Dining in WDW while on Weight watchers?

[Babsy]

Hello!

So, we are going to WDW again, but this time I will be on the weight watchers program. Has anyone here been there wile trying to follow the WW points plus plan? Do the restaurants have the points values for meals/items on their menus? Or, am I on my own trying to work it all out?

I am hoping to continue my healthier eating lifestyle (and perhaps even continue to lose some weight), so it would be nice to have some idea as to what I can expect.

Please share your experiences, if you have tried this before.

Thank you!!!!

In case you are wondering:
SO far, -41.5 pounds and counting....but I have a ways to go yet!

 

[Capang]

I did it this summer. No point values anywhere. I gave myself a cheat week after the first day of making myself crazy trying to calculate points. Instead, I ate what I wanted and limited my desserts. I tried for two healthy meals a day like fruit for breakfast or yogurt, a salad, then a meal of my choice. I gained a couple pounds because late night snacking got me. I lost it very quickly once I got home. Don't ruin your vacation going crazy trying to count points.

Great job on the loss! It is so hard to do! I'm -44.6 and I also have a ways to go. Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Pumbaa_]

What you can do is peruse the menus ahead of time, decide what to order, calculate the points value and guesstimate

You will be walking miles
You will be tempted at every corner w sweet treats

Vacation can be hard on the diet. Decide ahead of time where any indulgence will lie and then relax and enjoy

I hope you are not on a meal plan, that dessert at every meal can be tough to turn down​

 

[Babsy]

I did it this summer. No point values anywhere. I gave myself a cheat week after the first day of making myself crazy trying to calculate points. Instead, I ate what I wanted and limited my desserts. I tried for two healthy meals a day like fruit for breakfast or yogurt, a salad, then a meal of my choice. I gained a couple pounds because late night snacking got me. I lost it very quickly once I got home. Don't ruin your vacation going crazy trying to count points.

Great job on the loss! It is so hard to do! I'm -44.6 and I also have a ways to go. Enjoy your vacation!

Thank you for sharing!

AND Congratulations on your weight loss! It IS hard on times, but worth it as I am already feeling healthier and the strain on my poor knee is significantly reduced.

Sad news on the points not being available! I had hoped that with WW such a popular diet that the points info might be there. Oh, well, back to plan A which is essentially what you said worked for you. I will plan similarly to you: breakfast with fruit and oatmeal, one salad meal and then at the other meal eat sensibly, but what I want. I will plan a few desserts (like Zebra domes in Boma), but try to avoid them most days. If I only gain a couple of pounds, I guess that I can live with it. It will come off after I get home fairly quickly, I suppose.

What you can do is peruse the menus ahead of time, decide what to order, calculate the points value and guesstimate

You will be walking miles
You will be tempted at every corner w sweet treats

Vacation can be hard on the diet. Decide ahead of time where any indulgence will lie and then relax and enjoy

I hope you are not on a meal plan, that dessert at every meal can be tough to turn down​

Thank you!

Great advice! I always have a good idea in advance as to where we are eating and what I will likely order so I guess it is just a matter of doing the best that I can. Fortunately, I am not on a meal plan. There are a few desserts that I will try to fit in, but I plan to limit those indulgences.

I am very glad of the walking. Hopefully, that will lessen any negative impact of the occasional dessert or yummy beverage.

 

[mdelano4]

I was wondering the same thing. Down -60 so far on WW and taking my first trip back since I did it. I have decided I am going to be as strict as possible the weeks before, then try not to lose my sanity eating there (still want to go another 20 or so). Of course, I will walk as many miles as I can. I can't go on vacation and completely deprive myself.

Congrats on your loss and keep up the good work!!

 

[Figmentmommy]

I've never done WW while there but on an optimistic note - most trips I just eat as I please - desserts and all. With all that walking I've often come home weighing 5 pounds less despite my overindulgence.
Enjoy your trip & your treats!

 

[CarolynFH]

I've been counting WW points for almost 2 years and multiple WDW trips. First of all I set my points count to maintain, not lose, during the trip! Then I try to estimate points as best I can for the basic meal components and more or less hope that all the extra walking will take care of what I can't estimate (sauces, for example). DH & I aren't big dessert eaters but we do indulge at times when on vacation. But overall I try to follow the healthy eating habits that the WW program has taught me. And if I gain a pound or two I don't beat myself up about it - I just get back on track when I get home!

@Babsy, @Capang and @mdelano4, congratulations on your respective losses! For the last six months I've been working on maintaining a 65-pound loss, but once our new treadmill arrives so that I can exercise without dying from humidity and heat I'll be back on the weight loss points count.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

I've never done WW while there but on an optimistic note - most trips I just eat as I please - desserts and all. With all that walking I've often come home weighing 5 pounds less despite my overindulgence.
Enjoy your trip & your treats!

Yep. Dieting at WDW just sucks. When I am on vacation I don't cheat myself and I am a low carber the rest of the year. Do yourself a favor...just enjoy yourself and bag the diet stress.

 

[goofy4prez]

I'm going to go against the trend and say you do want to watch what you eat. I have been to WDW many times since I lost over 100 lbs on WW back in 2011-2012 and have kept it off since then. When I go I plan ahead by looking at the menu's, make wise decisions as if I were at home and during the week in WDW I will allow myself to indulge a little. Like a previous post mentioned, I go with the intention to maintain but not lose weight while there.

What I don't do though is treat it as a free for all, fall of the wagon and nail the buffets, load up on the 16 ounce porter house steaks, indulge in endless desserts and etc. I just simple can't say your on vacation, don't worry about it. For me I struggled with food and still do, telling someone like me to just go and have fun, your on vacation and eat is like telling an alcoholic to forget about it, have drink or two or three or.... and then come back and get back on track. It just doesn't work for me.

 

[Pumbaa_]

It is so much harder to get back on the wagon once you've fallen off
Nice job maintaining!

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Sometimes it's helpful if you can share an entrée and/or a dessert with someone in your party. Of course this works best if both of you actually prefer that entrée or dessert.

 

[connie254]

As far as the salads, ask for the dressing on the side. What will drive up points for a salad is the dressing. Dip your fork in the dressing then the salad. I've been on and off WW a couple of times but three years ago my friend who had reached goal went with me. We were on the the regular dining plan. I soon realized it was too much food if I tried to order the most expensive items at each place so at the quick service I went with salads and what should be low in points. She didn't and felt stuffed at each meal. We both had dessert every place. At table service I had the stuff I always wanted. My friend used her fitbit to track our walking-10-13 miles a day. When we got home, I lost 3 lbs, she gained 5lb.

 

[TexMomma]

I've lost 85lbs on a program similar to WW and am planning a trip in 2 weeks. Going to to do breakfast in our room & stick with my usual routine. Someone suggested doing kids meals for portion control purposes which sounds like a good idea. Have been told that most WDW restaurants won't bat an eye at that. I think I can make good choices most of the time but expect an occasional splurge. Goal is maintenance, not loss, for me. That, and having a wonderful trip!

 

[sara mom]

Started WW 4 weeks ago and had to cancel some of our ADR's because of it. Goodbye Beaches and Cream, MK Dessert Party, and Ohana We are still doing Cape May for dinner- crab is very low point as long as no butter as well as Mama Melrose and Yak and Yeti. We are in a 1 bedroom room for a week and will have a car...so I can shop for fruits/veggies to keep in our room as well as being smart for lunch or dinner in the room each day. I bought the oatmeal that was on sale at my meeting this week, so that will be helpful. I can get salads for quick serve lunch/dinner while in the parks. I will miss the nutella waffle with fruit at the MK, but may just ask for it without nutella.

We leave in 2 weeks!

 

[CarolynFH]

I'll confess - sometimes I'll finagle DH (who doesn't diet) into getting a treat like the nutella waffle, and then I'll take just one bite and chew it slowly and really pay attention to the flavor and savor it. And that's enough!

 

[Farro]

I love Weight Watchers. I gained about 30lbs after I quit smoking and WW helped me take it off and keep it off. It really has changed the way I eat.
While I've been in maintenance for some time, I still count my points everyday.

On vacation I don't count points, but I've been doing it so long I have an idea what everything would be.
I don't go crazy with the junk food and I don't force myself to finish everything on my plate - mainly because it would give me stomach issues if I suddenly starting eating fried foods and desserts everyday! But I also don't worry about everything needing to be healthy.

Don't eat until you are stuffed. Don't make every meal a calorie bomb! Have fruit instead of ice cream a few times. Do treat yourself to what you want to eat, within reason.

Drink plenty of water and all the walking should help you break even. Good luck!

 

[Chrelaine]

To add to the person that suggested kids meals, there are Mickey Check meals for kids on some menus. They appear to be healthier meal options. I've never compared them to WW points though. I'm sure there is some sort of starch with most of them but it should still work out better than other options. I've lost 25lbs on WW but I'm not planning on counting when we go next month. Its just too hard for me. I try to make healthy choices and will put in plenty of miles to work off the bad choices..I hope. Good luck to you!

 

[TexMomma]

To add to the person that suggested kids meals, there are Mickey Check meals for kids on some menus. They appear to be healthier meal options. I've never compared them to WW points though. I'm sure there is some sort of starch with most of them but it should still work out better than other options. I've lost 25lbs on WW but I'm not planning on counting when we go next month. Its just too hard for me. I try to make healthy choices and will put in plenty of miles to work off the bad choices..I hope. Good luck to you!

Yes the Mickey Check meals look like a good option. Those are the ones I was thinking about.

 

[Babsy]

I'm going to go against the trend and say you do want to watch what you eat. I have been to WDW many times since I lost over 100 lbs on WW back in 2011-2012 and have kept it off since then. When I go I plan ahead by looking at the menu's, make wise decisions as if I were at home and during the week in WDW I will allow myself to indulge a little. Like a previous post mentioned, I go with the intention to maintain but not lose weight while there.

What I don't do though is treat it as a free for all, fall of the wagon and nail the buffets, load up on the 16 ounce porter house steaks, indulge in endless desserts and etc. I just simple can't say your on vacation, don't worry about it. For me I struggled with food and still do, telling someone like me to just go and have fun, your on vacation and eat is like telling an alcoholic to forget about it, have drink or two or three or.... and then come back and get back on track. It just doesn't work for me.

Thank you for sharing. Well done losing and maintaining a 100+ pound weight loss!

Yes, I agree that watching what I eat has to continue while we are in WDW. Staying on track is key. That is part of the motivation for posting this query about points. I need to know what I can expect in order to have a plan of attack. With the information everyone has kindly shared I feel that my best plan is to eat very similarly to the way I am currently eating at home, which should come close in points to my daily allotment. There is every likelihood that some foods will have hidden calories/points in them, but I am hoping that the walking will take care of most of that. Fruit with oatmeal (no sugar) for breakfast, salad (no dressing) for lunch or dinner, then a regular TS meal for the other (lunch or dinner). There will be a couple of planned, limited splurges because it is vacation. That's it.

I am like you - I struggle with food all the time. I have a similar weight loss goal to what you lost as well (at present about another 90 pounds to goal). Unfortunately, I have only just begun, but I have decided that this new way of eating is my lifestyle going forward so I have to find a way to incorporate vacation time into my healthy eating plan. Reaching goal is not the end of my journey but the beginning.

I admire your maintenance as much or more than your weight loss. I have a feeling that the real challenge is when you have to find that magical balance to keep on track daily when you aren't motivated by the decreasing numbers on the scale. Congratulations on your success! You are an inspiration!

 

[Babsy]

So many helpful posts!!! Thank you for sharing and your kind wishes, everyone!