yeeeesh was that a mistake!

My next trip was in August of last year and I learned from my mistakes. Every morning I ate oatmeal from the food court and it really filled me up. I also bought peanut butter and 2 slices a bread (I think it was a total of a dollar for all 3 items) I would grab the wax paper from the food court, and some jelly and make a sandwhich. I would take that with me if I needed a snack or if there wasn't an option for me at the CS stands.

Also, I bought a HUGE rice crispy treat my first night and kept it in my room. I always knew I was coming home to that snack and I would have a couple bites here and there... sometimes I was even too tired to think of a snack when I got to my room, but knowing it was there helped me not cave when I wanted a snack... I knew I could wait till I got back.

good luck! Just asking about this gives you an advantage because it means you are going to be cautious... you will be fine!

 

[ssdeverell]

I am also on WW, but I am really planning to eat whatever I want. Now, in the old days, that would be way too much fried/salty foods. However, I have noticed a huge difference in the amount of food I eat and the types. I just don't crave all of that stuff anymore. I am hoping that will help some, but I am not going to stress it.

We went to Pigeon Forge for a weekend two weeks ago and I ate anything I wanted - including fried chicken and a whole bag of hot fries. Still lost a pound last week and a pound and a half this week. I considered that my test, and I had no problems going right back on the program. Hope it is that easy at WDW.

Good luck everyone!

 

[ReneeA]

We just spent a week at WDW on the dining plan, and all ate like hogs. I fully expected to come back home 5+ lbs. heavier than when I left, but was down 2 lbs. My DH had the same thing occur, and he always battling weight issues. At first, I wasn't going to tell him I lost because he throws such fits that I have a very good metabolism (life isn't fair, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH ). But he came out of the bathroom bragging that he had lost a couple even though eating like every meal was going to be our last . Of course, it was hotter than blazes, we drank tons of water, and walked MILES each day. I wouldn't worry...go have a good time and worry when you get home.

ReneeA

 

[roxwithears]

I had my larger meals in the mid-day so that I could burn it off the rest of the day. I split many meals with my son. I saved my indulgences until the last day. It didn't feel like I was depriving myself if I knew that I could have a couple tasty things later in the week - that way I could decide what I really wanted instead of eating on a whim.

Must have worked - I lost 1lb when I weighed in the next week.

Good luck.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

My suggestion is to take 1 or 2 point snacks with me and stick to water and maybe one diet soda during the day. That, coupled with all the walking, makes me feel better about splurging at meal time