DH and I decided to surprise our daughter with a trip to Disney for her birthday. We are going to wake her up, say get dressed were going to Disney!! However, I have worked to hard to give up my weightloss for a vacation. Any ideas on how to stay on plan? I am doing WW if that helps.

I lost 5 pounds during my week at Disney and saved a ton of money, too. (I am also a WWer.)

First, if you are able, carry your own water. You will need it and it's expensive in the park. I had a 6 year old and a 4 year old. We ate a large breakfast in our hotel (I did fruit, yogurt, granola bars...)

We carried snacks like raisins, goldfish, fiber one bars, unsalted nuts and trail mix, dry cereal and ate those at lunchtime. We then ate lunch around 3pm at the deli places. You can get a good chicken sandwich or turkey sandwich that are big enough for two. Skip the fries and ask for a salad instead. Disney is very accommodating when it comes to diet needs. Remember to hold the mayo and the cheese and ask for mustard or lite condiments.

(You can google nutritional information for Disney and there are a lot of healthy options!)

Eating a big lunch late will allow a smaller, lighter (and less expensive dinner later. Also, you will be dining at less peak times, eating while the lines for the rides are short but are long for meals. BIG BONUS!

With all the walking you will be doing, it's easy to lose, just don't get caught up in the super sized ice cream and sodas.

We did WDW in February, staying on property with the meal plan, the whole shebang.

What I would advise doing is lots of research on food options before you go. Plan out what your meals will be. Be sure to bring your water bottle. If you guys do the meal plan, then don't think that you always have to use all of your "meals" and "snacks" for yourself! We often got items that would keep in the hotel fridge for breakfast (mostly for the kids).

There were always healthier options to choose from. I think it's a good idea to lose the Clean Plate Club membership in your mind while you're there though, because realistically you're not going to want to tote leftovers around. So you could also divide your serving (or ask the server to just give you a half portion even if you're paying in full) and only eat the reasonable portion.

What an exciting trip, though! I hope you have fun with your family!!

Howdy,
We did WD in May along with the Space Shuttle launch. Plan, plan, plan. We didn't eat at the themed restaurants, brown bagged lunch, Asian Buffet for dinner. Actually ate lunch with Belle in the story Grotto with one of my sons starring as Guston. A lot of fun. You need to plan, plan, plan the day as well. We saw all of the park, with time to spare, because we used Tour Guide Mike. There are other planning sites.

I also lost nicely while on vacation for 9 days, 3,000 miles. It can certainly be done but not without a plan. We also had a condo suite with a kitchen. Did I mention planning:-)

Thanks everyone!! I have been looking at menus and it looks like I can get a kids meal with fruit or veggies. That should be enough!! I have 2 weeks to drop a few more pounds.

I was going to recommend getting the kids meals. Plus, even if you're not vegetarian, you can ask for vegetarian options. For some reason, these options tend to be healthier and they aren't always listed when available.

I definitely agree about eating at non-standard times. I wasn't even trying to lose weight when I was there last year but it just worked out better to have 2 meals a day plus snacks instead of 3 full meals. I carried lots of snacks for my son (granola bars, etc) and we also enjoyed the somewhat healthier snacks we bought in the parks, like the soft serve pineapple whip at the Enchanted Tiki Room (has sugar and probably HFCS but is fat free and fairly low cal and well worth a splurge!)

Staying on a diet at Disney is very doable, especially at the sit down restuarants. If you make reservations and you say you have an allergy, they will send the chef out to talk to you. We just went to Disney last weekend with a woman with allergies who was also on a diet. She and the chef came up with a salad she could have. It was totally NOT on the menu!! They are very accomadating to special requests, but you have to be willing to ask.

I'm glad you posted this question because I am thinking about going to Disney myself in August. It was nice to read through the posts and get ideas. I will stress to you something that I always learn is to plan ahead, and it looks like you are already on track!!!! Bring healthy snacks with you and you will save money and be able to stay on plan!

Thank you all again!! I really appreciate all of the support!!!

Another one here who has lost weight during my Disney vacations in the past! In addition to choosing healthy foods while away from the resort room, since we fly, we always Fed-Ex a package to the resort about 5 days out, with lots of healthy snacks to save $$. (we also include diapers, wipes, etc. to save on luggage room)

Here's a link for all the menus at the parks and resorts at WDW, including dietary info for special needs, such as celiac disease, etc.

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

A water hint: All of the restaurants will give you a free cup of ice water if you ask for a "cup" of water. If you ask for "water" they will sell you a $2.50 one. If you do buy bottled water, the bottles can be refilled at water fountains all over the parks and resorts, but you may want to take some of the individual Crystal Light packs for flavor since the water has a bit of an "off" taste.

was to bring a backpack to carry on plan snacks and bottled water. Prices are pretty high there in general but definitely more so for things you know you could have easily brought in. Disney does not mind if you bring in food, so plan to pack snacks and drinks in.

There are TONS of places to eat meals in the park too. When I was there, I looked for places that I could have a salad with a bit of protein and always asked for the dressing on the side.

Here is a website that has a list of all the restaurants in the park.
http://allears.net/dlr/tp/dl/dl_rest.htm

My two favorite places to eat a sit down meal there are: Carnation Cafe and Cafe Orleans. I was able to get great salads there with no problem.


Also, I tell everyone this that posts about Disney...bring comfy shoes that you can walk in all day and night. Unless you are already a super walking fiend you will walk more in one day that you usually do in a week. I think that alone helps in staying OP. I kept thinking of all the great exercise I was getting and didn't want to wreck it with eating too much junk.

Have Fun!!

I'm loving this thread! We went to Disney World in October before I started my new healthy life, and my reward at goal weight is to go back "skinny". I've already started worrying about how to manage my eating plan while there. We won't be going until probably February. Thanks for all the great tips!

I also lost weight at Disney World last December when we went. We had the meal plan, and there was almost always a healthy choice at both the resorts and the parks. I was pleasantly surprised. I haven't been to Disneyland lately, not as sure about how their food choices are. In the past we have always scheduled a midday break, and had a healthy lunch back at our room!!

Rules for eating at Disneyland:

1. Don't buy anything from the cart venders.

2. Bring a bottle of water and sip constantly.

3. When its time to eat? Eat at the Carnation restaurant on Main street. They have the healthiest of food at Disneyland. You can even purchase single fruits like apples and bananas to snack on if you only want a snack.

4. If you can get your hand stamped. Head over to the restaurants and shops between DL and CA. There are several that have large salad bars. They aren't cheap, but none of the food is at DL, but it is healthier.

5. Remember to use the lockers and bring a few of your own snacks either kept in the locker or your purse for munching.

6. If your willpower fails..........split a much wanted snack with the entire family.

7. Have fun!!!! No sense being miserable at the Happiest Place On Earth, LOL!!!!

Marie