How in the heck do I survive Disney World

I just got back from Disneyland yesterday & lost 4lbs!

Step 1: Go to a nearby grocery store & get supplies for healthy sandwiches. Get yogurt & fruit & veggies & healthy trail mix to snack on. Don't forget water/water bottle.
Step 2: Don't try to fight the goodies. Let yourself have one or two a day. (We had a healthy breakfast @ our hotel (yogurt, toast w pb, oatmeal, fruit), had fruit & trail mix for a snack, sandiwiches & veggies & fruit for lunch, a treat as a snack, & a healthy/not healthy supper, then a special coffee as an evening treat to keep us going till closing)
Step 3: Embrace the 5 miles a day of walking you will do!

I was in Disney first week in November. We spent 6 days in the parks with our two girls and another family. We did a lot of walking around so you do tend to burn quite a bit. I did take a break from any additional exercise. We had several character buffet meals and I did not hold back to my calorie count to my dismay. I probably would have lost a lot of weight. However, when I got home I was please to see with how much I did indulge (and it was a lot) I only gained 2 pounds. The major problem was returning to the exercise routine when I got home. It took me a few weeks to get back into the swing of things and I wasn't tracking my calories like I did. So now about 3 weeks after our return from Disney and a month after we left, I am back to the weight I lost before our trip. I look at it this way, its up to you. if you want to be real hard core, you can eat all the fruit and veggies at the buffets. Disney does have healthy foods there. The problem is that it is all right next to the bad for you stuff. I could not resist the french toast thing they had at Crystal Palace and Mickey waffles. You do tend to pack it in. I say enjoy and work hard when you get back right away, don't delay like I did.

Sorry, double post!

We took our four boys to Disneyworld for a week in April. Here's what I did based on what I wanted to achieve that week. Everyone's goals are different so it may not be in line with what you are wanting. (btw I normally gain 7-12 pounds on a weeks vacation and take 3 weeks to re lose it. My goal this trip was to maintain completely. I ordered well, or ordered kid portions. Had salads and grilled chicken sandwiches etc. I "chanted" lol to myself for two weeks before saying every day "vacation is about relaxing and spending time with my family, NOT gorging and eating...these are all foods I have had before, and WILL have again...I can eat what I want but remember the TRUE reason for this vacation. Fat lasts longer than flavor". So throughout the week I just stuck to my plan and gave myself permission to have what I wanted when the moment struck. On day 3 of seven, I ate a huge cupcake with frosting, then two truffels from a candy store and two bites of my kids ice cream. Then back to normal the next day. Then day seven I had an ice cream cone, a candy bar, two cookies and a couple bites of a funnel cake. All pretty much within a couple hours in the evening. (didnt' feel the greatest) . but I didnt' feel deprivd on the trip AT all....focused more on family and relaxing, and most of all I didn't hate myself when I got home realizing all the flavor was gone and all I was left with was fat or water weight. I weighed exactly the same when I got home and quickly resumed losing. I think the two days I let myself splurge a little helped me mentally, it proved to myself that i DO have self control and that a couple treats here and there are GOOD to have and must have done something to boost my metabolism cause I started dropping more quikcly than I had been. Anyway, have a fun trip..it was awesome...

Aspen

Don't worry too much about it. You will be burning major calories walking all day. What I did also is that I started C25K. I would get up really early. Get my run in and slip back in bed for a nap until everybody else got up. I was the "runner" for the family also, meaning i would run to get the fast passes and meet up with everybody else. Hope it helps.

Eat sensibly, but allow yourself treats too. I always tell myself I can have whatever I want on vacation - as long as I've eaten something healthy first AND I keep the treats to a minimum.

This is your life and this trip to Disney is going to be a test in what you've learned on this site. Choose foods wisely, but enjoy this vacation. Don't let a food obsession ruin your trip.

Be good for breakfast and lunch and don't go too wild at dinner. Walk a lot and hop in the pool. If you know you can have w/e you want (within reason) for dinner, it will be easier the rest of the day.

I thought the same thing during my trip to Universal Studios, but I did SO much walking that I was able to eat what I wanted and burn LOADS of calories. Just enjoy yourself!

We went to Disney World for a week after Thanksgiving! It was ah-maze-ing! I was concerned about how I'd maintain while there since we were on the dining plan but I did great! In fact, I didn't gain a pound (well, when we first got back I was up a couple of pounds but within two days that all came out as I was retaining a ton of water from the excess sodium and flying). I was back to losing in no time! And I allowed myself to enjoy the food (we did four buffets while there...so you can only imagine!!). For breakfast I ordered a container of my favorite protein shake from Amazon and had it sent down so every morning I had my usual with a fiber bar or an apple. I also ordered (from Amazon) the following for snacks to throw in our bags: Jack Link's beef and cheese sticks, Kellogg's Fiber Bars, Planter's Peanuts/Cashews, and to-go packets of all natural peanut butter. I spent $100 with all the protein and snacks for my family, but it was worth it as I wasn't blowing money on other crap and we had plenty of energy to go from 8 am until midnight or 2 am (we got the most out of this trip!). I ate a dessert with each meal when it was offered as part of our plan...but sometimes I'd be so full by the time it came around that I just split it with my son or something. So, all of this to say...it's definitely doable to maintain (and even lose, I imagine had I made healthier choices and skipped desserts I'd have lost!). I wore a BodyMedia Fit and my average calorie burn was about 2800-2900 cals a day from just walking.

I was there for over a week in January and lost a pound without logging anything. All that walking is no joke. If you won't have time to swim or work out, that probably means you're walking all day long.

I usually ate something small for breakfast - a croissant or something. Then a hamburger or similar for lunch. A snack during the day - a pretzel with cheese sauce, or an ice cream. For dinner a nice meal at one of the restaurants. Basically whatever I wanted, but it wasn't out of hand. Still, I didn't go for the low-calorie choices. You should be fine.

Disney pro/freak here!

I've gone to Disney 3 times in the last 3 years (2x on property w/ the dining plan, once without). The only time I actually gained weight was the one week we stayed off property, and did not have the dining plan!
I'm going to assume that you have the table service DDP and not the QS plan. This means (for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about) that you get 1 Quick Service meal, 1 Table Service meal, and 1 snack. This is a lot of food in one day, especially since for both your QS meal and TS meal you get an entree and dessert - Its a lot of food!!!!
I'm assuming you have already chosen, and made your ADRs for the TS restaurants? I hope so, because if not, your not going to get into any! March is a very busy month, and the restaurants have been booked 180 days in advance - That means not much of a chance of a walk up at any of the popular places, and no chance in heck of a character meal.
Anyway.... Have you been to www.allears.net - You can see all the menus on there, even the QS and snack options. This will prepair you for when you get into the restaurant, you will know what you can, and cannot order.
Where are you staying? I believe there is only one Mod resort that has a gym, however, they all have jogging trails. All of the Deluxe resorts have gyms - Ask for a room near them, and get their early in the morning. Of course you'll have to get there extra early so you can get to the parks 15 minutes before rope drop..... lol
Lastly, there is so much walking in Disney - Indulge a little! Don't over do it, but you can still have something. Ooh, and if you ask the CM for an extra bottle of water INSTEAD of the dessert with your QS meal, they will be more than happy to do that for you. Good luck, and if you need any help planning, PM me - I love to help people plan Disney Trips!

all u can do is try ur best to eat things with the least amount of calories im sure ull be doing plenty of walking so ull walk some of it off i wish u the best of luck

http://allears.net/din/dining.htm

For everyone going soon - This will be really helpful! Sad but true, don't go by the menus on the disneyworld website - They are always wrong! lol

Duct tape

without reading any other posts, here are my thoughts. you can go a little overboard because you are on vacation and besides, think of all the walking you'll be doing. you may even come out even

above all - have fun! i would kill to go to DW w/my family. enjoy it because you never know when you'll get this chance again.