Dieting on a budget at WDW and home!

[disneymom]

I finally have to lose some weight but all the special diet products seem so expensive. My question is, it is possible to diet on a budget at disney but then Im wondering about the same at home too. I suppose an answer could be to just eat lettuce every day but im hoping for something a bit better

[SleepinCatz]

It is easy...stay away from fried food, read labels...high fructose corn syrup is not anybodys friend so stay away from that. Cut back on your bread intake and eat more fresh veggies and fruit.

WDW is loaded with healthy food options....so find what works at home and I promise you will find it at WDW

[SleepinCatz]

I forgot to say drink lots of water both at home and while at Disney. Teas and sodas don't let you throw off excess fluids easy plus they do not hydrate you properly. Gatorade has alot of sugar in it...but propel has very little if any( depends on which type of propel you buy). However, the body wants just plain old water..so indulge it

[Johnie]

Eating healthier can be done and it doesn't have to break the bank. It just takes more work to locate the deals and make your own meals.

Where do you live? Do you have a farmer's market closeby? You can get some awesome fresh produce way cheaper there than at the grocery store.

[Tink]

Drop the carbs like a rock. Stick to vegetables, leafy greens (they don't all have to be lettuce, it can be cooked kale, spinach, collard, turnip, mustard... whatever you prefer) but try to avoid (or eat less of) carrots, peas, and corn as they have high sugar content. Not to say you can't have them, but put them at the bottom of the list.

The trick is to eat them with seasonings and not butter or other forms of fat.

Drop potatoes, and if you like them substitute sweet potatoes, which are not potatoes at all. Again, sparingly.

Skip the pasta, bread, cookies, cakes, pies, concentrated sweets in general.

If you are deparate for bread or pasta make sure the bread is whole grain/wheat (stone ground preferred) and the pasta is whole wheat.

Measure and weigh. Yep, it's a pain at first, but you need to see what a true portion is before you can adjust how much you eat!

Drink so much water you think you are going to float away.

Skip sodas (including sugar free) and other sweetened drinks including tea and coffee. Drink them black if you can.

Sugar free additives are your worst friend. Trust me on that one, ok? My doc warned me about them, and since I've dropped them from my list of approved items that I ingest ( ) I can't tell you what a difference it has made.

DO NOT weigh yourself everyday. Try to work in some increase in exercise, like walking. Unless you exercise regularly now, don't jump into it with both feet. Start gently and add some minutes each day.

Hope that helps!

[Tink]

Oh geez, meant to add that while at WDW if dining at full service places you can request nearly anything from the chef. they are very willing to grill a chicken breast, fish, steak, etc. Just watch the portion size.

Ask them for steamed veggies, they'll do it for you.

At counter service places you'll have to pick and choose, but you can request some things like no mayo or other additives, etc.

[SleepinCatz]

And the counter sevice places are starting to carry more healthy menus to choose from. So you see? You will be just fine Just find what works for you and then find it in the park at alot of places No worries.

[Tink]

Yep. There are many more healthier choices now. Several places in each park where you can get fresh fruit or veggies (carrot sticks or celery) for a snack instead of sweets.

Do remember though, dark chocolate (as long as the first ingredient isn't sugar) is good for you!

[Taja]

Try to eat small quantities of food several times a day rather than two or three larger meals. Keeps you from feeling hungry and maintains your blood sugar at a reasonable level.

Learning how to judge portion size was my biggest hurdle. I didn't have a weight problem until a few years ago--and I swear everything I ever ate decided to glom onto me at once!

Plan to balance your foods. Carbs (love them!) are my enemy, but so is too much animal protein and a few other things. I've learned to determine how much I can eat in a day and adjust it to five or six smaller meals. As Tink noted, minimizing carbs can give you a good kick start to your lifestyle change. I can do that for a week or so, but not indefinitely. So as I add carbs to my menu, I add more exercise to burn them off. Works well, for the most part. Just have to remember not to over-indulge!

[Tink]

When eating six (or five) small meals a day it is critical to not increase the amount you consume. Look at what you would have for the entire day and then split it up into smaller portions.

To maintain optimum BG levels (and control spikes in hunger) each small meal should consist of protien, good carbs (no more than forty) and minimal fat. So, a cheese stick with an apple is a good choice, or an apple (or banana) with peanut butter, that sort of thing.

A little fat is good, keeps you feeling satiated and gives you that "mouth feel" that so many seem to need. Try using avocado for the same "sensation." Olives are another way, but limit them to about six per serving.