O.K. everyone, we have planned a Disney World trip for this coming February. Our oldest daughter is graduating, and all 6 of us will be going as a family to celebrate

We will be traveling away from home for 9 to 10 days. My question would be How is the best way to count calories on a trip like this and still have fun, and not OCD on everything I'm eating?
I want to still stay on plan, but I also want to enjoy eating out with my family.
Any suggestions would be great!!
Thanks
Cathy

Eating in the park is expensive - financially and calorie-wise. Pack some food with you, like granola bars, maybe some apples, etc. Have each person carry their own snack supply so you don't turn into a pack horse, heh.

Decide ahead of time what things you really want to eat. Like for me I would plan on eating a pretty healthy/inexpensive breakfast so I had lots of energy and didn't use too many calories earlier on but I would want to get something fun for lunch and dinner. You do a LOT of walking at theme parks so that will help put a dent in the calories. Eat what you want, how often do you go to Disneyland?, but split a dish with someone if possible or take half back to the hotel room. You might want to ask if you can get a half portion. Another option is ordering an appetizer as an entree.

And if all else fails eat a reasonable portion and let them throw the rest away. Better to store excess calories in the garbage can than on your waist!

When we bought our package it includes a "dining plan" for each person, which includes a sit down meal, 2 "fast" meals, and 2 snacks a day, yes that is a lot of food, and NO I will make sure I will not eat all that I'm offered just because I have it to use. I have 4 children and a hubby that wouldn't mind finishing my food at all
This is like a once and a lifetime trip, so yes I want to enjoy it, but I don't want to came home 5 pounds heavier. So I guess, just make sure my choices are wise, eat smaller portions, and walk a lot!!
Any other suggestions?
Thanks
Cathy

My suggestion is pretty much the same as the other one. Cut the portions you are served in half, walk a lot, drink a lot of water and have a good time.

When I went to Disney I walked 10 hours a day... so this in itself is good exercise. I made sure that I carried crackers and granola bars during the day and around 6 pm we would have dinner... usually at the Disney Hotel dining area... I ate chicken w/pasta almost every night but the walking counteracted the calories in the dinner... just eat in moderation... snack healthy and you should be fine.

Last year we were in Orlando for 2 weeks and spent 1 week on site with the dining plan. My approach was to only allow myself one table service meal a day (mainly dinner but did do one character breakfast and lunch). I took slimfast drinks and bars with me and mainly ate these for the other meals and was able to sit down with my family and eat these in the counter-service restaurants. I did sometimes have a salad or fruit salad as a snack if I wanted. For the table service meals I made sure I made an informed choice - I looked at all the menus (see allearsnet.com) and planned what I thought would be the best choice from the menu (I avoided anything with lots of cheese, rich sauces and mainly ate fish). I didn't eat dessert except fruit salad and I had sorbet once.

Did this plan work? Well yes it did as I came back a pound lighter and did not feel too deprived.

Kitty

Disney's food is HIGHLY caloric. Pretty much everything you can get your hands on in the parks is up there. So, as others have said, put some low-cal snacks in your backpack, stuff that won't spoil. If you can avoid eating much in the parks you should be okay. An ocassional snack though could be a treat since yes, you will do LOTS of walking and waiting on your feet for rides.

I lived in Central Florida (moving back next month actually) for most of my life and worked at Disney one summer, so I know how crazy it gets there (in more ways that one). But yes, have fun just don't go overboard. And remember, most things have more calories & fat in them than you might think.

Oh, Cathyw, I am so jealous! One website that helps me plan what to eat while visiting with The Mouse is AllEars.net. They have menus for most of the restaurants in the parks, so you can at least plan ahead. And, when you make your Advance Reservations, you can let the chefs know of any special dietary needs- sugar free, allergies, etc., as well. Have fun!

Thank you all so much!!
I will check out the sites and see if I can come up with a plan!!
We are not going till February, so I have time to plan
Cathy