Going to Disney World - Help!

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cmp04d
cmp04d Posts: 59 Member
in Motivation and Support
I just started using this site this past Monday and am so far doing really well. However, I am slightly concerned because I'm going to be at Disney World this Saturday and do not want to get off track so soon. Does anyone have any tips on eating healthy in the parks? Also, I'm assuming I can count all of the walking towards my exercise (and get some extra calories), but I'm not sure how to log it. I don't want to spend my whole day checking my watch every time we start walking. I'm thinking of logging 30% of the time we spend in the parks as walking at a leisurely pace...
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  • techymum
    techymum Posts: 168
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    Sounds like a great trip! There will be plenty of advice to follow, but I will start off with, please -just go enjoy the trip! You already are thinking good choice, so you are well on your way. But these things come so rarely, don't want to spend your time on a computer plunking in numbers. (just my opinion, anyway).

    Can you pack food to bring in the park? I haven't been there, so not sure but I would just pack my own little cooler and have a picnic.

    Anyway, congrats on getting started, and have an awesome time!
  • maviolette
    maviolette Posts: 27 Member
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    We went earlier this year, and I didn't gain a pound. There are healthy options at most places, and all that walking will definatley help! Enjoy yourself, a Mickey Ice Cream Bar is a must.
  • Calead910
    Calead910 Posts: 4
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    Bring snacks with you and plan your trip. Make sure you know what your eating before you go to the parks- eat before you go, have something healthy, bring healthy snacks and lots of water and know where your going to eat at the parks. You can look up all the restaurants on their website and plan ahead. If you don't have a plan, you'll be hungry and just eat anywhere or grab anything.
  • nlsalvatore
    nlsalvatore Posts: 521 Member
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    Lucky you - love it there! Have fun! You could use a pedometer, or if you have an ipod or smartphone, a free pedometer app. Disney has healthy options as well - you just have to find them. You could check out the Disney World website in advance - and look up dining. You can often see the menus in advance, if you want to. I would say just have fun, though, and eat mindfully but don't obsses about it - you'll walk so much it should even out!
  • misslouisee
    misslouisee Posts: 73 Member
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    Not sure what there is at Disney World, but I went to Alton Towers (theme park in the UK) a few weeks back and had a jacket potato which is much healthier option and really filling!

    I didn't log my exercise though, if you have a pedometer you could wear that all day and see what steps you've taken at the end?
  • tiggersstar
    tiggersstar Posts: 193 Member
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    I have been to the Florida Disneyland parks twice and SeaWorld etc. I didn’t eat that well, but walking all day, every day, i actually lost weight!

    Take snacks, as the food is a bit of a rip off. I ended up eating a side salad with fries most nights as the veggie options were not that great. But that was a couple of years ago, so they may have improved.

    love, love, love discovery cove at SeaWorld, that was better than all the Disney parks put together!

    ahhh i miss florida......... stuck in gloomy uk

    have fun!

    :flowerforyou:
  • cantjustcant
    cantjustcant Posts: 1,027 Member
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    We went to King's island a couple of weeks ago and I logged 8 hours of walking leisurely pace and we were there for 10 hours. A heart rate monitor would be better at an exact calorie burn! One of my MFP friends went recently and said there were several healthy options! I think you will be fine as far as keeping on track! Disney is more about making memories to last a lifetime rather than worrying about counting every calorie burnt or eaten!
  • Dandersonjr32
    Dandersonjr32 Posts: 73
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    Yeah, my suggestion is DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. Make sensible but delicious choices. (E mail me for the best places to eat. We go several times a year.) You will be there during the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, which is fantastic.

    You walk, on average, 4 - 6 miles a day when you're in the park. You'll burn through 4,000 calories just by walking and breathing. Anything else you do will add to that.

    Eat, enjoy, if you put on a pound in a week so what, take it off when you get back.
  • jsfurlo0208
    jsfurlo0208 Posts: 13
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    I went a few weeks ago! Had a great time! Drink lots of water.. I logged an hour of walking to start off with and then just went with the flow for the rest of the day! Eat a big breakfast this way you will be full! Disney has lots of good food choices! Go and Enjoy!!!!
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    Make sure you go on the tea cup ride.
  • emlavigne
    emlavigne Posts: 33 Member
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    Disney has a lot of great, healthy options. Look up their eateries and restaurants online before you go so that you know which ones you can safely venture to and which ones to avoid.

    I'm so jealous! Have fun!

    p.s. Don't forget to try the Sake tasting in Japan!! It's awesome.
  • jedinight32
    jedinight32 Posts: 39
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    I think that a pedometer is a great idea and you will be walking around the park so much that you will just burn everything off anyway. I am actually going there for Halloween at the end of October and have the same concerns as you do. I think everything will be fine and just have fun!!!
  • angela828
    angela828 Posts: 498 Member
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    I went to Disney in August and maintained and then lost a week later!

    They do have healthy choices - choose apple slices instead of fries.. grilled chicken... salads. Just ask if you don't see it! Disney is soo good about making people happy. We ate at the smorgasboard in Germany, it was delicious. I just had small portions and water and really really enjoyed myself.

    We walked for like 12 hours a day, literally so I logged 8 hours of leisurely walking. Drink lots of water!!!! You should be fine, just don't go overboard but remember to enjoy yourself :)

    Get a frozen banana!!! They are at all the ice cream stands and they have like 205 calories and they are huge and delicious.
  • Rappla88
    Rappla88 Posts: 185 Member
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    You are going to walk and walk and walk all day long!!! Also there are places that offer healthy options.... I do know specifically in the Animal Kingdom there are great options in the "Africa" section and it's right by the entrance to the safari. Also the best food in Epcot is around the worlds! (if you feel like indulging.... the mexican cantina has THE BEST margaritas!!!!!) If you are going to have your own car there is a plaza across the street from the entire park area (keep following the road past downtown disney and all the downtown disney hotels) there you will find a lot of other options (as well as some cheaper options). There is a soup and salad buffet called Sweet Tomato that is very yummy and very reasonably priced!! Enjoy your trip!!!
  • newnormal2010
    newnormal2010 Posts: 61
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    Sounds like a great trip! There will be plenty of advice to follow, but I will start off with, please -just go enjoy the trip! You already are thinking good choice, so you are well on your way. But these things come so rarely, don't want to spend your time on a computer plunking in numbers. (just my opinion, anyway).

    Can you pack food to bring in the park? I haven't been there, so not sure but I would just pack my own little cooler and have a picnic.

    Anyway, congrats on getting started, and have an awesome time!

    The last time I was there (2006), you could picnic on the grounds, but outside the park gates -- they had picnic areas between where you park the car and where you actually enter the park itself. We found that it worked well to pack a picnic in a cooler, leave it in the rented van, and then just come out to the van and eat there, rather than hauling stuff to a picnic area and back. Of course, this was in January, so eating in the parked van with the side door open for ventilation worked well. Not sure how nice that would be right now...

    We ate our own food for lunch more as an economic thing -- we did five days in the four parks, and food adds up! We at in the various restaurants for dinners, and in our timeshare for breakfast. Checking the menus in advance is a good idea -- especially at Epcot, the kinds of food vary widely, and it will be easier to make healthy choices at some restaurants than at others.

    "Bring healthy snacks" sounds like a great idea, but check first to make sure you can actually carry them into the park! I love the idea of a pedometer to track the walking. Even if you decide not to log while you're there, it would be really interesting to know how much walking you actually do!

    Have a wonderful trip!!
  • kalilioness
    kalilioness Posts: 49 Member
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    OK....First, enjoy the trip! Second, buy a pedometer. Every 3000 steps is about 1 mile so you will know how many miles you have walked. You can secure the pedometer to your sneaker laces so that it won't pop off of your waist like mine does and get lost. Or...you can just check what time you arrive and what time you finally stop walking around and log it as leisurely pace walking. Guesstimate the best you can and call it a job well done! As for food, eat a protein filled breakfast before you get to the park that has very little sugar in it, sugar sets your body up to have hunger pangs all day long, at the park opt for grilled anything over fried, battered or dripping with sauces. Disney has a lot of options available including salads etc. I think if you go on their website you can see what kinds of restaurants are available etc...they are very user friendly. Lastly, drink tons of water! They have a ton of bathrooms in the park so you will not find yourself miles from the bathroom and busting at the seams. I hope some or all of this helps, say hi to Mickey for me!!!!!!!
  • chrissaucier
    chrissaucier Posts: 271 Member
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    Have a great trip! Disney offers many healthy options at most of the restaurants, even the counter service ones, just take your time looking at the menus and you'll find a healthy choice.
  • magicmama
    magicmama Posts: 19
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    There are carts that sell healthier options, like fruits, juices, water .... You don't have to go to a full restaurant unless you want to have that as part of the experience. The restaurant menus don't have calorie counts listed, so just check the menu before you go. Also, I would bring small, non-perishable snacks, like individually packaged almonds. They give you a filling boost and aren't simply calories.
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
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    Make sure you go on the tea cup ride.

    The Dumbo ride is way better.
  • magicmama
    magicmama Posts: 19
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    "Bring healthy snacks" sounds like a great idea, but check first to make sure you can actually carry them into the park! I love the idea of a pedometer to track the walking. Even if you decide not to log while you're there, it would be really interesting to know how much walking you actually do!

    You can if they are small. I think that coolers aren't allowed though. We brought granola bars and almonds (those get carried everywhere with us, so it never occurred to me that they might not be allowed!), and we had no trouble getting through security with the backpack.

    OH YEAH. Take a backpack, not a purse, if you can. The backpack can hold more things and is less cumbersome than a purse. And the boy people don't mind sharing the backpack load. It might be harder to get them to hold a purse! LOL!

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