diet at Disney?!

[thejens]

We are heading to the world in just 5 short days! Woohoooo! We are on the Deluxe Dining Plan! oink, oink, oink... Ok, I am resigned that I will gain a couple pounds and work it off later. In fact, I am dieting now as a preemptive, guilt bashing measure. The bad news is that my mom really needs to lose weight for health reasons and is unable to exercise without her therapist due to breathing problems. I want to support her as much as possible. Can anyone suggest low calorie snacks, drinks, entrees etc that are also delicious!? I'd love to tell her people are raving about different items that are also low cal. She knows to stick to low fat, salmon, salads etc. But are there any healthy choices that also happen to be AWESOME? Rusty Scupper, I wish that it were so!

[IloveDisney71]

I have found that when I was dieting before going to Disney that it seemed that I had a smaller appetite when I got there. If you don't eat at buffets or all you can eat restaurants, the more upscale restaurants seem to have smaller portions so you are not tempted to overeat.
I also learned to split a pizza or chicken strips with someone and have a side salad to go with it. The good news is that Disney is offering healthier choices like fruit and baked chips. I was on the dining plan in December (for 4 days) and just watching my portion size kept me from gaining weight. I usually gain 2 to 5 pounds during a trip to Disney.
The restaurant right across from the race track at the MK offers a really good chicken meal. I think it was baked or roasted and it was really good.

[Dakota Rose]

I think that the easiest way to eliminate empty calories at WDW is to drink water instead of soda or lemonade. If water isn't a big hit with mom, pick up some of those Crystal Light to go packs to flavor the water.

I heard somewhere that the counter service places will let you substitute carrots for fries.

And instead of a churro, have popcorn for a snack.

The vegetarian options (veggie burgers at Elec. Umbrella and Cosmic Rays) are tasty and low-fat. I also really like grilled chicken sandwiches throughout the world as a low-fat option to hamburgers. (Flame Tree has a couple grilled chicken options -- yum!)

Boma came to mind instantly as their food is very flavorful and pretty low-fat. I really like the FuFu and the couscous. Yum.

At 'Ohana, the pork and turkey are lower in fat/calories than the steak or sausage. Speaking of sausage, hot dogs and sausages are real diet-busters.

The Tacos Al Carbon at San Angel Inn are yummy too...

The other thing I sometimes , if I really want a cheeseburger or some other fat-laden food, is order from the kids menu. Smaller portions counteract the fat and calories, of course.

But mostly, remember all the walking is going to counteract some of the extra calories. :)

Good luck! Have fun! :)

[HndrdPrcnt]

I would agree that you want to stick to the TS restaurants for healthy eating. You can find fresh veggies at some stands as well as fresh fruit. You can't go wrong there.

Also, if you ask the server at the restaurant to grill the fish/chicken with no butter, I am sure that they can honor your requests. I am sure that they are used to special requests with the fact that they are serving people with all sorts of medical conditions, beliefs, and diets.

We too gain weight while we are at Disneyworld. However, we figure it this way, 2 weeks to put on the pounds, 50 weeks to work them off!! You gotta go wild every once in a while!:thumbsup:

[ElenitaB]

Cosmic Ray's and Sunshine Seasons both offer rotisserie chicken; in addition, Sunshine Seasons also offers grilled salmon at the same station as the chicken. In the AK, you can get a great fruit plate at Flametree BBQ. I'm sure someone will come with a recommendation at the Studios. As for DTD, Wolfgang Puck Express has some wonderful offerings which can easily be split (be sure to try their chicken tortilla soup... good and good for you ;)).

At the TS restaurants, I always try to order fish.

[McGoofy]

I was also going to suggest Sunshine Seasons in The Land at Epcot. There are many healthy choices there and there is also a huge variety in soups, salads, entrees, desserts, etc...:thumbsup:

[GeorgeOfTheJungle]

I just got back from a 1-week trip to WDW where I actually managed to lose weight! It's not that hard to do if you walk all day and eat healthy, it's not very hard!

What I did was:
- Drink water - no sodas!
- Eat fruit/veggies with every meal - for example, a banana with a bowl of cereal or oatmeal for breakfast
- Eat the vegetarian options as often as possible (veggie burger, veggie lo mein, peanut butter & jelly, etc)
- Only 1 dessert a day (Mickey ice cream, cookie, etc)
- Stay away from buffets!
- eat at the more expensive restaurants for healthier food

[thejens]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the suggestions. I'd love to hear any more ideas of what is yummy and low cal.

[kwhitt3202]

I went to wdw after a major diet and was still watching what I ate. DH and I were on the DDP so I made sure I ate most of my cals earlier in the day and for dinner I would start with a salad (the kona salad at Kona was yummy) and the stick with lean meat ie fish, chicken, filet. and had the chef sub my starch with extra veggies which was wonderful and stuck with fruit type deserts. Narcoossee's has fruit sorbet that I get every time and the fondue at kona was soooo good.
Also when we would eat at buffets for breakfast I would take a piece of fruit for latter.

As for drinks I agree with the crystal light to go packets. I have taken them the last two times we have gone and they are great.

[chick20679]

I do Weight Watchers and on our past two trips (Feb & May), I had the goal of just not gaining any weight, but I actuallly LOST weight on both trips... (I think it has something to do with all the walking!)
There are all kinds of yummy choices for those seeking more low-cal options, although you may have to look a bit harder for them.

This last trip, I had an absolutely DELICIOUS :tasty: veggie sandwich at the backlot express at DHS that came with black bean salad (instead of fries).

The Sunshine Seasons food court at The Land pavilion has some really yummy salad options too (I recommend the beet & goat cheese salad ~ yum-o!).

Also, at the hotel food courts (at least at POFQ) the lemonade they have is only 5 cal per serving and much more refreshing than soda or plain water.

Hope these ideas help! Have a great trip!

[mouseketeer mom]

Minnie all fruit strawberry bars at the ice cream carts are low cal and healthy. My DD loves them, and she's not even on a diet!! The shaved ice cart in Japan is another low fat choice, with a squirt or two of fruit flavored syrup.

[thejens]

Thank you guys so much. It really means a lot to me that I can tell my mom that there are yummy things you suggested that are also good for her.