Is there something wrong with me?

[celerystalker]

Wow, I browse the dis all the time and have never heard this response before. But, I agree totally. I'm always surprised at how much people go nuts for the food is at Disney. It's so not great, it's average at best. We've been to all the "best" TS restaurants and they just don't hold up in the real world.

I'm always curious when I see this -
what do you eat at home?

I love food - all types - but some of the meals at WDW are my favorite. (I don't care for Le Cellier, which apparently makes me odd, but the dishes I get over all are yummy!)

 

[RMulieri]

I have a dilemma!
Weight is a huge concern for me - I had gastric bypass two years ago and lost 130 pounds, but it's still possible for me to overindulge.
I'm going to WDW in 9 days! Woo!
And its the first time two of my friends have been in over 10 years - so we're going to lots of great restaurants.
But I have a wedding to go to two days after I return!
The dress is a size 12 - smallest thing I've ever been in - and it fits JUST right.
It's one of those dresses that if I gain even a pound or two, it won't zip.

So what the heck am I gonna do?
Maybe I'll work out every day.

I wouldn't sweat it. Try to workout a little bit , avoid salty foods and stay hydrated so you don't get water weight gain

 

[WdwforLife]

I have a dilemma!
Weight is a huge concern for me - I had gastric bypass two years ago and lost 130 pounds, but it's still possible for me to overindulge.
I'm going to WDW in 9 days! Woo!
And its the first time two of my friends have been in over 10 years - so we're going to lots of great restaurants.
But I have a wedding to go to two days after I return!
The dress is a size 12 - smallest thing I've ever been in - and it fits JUST right.
It's one of those dresses that if I gain even a pound or two, it won't zip.

So what the heck am I gonna do?
Maybe I'll work out every day.

This is definitely a situation to which losing a few extra pounds before WDW would come in quite handy! I say definitely work out every day. In 9 days, you can safely lose 2 pounds. Anything more and it's not too healthy. But if you cut about 400 calories from your diet starting today (based on a 2,000 calorie diet) and burn 400 calories a day, you can lose it in time! I have faith in you!

 

[LVSWL]

I'm always curious when I see this -
what do you eat at home?

I love food - all types - but some of the meals at WDW are my favorite. (I don't care for Le Cellier, which apparently makes me odd, but the dishes I get over all are yummy!)

I know what you mean. We so often comment that we can't wait until we go "back to WDW" because the food is so much better there. We eat at some great restaurants where we live, but most really don't compare with our favorites in WDW.

 

[AustinTink]

I'm always curious when I see this -
what do you eat at home?

Champagne and caviar every night! No, I'm from the south. So we're just lucky to have a lot of insanely good food around here. Texas is not one of the fattest states in the country for no reason.

 

[celerystalker]

Austin tink - I'm assuming you mean non chain restaurants - because very few can compare to WDW.
I'm a huge ethnic food lover - I eat Thai, Indian, Carribean, Middle Eastern or Japanese at least once a week - so I never eat Japanese or Chinese when I'm at WDW (unless I'm craving sushi and sake!)
But honestly, tangeriene cafe is some of the best middle eastern food I've had - their hummus is not to my taste - the guy near my work does it much better, but it's good.
The bread pudding at Raglan road - I can't find anything comparable in Nashville!
And of course, it goes without saying - there IS NO SUBSTITUTE for tonga toast.
There's no french bakery in nashville - I can only get napoleons in WDW!
There is one place in Nashville that's similar to spoodles - but I hardly ever go because it's so pricey.

I guess when I hear people say they eat better at home, I'm picturing someone that just LOVES Applebees.
(don't get me wrong, I like Applebees - but it's not something I fantasize
about like I do with WDW. Oh. Wait. They really DO have the perfect Margarita. So I fantasize a little about Applebees.)

 

[celerystalker]

I'm on a restricted salt diet for a vascular problem, so most of the chains are off limits to me. I go to their websites, look up their nutritional content and make my decisions based on their sodium contents. I don't know why they have to put so much darn salt in their food. I used to like Chili's and haven't been in years. BTW, my salt intake is off the charts at Disney. I do wish they would show nutritional data somewhere. But that's another thread...

Have you tried contacting Disney directly?
My friend has celiac's disease (gluten intolerance) and I emailed the contact I got on a thread here - Disney emailed me back within 3 hours with tons of information.
I'm not on my own computer, so I don't have the email address - but check the disabilities board.

 

[BriarRosie]

I'm on a quest to lose weight and get healthy, yet I have successfully done the Adventures by Disney tour to Hollywood and Disneyland in December, and still managed to lose a couple of pounds when I returned.

First, I made an effort to make good choices, especially since the included meals were buffet heavy. As a charter member of the Clean Plate Club, I had decided to try to cut the portions I normally would have eaten. The chicken sandwich at Cafe Orleans came as two large halves, and I discovered that I was satisfied with eating just one. The "old me" would have eaten everything because it was THERE.

I felt I could eat anything I wanted if I limited the intake, because like most restaurants, I was totally overserved. By taking the initiative to eat half, I didn't penalize myself or feel guilty for not finishing my plate. I blamed the restaurant for serving me too much food, and it's not wasteful if I ate until I was satisfied. I often wished I could take the leftovers like I can locally, but that wasn't possible.

And I ate desserts. But I tried to keep to a half, but I didn't always do that. And I treated myself to a s'mores thing from the Main Street Confectionery. I didn't go overboard by snacking.

It also helped that I had a pedometer and kept track of my steps. I was walking around Downtown Disney on the first day, plus we had lots of walking anyway during the tour. When you're at the Disney parks, you have plenty of opportunities to walk a LOT.

One of the best walking opportunities is the walk between the Studios park and the International Gateway entrance of Epcot. Or walking around Crescent Lake. Those big hills get those calves working!

I plan to indulge at the Food and Wine Festival like I always do, but I believe with all the walking around, and not feeling the need to shovel it in, I can pace myself and not gain crazy amounts of weight.

For the record, I still have lots of weight to lose, but I managed to lose weight through Thanksgiving, the holiday season, and the ABD vacation. I think it can be done if you pay attention to what you're eating and control the portions, as well as keep up the walking. Do a lap or two around World Showcase!

 

[WdwforLife]

And I treated myself to a s'mores thing from the Main Street Confectionery.

They have s'mores?!?

 

[BriarRosie]

They have s'mores?!?

At Disneyland. It was a chocolate covered graham cracker thing with marshmallow inside. If you want a traditional s'more, I recommend the kit sold at the Ft. Wilderness Campfire / Movie at the Chuck Wagon.

 

[imLissy]

I was to Disney last October, ate like a total piggy. Really, I felt guilty every night. I was sure I gained weight because I was eating like 3000+ calories a day. When I got home I found out I actually lost weight. I guess it's because we walked ... a lot. Like, we must have done at least 8 laps around EPCOT one day. We were looking for characters to take pictures with, lol.

One thing I like to do to save calories and money when possible, eat half my meal and take the rest back to the hotel and have it for breakfast in the morning.

 

[Todd&Copper]

I'm always curious when I see this -
what do you eat at home?

I love food - all types - but some of the meals at WDW are my favorite. (I don't care for Le Cellier, which apparently makes me odd, but the dishes I get over all are yummy!)

I practice gourmet cooking on weekends (it is a hobby of mine), so it is hard to not taste a dish anywhere and not critique it.

I, too, eat at a lot of local restaurants when I go out. And I prefer to go to smaller establishments, where more focus can be placed on each dish, as opposed to the pack-em-in, push-em-out mentality of most Disney restaurants.

This is not to say I don't eat at chains or fast food establishments, becasue I occasionally do, but I just don't think that the butterfly shrimp at Red Lobster, or the Manicotti at Olive Garden are the most delicious things I have ever put into my mouth.

For the most part, I find Disney food to be on par with major chains. Certainly passable, but not somethign I obsess over. I'd never plan out my appetizer, meal and desert at Outback 3 months in advance (not even 3 hours in advance, actually). But I do not "do Disney" for the food. I go for the whole package.

 

[monkeybug]

So here's my question- I keep hearing that some people lose weight because of all the walking, but what if in your every day life you do more?
I used to run before kids, and have just recently started back up again. I am up to 3 or 4 miles (with warm up and cool down 5 or 6 total miles) I run at least 3 times a week, but usually 5. I also do weights every other day, and abs every day. I do not watch what I eat (as in calories/fat) but at home we eat pretty healthy (lots of veggies, almost no red meat, olive oil, whole grains...the occasional girl scout cookie!)
I have just started to lose weight, and have definitely toned up a lot. I am looking forward to eating what ever I want at Disney (dessert twice a day=heaven!!!!) but I also don't want to gain too much!! How much walking is it typically? Will I walk so much that it ends up being more calories than running three miles and walking another two or three? I would love to keep up the routine while at Disney, but I'm having a hard time fitting everything in with out spending an hour in the gym! I am just worried that I am going to be adding lot's of fat and calories, and expending less energy...and dang it, I want a dole whip and some school bread! And the Kitchen Sink!

 

[celerystalker]

So here's my question- I keep hearing that some people lose weight because of all the walking, but what if in your every day life you do more?
I used to run before kids, and have just recently started back up again. I am up to 3 or 4 miles (with warm up and cool down 5 or 6 total miles) I run at least 3 times a week, but usually 5. I also do weights every other day, and abs every day. I do not watch what I eat (as in calories/fat) but at home we eat pretty healthy (lots of veggies, almost no red meat, olive oil, whole grains...the occasional girl scout cookie!)
I have just started to lose weight, and have definitely toned up a lot. I am looking forward to eating what ever I want at Disney (dessert twice a day=heaven!!!!) but I also don't want to gain too much!! How much walking is it typically? Will I walk so much that it ends up being more calories than running three miles and walking another two or three? I would love to keep up the routine while at Disney, but I'm having a hard time fitting everything in with out spending an hour in the gym! I am just worried that I am going to be adding lot's of fat and calories, and expending less energy...and dang it, I want a dole whip and some school bread! And the Kitchen Sink!

I do not think it's comparable to running 3 or 4 miles! Maybe you can plan to start each day with a quick run around your hotel?
All the hotels have (from what I hear) interesting paths to run on.
That way you can start the day right - and have that school bread and ice cream sandwich (with hot, fresh cookies!) and dole whip without guilt!

 

[brockash]

So, some people I know have responded to this as "Wow. That's pretty smart." while others have had the reaction, "Is that...healthy???" So, I pose this question to others who come from where I am coming from and understand the issue a little better.

So, when I go on vacation (most WDW) I like to not have to worry about ANYTHING! I want to leave all my cares and worries at home and just let loose and have fun; no holds barred; including food!

Oh man. Anyone who's been to WDW knows the food is usually never bad it always goes from good to great! Rarely does it rank below a 7 on a scale from 1 to 10. So when I'm in the world, I like to be able to eat what I want when I want how I want it. Big breakfasts, burgers and ice cream for lunch, steak and cake for dinner and of course a couple of sweet late night snacks.

Of course, this poses the problem, after you get back, you have to worry about losing that weight and then it's not so fun anymore

But, I came up with a brilliant solution and it has since worked for the last few years: I simply lose the weight BEFORE I leave for vacation. A couple of months before my trip (in this case, 6 months before seeing as I really went overboard this winter) I go on a strict diet and start to exercise more until I lose a few extra pounds. Therefore, I am 3 to 5 pounds under my ideal weight. This way, I can eat whatever I want when I'm down there and not have to worry about the weight! Then when I get home, I still have a couple extra pounds to play with.

But, surprisingly, one year I went to WDW, I came back and weighed LESS than I did before I went. Never underestimate the amount of walking one does in the world.

So what do you think? Am I brilliant or sick? Your thoughts?

I really don't get how it could thought of as sick Anyways, I'd be in the same boat as you. If I'm at Disney, I'm eating whatever I want whenever I want and I'm enjoying every minute of it. It seems to me that when I go in the summer/warmer months, I don't know if it's that I don't eat as much or what, but I don't seem to gain any weight at Disney. In the winter months, I do, but could careless. It's Disney weight

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

We too eat what we want in Disney, eating whatever sounds good including the kitchen sink! But we have never gained any weight (my biggest worry the first time we did the DDP, which at the time also included an appitizer.) I guess we walk it off.

 

[monkeybug]

I do not think it's comparable to running 3 or 4 miles! Maybe you can plan to start each day with a quick run around your hotel?
All the hotels have (from what I hear) interesting paths to run on.
That way you can start the day right - and have that school bread and ice cream sandwich (with hot, fresh cookies!) and dole whip without guilt!

mmm...hot cookies and Ice cream might be worth waking up early enough to go running (likely though I'll sleep in and then eat them anyways!)
I do plan on running from the Poly to SOG for coffee at starbucks for the three days we are there (I would run like 10 miles for something with real espresso in it!) but I heard it's only like a quarter mile. Maybe I can talk my husband into standing at the end of the jogging loop with some of that school bread...maybe then I will be motivated enough to get out of bed early! (bit of a night owl)

 

[serinlea]

I totally did this inadvertently on our 2007 trip...I'd been trying to lose weight anyway, had started about six weeks before going, and lost 11 pounds. When we got back from Disney, I was right at my inital start weight again! I was kinda ticked that it was SO much, 'cause I didn't really pig out and we'd been walking quite a lot. But I tried to look on the bright side...how much more upset would I have been to have gained 11 pounds OVER my start weight? Eek!

 

[KandiB47]

How much walking is it typically? Will I walk so much that it ends up being more calories than running three miles and walking another two or three? I would love to keep up the routine while at Disney, but I'm having a hard time fitting everything in with out spending an hour in the gym! I am just worried that I am going to be adding lot's of fat and calories, and expending less energy...and dang it, I want a dole whip and some school bread! And the Kitchen Sink!

I think people who lose weight at WDW generally do not exercise as much as you in daily life. I run about the same amount as you and I don't feel like I get the same exercise at WDW from walking.

I don't like to spend time running at WDW either. Last time I tried make excuses for extra walking. For example, I would volunteer to get the fast passes for everyone and speed walk to the destination. This was the first time I didn't gain at WDW and I think it was because I did the extra speed walking when I could. I did eat the Kitchen Sink

 

[monkeybug]

I think people who lose weight at WDW generally do not exercise as much as you in daily life. I run about the same amount as you and I don't feel like I get the same exercise at WDW from walking.

I don't like to spend time running at WDW either. Last time I tried make excuses for extra walking. For example, I would volunteer to get the fast passes for everyone and speed walk to the destination. This was the first time I didn't gain at WDW and I think it was because I did the extra speed walking when I could. I did eat the Kitchen Sink

I was afraid that was the case! I thought I read somewhere that the average person walked 13miles a day at Disney, and was hoping that it was both true, and more than running 3 or 4 miles. It sounds like I am going to have to drag my bum out of bed early enough to go for a run and still make rope drop!! No way am I going to skip any of those yummy looking snacks, but I also don't want to pack on the pounds after 4 months of playing Forrest Gump!!
I will also take your advice and be the fast pass getter (and dole whip getter, and school bread getter, and stuffed pretzel getter, and...well you get the picture) Hopefully after a week I can burn enough extra calories to make up for my portion of the Kitchen Sink!