Dieting at Disney

LifeWithPie

Ahhh Disney. My favorite place on earth. We go every September. For me, it's a vacation. The last thing I want to do is lug around snacks and drinks or prepare meals in my room. But to each their own.
We usually end up with the QSDP and I don't think about what I'm eating. I eat Mickey bars and cupcakes from Starring Rolls, pastries in France..etc. the average person walks 7-12 miles per day in one park.

Last September I came home 3 pounds lighter. Cant wait to go this September to check out the New Fantasyland!
Have fun! And try not to worry about it too much.

Dmaster1214

Look for healthy choices, and you know what treat yourself at least 1 of those 5 days.

As long as you get back on track, you will be fine.

Eat within reason, try not to graize on small foods all day and wait it out for the main meals like lunch or dinner. That way the overall calories youll eat in the day will hopefully be minimized.

I like to do some cardio at the hotel before heading out (I know may be overkill for some people since you'll be walking all day).

Just don't be TOO strict. You don't want your diet to be a burden or a discouragement. Find a happy medium. Enjoy, but don't go looking for food unnecessarily if you get what I mean.

The day before you leave to go back home, start getting back into the mindset and get back on track! Most importantly.

michelefrench

thank you SO much for this thread...we're leaving on Monday for Disney and I was all worried...sounds like as long as i make mostly reasonable choices w/the occasional treat (like that dole whip thing ) i should be all right....:flowerforyou:

trtmom

This is a Dole Whip. It's pineapple juice and vanilla ice cream. And I want you to go into Adventureland and over to Aloha Isle and have one...for me.

Oh my this looks amazing! I definitely am going to have 1.

PlayerHatinDogooder

:frown: Don't diet the whole time. You're going to be in the Happiest Place on Earth, and in that happiest place they have excellent macaroni and cheese, cotton candy, and giant turkey drumsticks.

Exactly.

Dieting at Disneyland seems like an excellent way to ruin Disneyland.

Relax enjoy yourself. It's 5 days.

You might gain a pound or two but it's nothing you can't take off later.

trtmom

thank you SO much for this thread...we're leaving on Monday for Disney and I was all worried...sounds like as long as i make mostly reasonable choices w/the occasional treat (like that dole whip thing ) i should be all right....:flowerforyou:

We'll be there on Wednesday! Another tip I heard was that you can ask any restaurant for a glass of ice water and it's free. This is a great money saving tip! Because I have the dining plan, I plan on getting a bottle of water with my meal and a glass of water and saving the bottle for later

trtmom

Thank you all so much. Hearing about those who lost weight actually gave me encouragement! I know all the walking will definitely help!

Francl27

I didn't get the meal plan there because I was worried there would only be bad choices honestly! I was there there 2 weeks ago for 5 days as well. I ate whatever I wanted for breakfast (at the hotel - chocolate chip pancakes with syrup and bacon, french toast with sausage, waffle with bacon and breakfast plate without fried potatoes - I'm guessing some of that stuff was probably 800 calories), had three more or less bad meals (pizza, German hotdog and spaghetti and meatballs), one pastry at Epcot, and the rest was meat/grain/veggies or salad with dressing on the side. I only had a snack twice and it was the protein bar I brought with me. My weight didn't move at all (but we went at the time I usually plateau anyway). We walked a ton obviously.

Honestly most places have a healthy choice. You can always ask for dressing on the side. Drinks are pretty easy, there are water fountains everywhere (except Animal Kingdom it seemed?), just bring a bottle and refill it.

All I have to add because I REALLY wish someone had told me, even if it seems obvious - bring your good walking shoes!

Francl27

Oh, just aheads up...

When you go to Epcot...go to France and hit up their bakery. It is worth the calories....believe me.

Totally! That's the only sweet treat I got there. But oh so worth it. I never got to try the Dole whip unfortunately (and it has only 100 calories).

Oh I'd avoid the turkey leg, I read in a couple places that they have 1000 calories!

DrMAvDPhD

I lost 5 pounds on my Dinsey vacay last year. You will be walking so much that I wouldn't bother worrying about extra calories. To save money, we had cereal for breakfast in our room before leaving and a protein shake, fruit, and cold sandwiches at the hotel in the middle of the day for lunch.

shellyb17

I just got back from Disney and I had no trouble! There are fruits/veggies, salads, turkey, chicken, fish or something reasonable pretty much everywhere you go. Our hotel had a breakfast buffet and I grabbed oatmeal and green tea there every morning. I even found a quinoa dish at the new Be our Guest Restaurant! I also did have a treat or two every day. (Dole Whip....drool...) The only place I would say I really ate bad was at the Kona Cafe because I refused to have anything but the famous Tonga Toast. I logged everything I ate as well as my activity and I burned far more calories than I consumed every day. My weight was down when I got home, lol.

Oh and a tip if you are a fan of iced tea, I discovered the best place to get one is at Gaston's in the New Fantasyland. They have unsweetened Fuze iced tea there. Much better than the watered down crap found elsewhere in the park.

Francl27

I didn't even bother logging, because I had no idea whatsoever how many calories were in the meals, so it just seemed a total waste of time lol.

willdob3

I've always found it very easy to eat healthy at Disney.

Just choose water instead of sugary drinks when walking around. there are plenty of healthy food choices and many, many restaurant options.

Don't stare longingly at the junk foods or they will call your name until you cave. lol... I do believe that has been proven to be a scientific fact.

FabulousKP

Bump..great suggestions. I will be going there in July w/this Dining plan!

tonyrocks922

This is a Dole Whip. It's pineapple juice and vanilla ice cream. And I want you to go into Adventureland and over to Aloha Isle and have one...for me.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/727aa67382ee595bc6e0b9a03ebeb448/tumblr_milj3zqdGK1s6pi79o1_1280.jpg

The Dole Whip is not pineapple juice and ice cream. It's considered "non-dairy" (even though there is a milk-derived ingredient), and is lactose-free. I swear 80% of the posts on these forums are just people making things up out of thin air.

DOLE WHIP INGREDIENTS: Water*, Sugar, Dextrose, Pineapple Juice Concentrate, Coconut Oil**, Stabilizers (Cellulose, Xanthan Gum, Locust Bean, Karaya Gum, Pectin), Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking), Corn Syrup Solids, Citric Acid, Sodium Caseinate (A Milk Derivative), Artificial Flavor, Potassium & Sodium Phosphate, Mono & Diglycerides, Artificial Color (Yellow 5 & 6), Soy Lecithin.

_DaniD_

JennHas2Ns

A fantastic resource I've used for Disney Dining is the Disney Food Blog. Just googling 'disney food blog diet' came up with a few results on the homepage for various diets like South Beach, etc. Not sure if they're as accomodating at the QSR locations, but I know you can always ask for something to be modified.

Disney has done a great job recently of giving you options for your sides like grapes and carrots instead of the regular chips and fries. Allears.net and the Disney Food Blog both have a list of menus for all the restaurants too. Feel free to do some research before your trip and see which places will mesh best with what you'd *like* to eat while down there. Worst case scenario, you'll at least know where the healthy choices whether you choose to eat there or not.

Enjoy your trip! I'll be down there in September and I'm doing the same research now!

UsedToBeHusky

Just take 5 days off of your diet... it won't be the end of the world and you can get back on track when you get back.

Or just don't clean your plate... smaller portions.





There is absolutely no reason ever not to enjoy all that Disney has to offer!

bryionak

If you think the food at Disney is horrible, you are doing it wrong.

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2010/02/04/eating-healthy-in-walt-disney-world/

I read this link a couple times before I went and took what I learned from logging for a couple months and losing 15 pounds and made some good decisions.

The one thing I struggle with home/vacation what ever is eating slow and stopping before stuffing myself. Keep this in mind. We were there for 8 night/9 days and I lost a pound.

We ate at Rose & Crown, Teppen Edo, Yak & Yeti, Be Our Guest, Flying Fish Cafe, Brown Derby, Boma, and Ohana's. Having breakfast helped. I brought some GNC shakes thinking I would use as a meal replacement but only did that a few days. I went to the gym once.

Enjoy it, WDW is awesome.

allisonrinkel

Wow, everyone seems to be all over the Turkey drumsticks! Sounds yummy! Also, seems like if you do it right, Disney may help you walk off some weight!! Can't wait till I can go one day!
I'm sure if you're having lots of water and avoiding blatantly sugar filled crap, you'll be ok!

bryionak

I am not a fan of the turkey drumsticks. But I may be the minority. They also have a ton of calories, 1000 or so. I am a fan of a lot of the sit down restaurants

Ready2Rock206

The 7 thousand miles you walk in a day will balance out most of the treats you might consume. Enjoy - have fun, eat healthy when you can but splurge a little too and just get right back on track when you get home.