How do you keep from packing on the pounds??!

[always quiet]

We will be in WDW from Sept. 16 to the 29th. You KNOW we have the free dining added. I was looking over our sit down meals......Sci Fi, 50's
Prime Time, Hollywood & Vine, Tony's (for a GG experience), Liberty Tree, Coral Reef, Garden Grill, Spirit of Aloha, Hoop Dee Doo, Trail's End, Ohana's.....I have my doubts any of my clothes will fit on the way home! Add the counter service and the snacks..........oh boy!! Better pack clothes in 2 differents sizes...before and after!

 

[PrincessTeresa]

Hey! I actually LOST weight when we were in WDW in April! We ate a ton of popcorn, hotdogs, drank a ton of cokes and water, ate a ton of ice cream.....And I lost 15 pounds!! We were there for 7 days (9 including the 2 driving days)....All the walking cancelled out the fat we were eating! I read in one of the guides that this couple who were there for 5 days walked a total of 68 miles. We were there for 2 days longer than that! Imagine how much walking we did!! I wouldn't worry about what you eat! You're on vacation!! And remember.....Disney World doesn't have calories or fat grams! LOL

 

[always quiet]

68 miles in 5 days.............I'm there for 13!! Looks like I might have to buy an extra snack or two just to keep the energy levels up!

 

[allyphoe]

Just because you *can* eat all the food they offer, doesn't mean you have to. That said, I generally don't gain a significant amount, even if I eat whatever I want. Heel pain keeps me from walking as much / fast as I otherwise would, though.

 

[PrincessTeresa]

Just because you *can* eat all the food they offer, doesn't mean you have to. That said, I generally don't gain a significant amount, even if I eat whatever I want. Heel pain keeps me from walking as much / fast as I otherwise would, though.

Of course you don't have to eat everything you see! But since it is WDW, calories don't mean a thing! LOL I don't think I know exactly how many miles we walked, but I know it was a heck of a lot. Next trip I'm wearing a pedomiter! (I can't spell sorry)

 

[petrymom]

Honestly - we have been to disney twice now and both times I GORGED myself with food and didn't gain a pound. I firmly believe this is because we were on the go pretty much none stop! I got more exercise in that one week than I normally get in 6 months.

I guess my mentality is enjoy yourself. No worries. That is the glory of Disney!

 

[bookgirl2632]

The last two times I've gone, we were on the DDP. I didn't gain a pound due to all the walking. We really only ate two meals, an early lunch and a dinner. And we rarely had snacks, mainly using those credits for bottled water. Any unused ones at the end of our trip went to getting rice krispy treats for the trip home.

 

[rentayenta]

I have been thinking the same thing! I have just recently lost 20 lb and have another 15 to go. I am planning on losing another 20 by our trip so I have some room if need be.

 

[angeluna]

It does even out pretty much. Buy some great shoes. You will be walking lots! Drink lots of water this will help you from eating too much. But, hey it is a vacation with GREAT food everywhere. Enjoy!

 

[HelenePA]

I gained 3 pounds while at the world.. BUT the pants got looser NOT tighter! I think I lost some fat WHOOHOO gained some muscle!!

I ate what I wanted (with in reason had desert every meal!) but I didn't go overboard on the all you could eats!

 

[thunderbird1]

I don't--it's a vacation! I do try to lose a few extra pounds before we go, so I have a little wiggle (or should I say jiggle?) room. But I know a lot of people manage not to gain or even lose a couple.

I think it depends a lot on your lifestyle at home. If you eat a typical American diet and are normally fairly sedentary, then go to WDW and walk for miles and miles, you'll probably lose or at least break even. But if you diet constantly at home and exercise regularly, you probably will gain a couple of pounds eating all the DDP has to offer.

 

[Barbers2005]

I never watch what I eat on vacation. I figure I've got 51 other weeks in the year to eat healthy, so vacation time it's a gastronomical free-for-all! Dh and I went on the DDP last year and we used every credit to it's fullest, but honestly, that's how we eat on vacation anyway (snacks every day, three course meals). We did gain some weight, but it only took a couple of weeks to take it off when we got home (we eat pretty healthy and exercise regularly).

 

[ReneeA]

We didn't gain any weight the last 2 trips during free dining...and I ate like a hog.

Between the walking and swimming, you just burn off what you do consume.

 

[PSCJBC]

I follow "the best life" eating plan from Bob Greene. And I follow the basic guidelines and never gain and most of the time lose 3 or 4 pounds. PLus I never feel deprived and never slip into that "this is my vacation" mode of thinking.

I avoid fried foods.
I eat a healthy breakfast daily (protein, whole grain bread, fruit, milk)
I eat three meals and a snack.
I stop eating at least 2 hours before bedtime.
I walk, walk, walk. And swim every day.

I try to have only one carbonated beverage a day. I don't drink diet drinks as the artificial sweetner nutrasweet give me migraines. So I do drink a lot, lot of water.

I share desserts with my family. Usually I only take one or two bites.

Instead of concentrating on eating, I concentrate on building relationships with my children, riding adventure rides, enjoying my husband, laughing at nothing!

 

[Chrisypoo]

We were there for a week on the DP last year...ate a LOT of food, used up all the snack credits (it was F&WF at Epcot), and had a few adult beverages as well. I still lost 4 pounds. How awesome is that...a vacation at WDW, tons of good food that you probably would never eat at home, and losing weight at the same time.

 

[estherhead]

I have a plan for Sept. I made more ADR's than I have TS credits & am planning on splitting a few meals with DH, maybe eating his appetizer while he has the entree & then a few bites of his dessert or some of my youngest daughter's dessert (she is a tiny eater.) I plan on have a Kashi Trail mix bar every morning for breakfast with a saved fruit cup from CS dessert credits & black coffee. THen I'm gonna order a few healthy choices for CS meals & when I want to splurge on burgers & fries I'll split with my girls. At the buffets I'll eat whatever I want & however much I want.

That with the walking, I'm hoping to either break even or lose. We shall see...

 

[Chrisypoo]

I have a plan for Sept. I made more ADR's than I have TS credits & am planning on splitting a few meals with DH, maybe eating his appetizer while he has the entree & then a few bites of his dessert or some of my youngest daughter's dessert (she is a tiny eater.) I plan on have a Kashi Trail mix bar every morning for breakfast with a saved fruit cup from CS dessert credits & black coffee. THen I'm gonna order a few healthy choices for CS meals & when I want to splurge on burgers & fries I'll split with my girls. At the buffets I'll eat whatever I want & however much I want.

That with the walking, I'm hoping to either break even or lose. We shall see...

Depending on where you eat, appetizers are extremely small. Coral Reef's crab claw appy only has 3 small (think the size of your thumb) crab claws. The shrimp appetizer at Spoodles only had 3 large shrimp. You might end up being awfully hungry especially since you'll be doing a lot of walking at the parks and even at the resort.

 

[Tinkergirl]

I with most everyone- It's vacation !! It's time to enjoy yourself and your family-to hell with worring about a few pounds. That being said, if you absolutely want to "control" some part of your calorie/fat/carb intake, I would definitely do it by not drinking anything besides water. You would be shocked how much even a diet soft drink can add to your daily consumption allowances. Plus, you keep well hydrated and won't feel as bad trying to get the funnel cake to count as a snack option!

 

[Tink3Belle]

Last Sept. with the free dining plan - I lost a few because of all the heat and having a 1, 2 and 4 year old in tow keep me busy hauling strollers etc.
It felt good at the end of the day though. Looking forward to the strange balance at the end of august.

It seems like the servings at the table service restaurants aren't hudge so its a nice portion not overdone unless you are hitting the buffets. The you have the characters to distract you from eating too much.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

My plan is to drink a Nutrimeal shake for breakfast, drink lots of water (as always) and no other beverages, and choose fruit for most of my snacks. Also we're eating at buffets most of the time for our TS meals, so I'll be sure to have a big helping of salad and vegetables before eating anything else. Other than that, like everyone said, it's vacation and time to splurge. I'll make up for it before I go and when I get back.