Can anyone talk to me about Disney while overweight?

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fossette
fossette Posts: 9
in Chit-Chat
I'm taking my kids to Disney in 6 weeks. I've lost 25lbs but will still be a size 20, maybe an 18 if I'm lucky, when we go. My husband is also changing his life but will still be big too. Are there any rides we should avoid? I took them to a local theme park a few years ago and was mortified when the ride was held up so I could be strapped in (painfully!) and have avoided theme park rides since.

I know it will be a lot of walking but I've been at the gym daily (except this weekend because I had my wisdom teeth removed and am miserable) doing interval training on the treadmill (hills, flat, fast, slow, etc.) so I'm not too worried about that.

Any advice you can offer is absolutely appreciated!

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  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
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    You will be doing a lot of walking. A LOT of walking. A WHOLE, WHOLE, GODDAMN, LOT OF WALKING. You can easily log that and burn some serious calories doing that. Disney is a huge place - every park is gigantic. And while you tram from one park to the next, you walk in every individual park. It's a lot of walking.

    (If you're worried about not being able to hit the gym during the trip, I mean.)

    I don't know what limits to rides are, but my BF's sister, who is over 300 pounds, was able to ride most of the rides with no problem. I don't think that should be a problem!
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member
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    I'm taking my kids to Disney in 6 weeks. I've lost 25lbs but will still be a size 20, maybe an 18 if I'm lucky, when we go. My husband is also changing his life but will still be big too. Are there any rides we should avoid? I took them to a local theme park a few years ago and was mortified when the ride was held up so I could be strapped in (painfully!) and have avoided theme park rides since.

    I know it will be a lot of walking but I've been at the gym daily (except this weekend because I had my wisdom teeth removed and am miserable) doing interval training on the treadmill (hills, flat, fast, slow, etc.) so I'm not too worried about that.

    Any advice you can offer is absolutely appreciated!

    I used to ride rides pretty easily at a 14-16 when I was younger at a local theme park and universal studios, so an 18 would probably be fine. It is a lot of walking and standing however so if you can walk a few miles easily at a time I think you would be fine.
  • 2stepscloser
    2stepscloser Posts: 2,900 Member
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    You have nothing to worry about! My husband and I are 6 ft tall and were overweight when we went in 2011. The only ride that was uncomfortable was the teacups in MK but that was more because my legs were cramped.

    Depending upon whether you have the dining plan, you can easily share meals. The portion sizes are huge! My other recommendation has nothing to do with size, fitness, etc. but I recommend you arrive 20-30 minutes before park opening each day. We got more done in the first 2 hours than we did the entire rest of the day. You will have a great time!
  • dcompo1108
    dcompo1108 Posts: 4 Member
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    Don't stress too much about it you are going to be walking your butt off. I do recommend each of you bringing a bottle of water and refilling it through the day as well as some snacks and sandwiches. One thing Disney does is over charge for food and drink, not really worth it. Especially if you are trying to make a healthy lifestyle change. I am a local and hit the theme parks very often rides shouldn't be an issue for you. Majority of the theme parks now have seats you can try out before even getting in line. Have fun!!! Bring lots of sunscreen!! :smile:
  • meepberry
    meepberry Posts: 22 Member
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    Disneyland? Or Disney World? Ones I can think of offhand are things that are really just for the children (dumbo/space ships in tomorrowland b/c the space in them is pretty small. or the peter pan ride...) But I really hated the Matterhorn because its a two person toboggan so it can get really uncomfortable with two people who are bigger.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    The only rides I can think of as being a little narrow are the Matterhorn, Dumbo, and those spinning Astro-somethings in Tomorrow Land. A lot of the rides don't have divisions between the people sitting next to each other, so you could always ride by yourself for more room. Honestly, I think fit won't be much of an issue, but getting in and out of the ride could be tough.

    OR you could find the fairy godmother or Aladdin's lamp or something and make a wish.
  • Knyvern
    Knyvern Posts: 183 Member
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    I went last summer to Disneyland and didn't have any issues (Size 18). Matterhorn was closed so I don't know about that one.
  • erinxo13
    erinxo13 Posts: 892 Member
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    I've googled this a few times because I'm going next week (yayyyy!!!!) and i'm kind of scared about things too. I've seen a lot of positive things about overweight people at disney and how people were able to fit on rides and stuff. Have fun!!

    ETA:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/691898-walt-disney-world-rides-for-big-people?hl=disney+world#posts-10168729

    theres another thread like this with some more tips!

    ETA:

    http://allears.net/tp/ridsiz.htm
  • dwalt15110
    dwalt15110 Posts: 246 Member
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    I have been to every one of the parks on the Disney World property and can tell you that I had no problem riding the rides even when I went over 300 pounds. I hope you have a fabulous time!.
  • onwarddownward
    onwarddownward Posts: 1,683 Member
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    I've been buying $100 Disney gift cards to prepay our vacation. I can't wait. Enjoy the trip!
  • Elma1975
    Elma1975 Posts: 58
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    I went to Disney in 2011. I was using size 20-22 usa size. I could get on rides. But would have been easier if I had been smaller. Going to water parks was more painful for me and I couldn´t bring myself to wear swimwear or even at the pool area at the hotel. I was too ashamed of my morbidly obesed body.

    You are already changing your lifestyle so don´t spend your time feeling ashamed of yourself like I did, try to enjoy your trip because you don´t go on trips like this often. I regret spending this precious time hating my body and feeling ashamed of myself, it destroyed a perfectly good trip.
  • onwarddownward
    onwarddownward Posts: 1,683 Member
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    Same here. I went in 2005 and the heat was MURDER because I was so fat. I have some pictures of me looking like I was going to stroke out and I was not feeling the magic. But I did have three kids under six and a four yr old with severe autism.
  • krhn
    krhn Posts: 781 Member
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    Think this applies to everyone, you may need to avoid the rides if you are scared of heights :laugh:
    As far as weight is concerned... No if your not ultra morbidly obese you'll be fine

    One thing that everyone has said is walking and waiting! God I hated waiting when trying to get on a popular ride! :sad:
  • Symphony2010
    Symphony2010 Posts: 50 Member
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    The roger rabbit ride in toon town
  • Dr_Waffles
    Dr_Waffles Posts: 141 Member
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    Get some new walking shoes now and make sure they get broken in. The worst thing ever is to have sore feet.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Bumping this. Just went back. Please listen to Dr Waffles. I didn't bring my walking shoes and I really regretted it (I destroyed my sandals in the process). I am 180lbs. Hubby is 200lbs and ended up with a lot of blisters even with his regular sneakers.

    I didn't log while I was there (just because I have no idea how many calories are in the food there anyway), ate what I wanted for breakfast (so usually waffle or eggs or chocolate chip pancakes with bacon and/or sausage), had almost no snacks except a protein bar twice in 5 days and a French pastry (apple tart at the world showcase), and ate healthy at at least once meal otherwise (usually salad with dressing on the side I just dipped my fork in, and I had salmon or turkey twice with veggies and rice/couscous). I had a big plate of pasta with sauce and meatball, some bread, one of the Epcot German showcase hotdogs, and two pieces of that cheese pizza that delivers to the resorts (which really wasn't that great, and probably very fattening).

    My weight didn't move (although granted, I'm in one of those 2 week plateaus I hit every month anyway). Hubby had an omelet every morning then whatever during the day, but had no snacks or desserts except one pastry, and gained 2 lbs. So yes, you'll walk a whole lot, but you'll still want to be careful with what you eat because walking will only burn so much.

    On a side note, after 5 days there, my workout dvd seemed much easier today!
  • BeckyAnne4
    BeckyAnne4 Posts: 143 Member
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    I visited Disney World in 2011 as a size 22/24, and I did not come across a single ride that I could not "fit". One or two may have been tightish, (mostly due to my bust, I'm rather full-busted) but overall I had a very good experience. DH did have a ride or two that were questionable (needing extra assistance to get "strapped in"). He's just over 6 feet tall, was prolly around 275#, and has MASSIVE shoulders (former football player), so he's not your average bear :wink: Neither one of us had to sit out a single ride though! I hope you have a fantastic trip!
  • BeckyAnne4
    BeckyAnne4 Posts: 143 Member
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    Get some new walking shoes now and make sure they get broken in. The worst thing ever is to have sore feet.

    AND THIS! :smile:
  • fossette
    fossette Posts: 9
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    Thank you all! I've been busy and just got a chance to come back to this. Thanks to all of you I'm much less concerned (though I think maybe I need to go look for walking shoes and leave my running shoes home!). I'm a little worried for my husband, who like the one mentioned above, is broad shouldered, over 6 feet tall and will be around 295 when we go, but we'll make do :) I even bought tank tops and decided not to care what anyone thinks--life is too short to be miserable (tell me again why I chose June to go to Florida though?)!

    Erin, how was your trip?
  • jqh23
    jqh23 Posts: 311 Member
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    I haven't been to DW in 20 years, but we are also going in 6 weeks! I know at other theme parks they usually have a seat at the entrance for you to sit in to see if you fit. I dunno if Disney does.. but it seems like it shouldn't be a prob anyway. Have fun!

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