Disney.... on a diet?! Health nut needs help.

[toledo13]

We're going to WDW in December! One thing that is so tough- whenever I am done with vacation... I leave 5lbs heavier than I arrived! I am a health nut- I like fresh fruits and veggies, whole wheat everything, flax seeds, etc. (yes... I'm one of thooooose people ) Any tips as to where and what to eat to help me leave feeling as good as I did when I arrived??? Another thing, too, is that my DMIL is on Weight Watchers, and still will be by the time we go. Has anyone stuck to their Weight Watchers diet at Disney?!

 

[allyphoe]

I'm kind of wondering the same thing, having also historically gained weight at Disney. Would that I were one of those "throw diet to the wind and still come home the same weight" folks.

One thing to keep in mind is that you can customize / substitute a lot, even at CS. Carrots or grapes instead of fries; water instead of soda; get cheese / dressing / croutons on the side of your salad, so you can portion control. At TS, you can request that veggies be made with no added fat if you like.

So fruits and veggies are fairly easy; whole grains IMHO are a lot harder. Even LTT's "Amber Waves of Grain" is made with white rice (per http://www.allearsnet.com/din/rec_amb.htm).

If you like flax, here's a yummy hot cereal recipe:
Heat a cup or so of high-protein skim milk (one of the regional dairies here "fills" their low-fat and skim milk with additional dry milk solids, so it's got more protein and calcium) in a nonstick pan over medium heat. When it starts to bubble, toss in 1/3 cup of oats (I prefer the old-fashioned 5-minute oats). Give the pan a little shake every now and then. This will be very, very liquid.

Meanwhile, chop some a piece of fresh fruit into a bowl and add some complementary seasoning. I like nectarines and vanilla extract; DD likes bananas and cinnamon. Add a teaspoon or so of brown sugar / honey / real maple syrup. Add a giant amount of ground flax (we use Chinese soup spoons which hold about 2 Tbls; I use a heaping one of those) - maybe as much as 1/3 cup.

When the oatmeal has cooked (it will still be very, very liquid), pour it over the fruit and flax. Stir everything together; at this point, it will be about the consistency of regular oatmeal and the right temperature to eat immediately.

 

[toledo13]

I'm kind of wondering the same thing, having also historically gained weight at Disney. Would that I were one of those "throw diet to the wind and still come home the same weight" folks.

One thing to keep in mind is that you can customize / substitute a lot, even at CS. Carrots or grapes instead of fries; water instead of soda; get cheese / dressing / croutons on the side of your salad, so you can portion control. At TS, you can request that veggies be made with no added fat if you like.

So fruits and veggies are fairly easy; whole grains IMHO are a lot harder. Even LTT's "Amber Waves of Grain" is made with white rice (per http://www.allearsnet.com/din/rec_amb.htm).

If you like flax, here's a yummy hot cereal recipe:
Heat a cup or so of high-protein skim milk (one of the regional dairies here "fills" their low-fat and skim milk with additional dry milk solids, so it's got more protein and calcium) in a nonstick pan over medium heat. When it starts to bubble, toss in 1/3 cup of oats (I prefer the old-fashioned 5-minute oats). Give the pan a little shake every now and then. This will be very, very liquid.

Meanwhile, chop some a piece of fresh fruit into a bowl and add some complementary seasoning. I like nectarines and vanilla extract; DD likes bananas and cinnamon. Add a teaspoon or so of brown sugar / honey / real maple syrup. Add a giant amount of ground flax (we use Chinese soup spoons which hold about 2 Tbls; I use a heaping one of those) - maybe as much as 1/3 cup.

When the oatmeal has cooked (it will still be very, very liquid), pour it over the fruit and flax. Stir everything together; at this point, it will be about the consistency of regular oatmeal and the right temperature to eat immediately.

Thanks for that recipe! I will definately try it- it looks great! I hadn't really thought of substituting sides... that's a great idea! I am probably going to pack some oatmeal to have in the morning (the coffee maker makes some great hot water!) and some walnuts/dried fruit/fiber cereal trail mix for snacks. The thing is, I'm going with my husband, mother in law, father in law, brother in law, and his girlfriend... so I KNOW they're going to want to go eat out, even though I'm content eating my walnuts

 

[grumpy.uncle]

You might bring some of your healthy items such as flax w/ you. Also bring some small ziploc bags. You could transfer some flax,bran, hemp, etc. into the small baggies and tuck them into your purse to add to your meal later. Eventhough nuts are fattening they are good for you. I love to sprinkle a few roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds on my salads. The sit-down restaurants are very accomodating; at time of check-in they will normally ask you if anyone in your party has special dietary needs. Tell them your needs and then when the waiter arrives at your table, they can suggest something off the menu or pass along your concerns to the chef. If you are like me, you probably love a good salad. Salads are great for you until you add the dressing. You may want to bring your own low or no fat salad dressing along. If not, just ask for vinegar and oil on the side. You can then add your own dressing to your tastes. Also, bring your own healthy snacks into the parks w/ you. Dried fruits,nuts, trail mix, cut up veggies, etc. If your room is going to have a little mini fridge, you could contact a service such as garden grocer and have a few fresh fruits and veggies and bottled water delivered to your hotel. Unfortunately, alot of what is offered at Disney is fried. You just have to look for the other options or ask for something different. You can do a Disney trip w/o putting on weight. After all, you will probably be walking 5 or more miles per day, in hot weather. That is more exercise than most people get per day while at home. If you are hydrating yourself properly, you will also be drinking alot more water which also helps to fill you without adding any calories.

 

[pumba]

I am doing the diabetic diet.......I didnt gain anything when we were there because of all the walking we do......the excercise sort of got rid of any extra calories that I may of grabbed onto....
My daughter was on ww one year and she did excellent there......but the flax and other health food stuff.......take in baggies and bring it with you.......

 

[js]

I second what you have been told but would also tell you to try to WISH board. Everyone on there is/was/currently trying to maintain/loss weight and be more healthy. You may get some good suggesions there.
Have fun!

 

[vettechick99]

I always eat very poorly on vacation, but it all evens out at WDW because I do so much walking!

One thing I was wondering, I wonder if you can call ahead and request certain meals. There is a lady, Ahnalira, from ourlaughingplace.com - and if I recall - she is diabetic so she needs sugar-free desserts. She'll call ahead and they will always make sure they have one. So you may want to do some research and find out which restaurants are most accommodating.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I've actually just lost 20lbs. and hope to be down another 10 by our August visit. I am terrified that all my hard work will go down the tubes because of DDP! Anyway, I have decided I will not deny myself the things I want to try but will order grilled meats that are naturally lowfat whenever possible and ask the server to please just bring me half of what the normal side dish portions are. I can't trust myself to leave half of it on the plate (or I wouldn't be packing any extra pounds to start with!), so this takes it out of my hands. I will also order salads w/lowfat dressing as my appetizer when they are available and try to stay away from anything that's fried. Unfortunately my biggest weakness will be dessert...and I'll just cross that fat-ladden bridge when I get to it!!!

 

[MickeyNicki]

There are a lot more fresh fruit and veggie stands in all 4 parks and in many resort CS places

Cape May breakfast has a huge yogurt bar with a ton of fresh fruit and steamed asparagus

There are many soup and salad options at CS throughout WDW

 

[global_mom]

I am a Weight Watchers devotee and have lost 40 pounds at this point. We have gone to WDW 2 times since I started WW. I practiced great moderation and only ate when I was actually hungry as opposed to eating just b/c it was sitting in front of me. I also mentally prepared myself for the fact that I might gain a little while on vacation. I would be miserable if I denied myself the yummy stuff at WDW. On the flip side, there is much food at WDW that is just so-so and I dont waste my time with that stuff. I only eat the things that are REALLY good!

The walking offsets most of the overindulgence but dont be fooled that it is enough exercise to justify hundreds of extra calories each day. I add even more steps by avoiding elevators and power walking at the resort each day. Practice modified restraint and you (or MIL) will be fine. After both trips I gained about 1.5 pounds and then lost it again the very next week. Again, mentally prepare yourself and allow yourself to have that little bit of gain. IMHO, that is much better than self denial that just leads to a full blown derailment from your food plan.

Have a great trip and enjoy every bite!!

Ps - I NEVER miss my WW meeting after a vacation even if I know that I have gained. Once I stop going to my meetings I get so off track that it is hard to regroup.

 

[Jessmela]

I found that most places will sub fruit for french fries or dessert, which is great especially when your using DDP. Also, most CS/TS that serve hamburgers will also have Boca burgers (not always on the menu but ask)--so much better for you than the meat variety

 

[toledo13]

These are all great ideas! What I think I might do is eat breakfast in the room (oatmeal or peanutbutter toast and fruit) and pack snacks like fruit and carrots or trailmix to keep with me (shh ). I'm sure I'll be able to find a CS with salad or turkey/chicken. Is there a website that has the nutrition facts of the different WDW restaurants???

 

[pixdust]

One suggestion that I did not see was splitting and sharing some meals. I know how huge the portions are at WDW. I have always wondered why they don't offer up smaller portions and charge less. Or just offer more 1/2 servings at discounted prices. One nice thing with free dining is I know I won't feel as bad if I don't eat it all. I try to go with that attitude even if I am paying OOP. We are so used to bringing styrofoam containers home with leftovers in them. That has to be left behind at WDW. I found plenty of fruit and yogurt at the food courts, lots of walking and eating 2 meals a day instead of one, prevented me from putting on an extra 100lbs.

 

[Goofy's PaperBoy]

I went to WDW first week of June . I'm on WW and I still lost 4.8 pounds !!
Like the other poster said earlier, I was prepared mentally to gain a little in case that happened. I went thinking I would stick to as close to my WW point allotment if I didn't start feeling deprived.

I also did bring my granolla bars and crystal light for my drinks.

Every morning I had one of my bars and I would get a fruit cup and coffee and have that breakfast.

Lunch I would have a turkey sandwich with chips or french fries. I would not eat all the fries and I would ask for no mayo on the sandwich if it came with it.

I still had things like cookies and beer and pizza , but only if I felt ok about eating them not just because they smelled and looked great.


I think this was a fluke for me , but I'll take it. I go again next month and hope to at least not gain !

 

[starbox]

I've always done the DDP, let myself indulge in dessert, and never gained weight at Disney .

I take Kashi with me and have it for breakfast, enjoy walking, and drink lots and lots of water (only one diet soda a day). I've also found the salad appetizers to be consistently yummy - I think lots of DDP people overlook them because they don't cost as much and people fall prey to the "order the most expensive thing on the menu" syndrome. I usually don't finish dessert.
We use snack credits for bottled water.

With all the walking, I am pretty lax about avoiding carbs - the bigger vacation culprit is sugar!!!

 

[toledo13]

Yeah- sugar is my big thing to avoid, as is MSG (it makes me feel icky) and calories. I'm going to start scowering the restaurant menus to find things to eat and substitute. I'll post my picks when I figure them out

 

[toledo13]

Here are my picks: I will be eating breakfast in the room, and packing a mix of walnuts, fiber one/kashi cereal, and dried fruit for snacks.

MK

Lunch:

Pecos Bill-

Chicken Wrap w/o cheese or dressing with carrots
Chicken Salad w/o cheese


AK

Lunch:

Rainforest Cafe

Rainforest Natural Burger w/o spicy safari sauce and substitute apple sauce cup for fries/chips

Restaurantosaurus

Mandarin Chicken Salad w/o dressing
Vegetarian Burger and substitute carrots for fries (if possible)


MGM

Lunch:

Mama Melrose

(Kids Menu) Garden Salad, Spagetti, Fruit Cup
(Kids Menu) Grilled Chicken Strips (with pasta, veggies and fruit salad)

Sci-Fi Dine In

Smoked Turkey Sandwich w/o mustard/mayonnaise

Backlot Express

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich
Grilled Chicken Salad


EPCOT

Lunch and Dinner

Electric Umbrella

Whole Wheat Turkey Wrap w/o mayonnaise
Tossed Island Chicken Salad
Vegetarian Chili
(Kids Menu) Turkey and Cheese Pinwheels w/ grapes and carrot sticks

Cantina de San Angel

Tacos al Carbon

Kringla Bakeri og Cafe

(Kids Menu) PB&J with grapes and water

Lotus Blossom Cafe

Vegetarian Stir Fry with Steamed Rice
Orange Chicken with Steamed Rice

San Angel Inn

Ceviche
Tacos al Carbon (chicken) w/o sour cream, with guacamole on the side

Yakitori House

Chicken Ginger Salad
Teriyaki Chicken

Nine Dragons

Chicken and Shrimp Shao Mai
Stir-Fry Shrimp with Garden Vegetables

Sunshine Seasons

Seared Tuna on Mixed Greens

Tangierine Cafe

Chicken Mediterranean Wrap
Vegetarian Platter




PHEW! Now, we're only going to be there 6 days, so I think I have some stuff to choose from . We're planning on eating lunch at the different parks, and dinner at EPCOT or Swan. Just some ideas for those of us who can't splurge... like my DH can...

 

[winterman]

Last two trips we have done DDP and believe me I made the most of it. Normally I gain weight if I look at food but I do so much walking at WDW that it is not a problem.

 

[TexasCourt]

Life is too short to diet on vacation!

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

You might want to rethink the Yakatori House because they use thigh meat -- not breast. Plus some of the sauces probably have a lot of sugar in them. One thing I really enjoy in the World Showcase is the rotisserie chicken from Tangierine Cafe but I'm not sure if it's still on the menu.