How do I stay on track whilst at Disney?

[BONZO]

Looking for guidance from the wealth of experience here.

We are off to the world for 3 weeks as per sig file and countdown and just wondered what strategy you adopt.

(For info - DW is on Atkins and I'm just trying to eat healthily and cut down on quantity).


Do you: -

a) Not bother, hope to put on only a few pounds only and revert back to your regime when you get back home

b) Stay true to your regime and watch everything you eat

c) Try and stay on track as far as possible but not get manic about it


Just interested in your views

 

[KathyTX]

Definitely choice C!

I try to be good and make healthy choices. I plan one main meal a day, and fill in with healthy, smaller meals and snacks. And I drinks LOTS of water.

But I do not count points, and I do allow myself some desserts!

Here are the strategies that have worked for me:

1. Start the day right, with a WW style breakfast. Opt for a sensible breakfast like cereal and fruit when possible. The breakfast buffets are killers- you can blow an entire day's points just on a breakfast buffet! Try to eat a breakfast like you'd eat at home.

2. Plan ONE main meal a day. Make a special PS for either lunch or dinner, and make your other meal a light one.

3. Go for the produce! You can substitute fruit or salad for french fries at most counter service locations. You can also find fruit at many vendor cart locations- a nice and healthy snack!

4. Water, water! You can carry a water bottle with you easily in a backpack or with a bottle strap, and you can refill it from water fountains all over the parks. If you have the bottle with you, you'll probably drink all the water you need .

5. Menu common sense. At restaurants, opt for simply prepared veggies and dishes rather than creamy, fried, or casserole style options.

6. Portion control. Just like everywhere else, portions at WDW restaurants can be ridiculously large. Don't feel that you should eat everything on your plate just because it's there! You'll feel much better if you're not stuffed. Share with a friend, or just leave half of your serving on your plate.

If you need a bit of help with the self control, try this: When the server brings your meal, ask for a take-out box RIGHT THEN. Immediately put half of your food in this box. Eat what's left on your plate. When you leave the restaurant, just leave the take out box on your table!

7. Carry handy snacks. Whether it's fruit, raisins, Nutrigrain bars, or small bags of nuts, I find that having a quick bite handy helps me to not lose control when I start to feel hungry between meals.

8. Exercise! You'll probably get plenty of this with all the walking you'll be doing.

9. Enjoy! Don't stress over trying to count points. Try the restaurants you've always wanted to try. Enjoy your time at the World!

Kathy

 

[ZerasPride]

I so appreciate the advice Kathy has given you!

My trip is still a few months away and I was going back and forth in my mind about what I will do. This is the first time I have stuck with any program (I'm doing South Beach - similar to Atkins) for so long so I have no previous experience with trying to be true to a way of eating while on vacation.

I plan on doing what I would do at home. I have lost 35 pounds. I may not lose on vacation and that's fine. I just don't want to gain any of the weight back. I have worked too hard these past 3 months to see my progress slip (even just a little) because of a vacation, party, wedding, holiday or any other "special occasion". I like each of the points and suggestions Kathy has given you and will keep them in mind for myself.

Have a great trip!

 

[Harambe]

When on vacation, plan a few "treats" like one Mickey Bar, or one Dole Whip. Then when you have it, you'll enjoy it more and not want to blow the whole day (or trip!).

I have been looking at the menus on www.allearsnet.com to see which are Atkins freindly, and there are plenty. I also look at the desserts and if something looks fabulous, I will be extra careul about my meal choice.

 

[Nancy]

The last family trip we took was 2 years ago and we weren't dieting, but watching our money. What we usually did for eating was DH and I would just order salads and then eat the kids leftovers. We 3 kids there were usually just enough. This trip in May I will probably do the same, but not for the same reason. Don't know if you are traveling with kids or not. We are also going to have a fridge in the room so we will be eating breakfast "in" every morning. That way I'll be able to keep
on plan.

 

[tiggerlover]

Hi Shaun! So nice to see you here on WISH.

Although I haven't been to WDW since begining my healthy journey I have been on many a holiday. My choice would have to be C. I try the best that I can to make the best choices, but there are times that I do stray (and deal with the consequences later). There are some great suggestions above, just do the best you can do for you and you will be alright.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[SPINNER]

ok...I most certainly know the challenges that await you at WDW, especially since you will be there serveral weeks as we were...
The temptations and nutritional obsenities await you at every corner, every day...we decided that we would have our "off the wagons" once in a while, but would live as if we were NOT ON VACATION and not taking all the liberty that it implys....
so, we were camping and had control of what we ate, what we did every day.....
we ate normal breakfeasts in the RV..........Had our bikes, did a lot of
riding, ....joined the WL gym (family plan good for length of stay...and ours was about 6 wks......every morining we were on the property, we did our one hour of machines, free wts ....stopped for coffee ...then rode back and around FW....
LUNCH usually lite...
pool...ride...lots of walking.....
dinner always something low fat , lots of veggies and salads and DH
refused to eat any beef so we kept the barbq at a min....
AVOID THE ALL YOU CAN EAT..RESTAURANTS....you eat so much more and so much worse...then I can't live with myself ....
when in the parks ..went for the stir frys and low fat grub...
my goal was not to gain much wt or stay the same...
I actually lost a few pounds...
you have to kinda live a normal life when you stay for a long time or you will die an ugly death ........
can't help it...just work so darn hard during the year trying to stay healthy and fit, it hurts so much to blow all that work ....
I think if you just eat healthy choices you can have fun and feel much better as well.....................spinner

 

[nativetxn]

I choose C. I follow Atkins, though and it is very easy to stay on that plan while on vacation. I've done it several times.

Make the best choices you can but don't obsess.

 

[AlisonB]

Thanks for all your advice guys!!

Guess I was kind of hoping that everyone would say A - just pig out and enjoy it.... Think I was living in cloud cuckoo land!!

Shaun (BONZO) and I will try to encourage each other along so that we are both restrained in what we partake of!

 

[BONZO]

Guess I was kind of hoping that everyone would say A - just pig out and enjoy it

Me too darling! - LOL


I'm going to print this thread off and keep with me as a reminder

 

[raidermatt]

Either A or C can work fine, as long as you do ONE thing:

Get back on your regimen, whatever it is, when you return.

Three weeks is not going to make or break your goals in the long run.

I had lost 28 pounds at the point we took our last trip to WDW, which was for 12 nights. I though I was following "c", but I guess it was more like "a", as I gained about 4 pounds on the trip. And I even went running a couple of the days, and worked out in the gym a couple of days as well!

But, no worries. I got back on track at home, and within a couple of weeks, was back to where I was pre-trip, and continued on from there.

Its fine to make an exception to your regimen here and there, as long as it is a true exception, like a once a year trip, and not just whenever its cloudy outside, for example.

So, enjoy, and do what makes you enjoy your trip the best, knowing that it won't really matter because you'll be back on your plan as soon as you return.

 

[thotfulspot]

I will say, I was at Disney World in my third week on Atkins, and I had no trouble at all staying on target. I checked out the menus on allears.net before we went so that I would have an idea of where I could get the right sort of food -- if you wait until you're hungry, you may make the wrong choices! I discovered wonderful salads everywhere, particularly at the Columbia Harbor House at MK and the Brown Derby at Disney/MGM. It was definitely inportant to start off with a good breakfast -- I usually had eggs and bacon, until I got 'baconed out' about halfway through the trip. I had heard about sugar-free desserts and did seek them out, but I ended up hesitating because I wasn't sure about the actual carb counts, and didn't eat any. We generally only ate one larger meal per day, and the other two were smaller.

The only actual temptation I faced was that the smell from the popcorn carts got progressively harder to shake off as the week went on, but I stayed tough!

Oh, and as said above -- water, water, water!! My friend and I went on the all-bathrooms tour of Disney World!

 

[KathyTX]

We need more ideas for staying on track on vacation!

 

[ibouncetoo]

EDITED: Oops, didn't realize OP was old, removed comments relating specifically to that post.


As a low carber who planned for some treats during WDW trips, I found that having a sweet treat at the end of the day worked better for me. Any sugar rush and plunge was at bedtime and didn't cause any bingeing, which would have happened if I'd indulged mid-day. I also found that I'd start out the trip 'strong' and could handle a buffet....loading up on meat & veggies and pass the rolls and dessert (especially if I knew I'd be having a bite of bedtime dark chocolate). But if the sight of assorted dinner rolls or cookies and cake is too hard to pass up....skip the buffets.

I also found that a higher carb intake, if it was wholesome ones, didn't impact me much, probably because of the extra exercise. I generally ate more fruit and the occasional dark roll/bread than I normally would.


BTW, they have sugar free chocolate mousse at the bakery in Norway that is very good.....don't know how many carbs, but at least no sugar.

 

[wiskband]

C!
Lc can be easy there. Honestly, dont bother yourself too much about it, eat your carbs early walk walk walk the parks! use a balancing theory!
I had dessert last night, ill skip it tonight.
or share a dessert two nights etc.
For me, LC just automatically comes into effect, whether I am cheating or not, I always take the bread off my burgers now. Its kinda like instinct. Be sensible, dont thorw it all out the window but have fun, it is a vacation!

rene

 

[Tinkerbelll]

I'm on WW and my trip is 21-30th. I have to say that I plan on choice A. I went to the World for a weekend in January and didn't follow any kind of plan. I like to eat and enjoy splurging while on vacation. I did drink a lot of water and with all the walking I did, I ended up losing a pound! I ate everything from pizza to splitting a warm cookie sundae with DBf from Ghirardelli (It was amaaazzinnggg !!). I wish I had more will power, but I know myself well enough to know that restricting myself on vacation will make the trip less enjoyable. I drank lots of water and just enjoyed myself. I didn't find it very hard to get back on track when I got home, although it was only for 3 days. Hopefully I won't gain too much, but if I do, I figure theres still time after to lose it again. It's not a race! Enjoy yourself while on vacation. Make good choices, but don't let it run your whole trip! Your spending a fortune on WDW!! Splurge a little!

 

[johde]

Here's another one for Plan C. I was in my second week of Phase 2 on SBD when I went to WDW in September. I was staying in a studio so I bought thing at publix for breakfast and some sugar free jello cups for an evening treat. I figured with all of the walking I was doing, I could allow myself 1 treat each day that was not on plan. Even then, I tried to pick the healthiest options. One day I had the fat free, no sugar added Ice Cream from the Ice Cream stand on main street. Another day I had some Ghirardelli Chocolates. Being so new into phase 2 even a piece of corn bread was a treat. When I came back, I was down over 10lbs for the 2 week (1 before and 1 at WDW). I ate entirely at counter service resturants and was able to stay on program but I did do some planning before hand, mainly to avoid boredom.

 

[Keokagal]

"My friend and I went on the all-bathrooms tour of Disney World!"
So...which are the nicest?!

 

[KathyTX]

I needed to remind myself of these rules, so I'm dusting it off from the archives.

 

[tiggerlover]

Great idea, Kathy. And how nice it was to "revisit" with some old WISHers.