Disney Calories

[B-Ride]

Calories don't count at Disney!

Seriously though, you do so much walking that as long as you don't go crazy, you can still treat yourself and probably not gain any weight.

That is the approach we always take. Last few times we were on the DDP so eating desserts like crazy but with all the walking we broke even.

 

[elaine amj]

I decided not to calorie count at WDW. I I walk a TON, averaging 25,000 steps and rush from ride to ride so a lot of it is brisk walking. After a lot of food (deluxe plan), I only put on 2lbs.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Legally, Disney does not have to report/publish nutritional info.
2) And they don't.
3) Too many people would change their eating habits if they knew the facts.
. . . lots of calories and fat
. . . lots and lots AND LOTS of sodium *

* An old restaurant trick is to add sodium. It makes even cheap cuts of meat/poultry taster better. Salt hits specific receptors in the mouth, on the tongue, and in the throat and peaks the mind. Salt is one of the evolutionary taste senses - sweet, sour, salt, bitter. All make the brain react in different ways toward food/taste.

 

[MickeyPretzel15]

As others have said, unfortunately they don't.

You could probably get a rough guesstimate if your calorie intake using any one of the free apps out there (my DH swears by My Fitness Pal). It's not going to be exact, but at least you'll get a general idea.

 

[love4wdw]

I'm not sure if anyone else remembers, but when they did the BOG beta testing for preordering your food, they had calorie counts on those meals. So I wonder if you could still find those.

HOWEVER, we also fall into the "calories don't count" while in WDW. I will say that we are a fairly health conscious family, so in the long run many meals are too large for only one of us to finish and some of the desserts are far too sweet for our liking. I use my fitbit to track miles and just be generally conscious of what I'm consuming (estimating/rounding etc), but not too hard on myself since it is vacation.

 

[tehniqi]

There are apps like MyFitnessPal and MyMacros+ that have pretty extensive food databases. You can find similar items in there to get a rough estimate! And try to overestimate the calories rather than underestimating.

I'd also just be mindful to only eat until I'm satiated and not super "full" since it looks like most Disney food is quite calorie dense!

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

You don't wanna know.

We go every year for Christmas. I maintain a pretty healthy lifestyle year-round. In the weeks leading up to Xmas, I'll actually stay away from sweets and carbs to drop a few pounds to prepare for the trip.

Honestly- is the food packed with calories? Yes. But with all the walking you do, I've never actually gained weight on a Disney trip - maybe a pound or two but it's gone within 2 weeks of being home. And I eat A LOT at Disney.

People joke that Disney food has no calories, but it does kind of even out with all the walking.

 

[nilla]

Does WDW restaurants have calories on their menu?

Personally, I feel "ignorance is bliss" in this regard!

 

[BrokeMack]

Calories don't count at Disney. The food is made of pixie dust

That's twice in two minutes I've commented on something tomatecerise said. Weird.

Anyway, the quoted text is my philosophy. I use the vacation as a time to cut loose a little. Food is as much a part of the experience as rides, so I just do what I want and focus on eating right when I get home.

 

[jeepnjudy]

Some people choose to continue their healthy lifestyle at Disney and to a certain extent I am one of those. That being said, you can request to speak to a Chef at any of the TS restaurants and request healthier options. I did this and still had delicious food to eat, actually better than the standard dishes on the menu. Also request the meat not be brushed with butter...another trick to make it taste better but adds a lot of calories.

 

[tehniqi]

Some people choose to continue their healthy lifestyle at Disney and to a certain extent I am one of those. That being said, you can request to speak to a Chef at any of the TS restaurants and request healthier options. I did this and still had delicious food to eat, actually better than the standard dishes on the menu. Also request the meat not be brushed with butter...another trick to make it taste better but adds a lot of calories.

Thank you for this!

I completely understand that other people may prefer not to count or prefer to cut loose but I've lost 50 pounds with another 35 to go, and I didn't have a very healthy relationship with food. Binge eating is a serious and dangerous issue I've dealt with and going "wild" at Disneyworld is about as healthy for me as for an anorexic to just not eat at all their entire trip. I'm planning on enjoying a few treats when I go next January but my way of balancing that is by eating much lighter the rest of the time. It's good to know I can request food be prepared with minimal butter or oil. Is it possible to sub out starches, etc with vegetables too?

 

[hsmamato2]

buffets make it easy to choose what you want, and you'll see various options at qs for different or no sides too..... at TS, it doesn't hurt to ask for a sub of say the veg of the day instead of potatoes,etc. Never hurts to ask! Or just give it to your spouse like I do!

 

[sunflare]

If there's a treat that's universal between Disney Parks, google Disneyland calories. I believe CA mandates all restaurants have calorie counts printed on menus now, so you may find your favorites online.

 

[jeepnjudy]

Thank you for this!

I completely understand that other people may prefer not to count or prefer to cut loose but I've lost 50 pounds with another 35 to go, and I didn't have a very healthy relationship with food. Binge eating is a serious and dangerous issue I've dealt with and going "wild" at Disneyworld is about as healthy for me as for an anorexic to just not eat at all their entire trip. I'm planning on enjoying a few treats when I go next January but my way of balancing that is by eating much lighter the rest of the time. It's good to know I can request food be prepared with minimal butter or oil. Is it possible to sub out starches, etc with vegetables too?

I completely understand as I lost all my baby weight I had gained from having 2 kids before going to Disney and had no desire to gain any of it back while there! And yes, you can substitute veggies for the starches. I did the same thing, requested them steamed but indicated some seasoning without oils was acceptable and the veggies they gave me were awesome! I also reminded them to add no extra oils/butters to anything. My family also ate breakfast in the room and packed in a lunch so I could completely control my intake for those 2 meals which made me feel much better when I allowed for the occasional treat! Hope that helps!

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Thank you for this!

I completely understand that other people may prefer not to count or prefer to cut loose but I've lost 50 pounds with another 35 to go, and I didn't have a very healthy relationship with food. Binge eating is a serious and dangerous issue I've dealt with and going "wild" at Disneyworld is about as healthy for me as for an anorexic to just not eat at all their entire trip. I'm planning on enjoying a few treats when I go next January but my way of balancing that is by eating much lighter the rest of the time. It's good to know I can request food be prepared with minimal butter or oil. Is it possible to sub out starches, etc with vegetables too?

Hey - I totally hear ya. I know binge eating way too well. I lost 90 pounds in my lifetime. Sweets are still my downfall. I believe in calories in vs. calories out while hitting your protein, etc. - but I have to restrict myself from sweets. One scoop of ice cream turns into chocolate and cookies and cake. Next thing I know I've taken in 3,000 calories. I hate talking about it because 1) it makes me feel weak and 2) people look at me and always say "well you can put on a few pounds now."

No, I can't. So going to Disney obviously makes me very nervous. I always lose about 5 pounds before going to Disney (as I previously mentioned.) All in all - even if you eat terribly the entire time at Disney, you need to take in 3,600 calories ABOVE the calories you burn. I invested in a Fitbit Charge HR and frankly, I spent a week measuring everything I ate and tracking calories burned. I wasn't a believer but it's pretty spot on.

Now - I know Disney's cals are pretty outrageous but I tend to burn 3,200-3,600 calories in Disney (results not typical). That would mean I'd need to take in about 7k calories to really do damage. I doubt I'm taking in THAT many calories (but who knows.)

Anyway - I see Disney as my time away from my diet and yes, I do binge. Not advocating it. It's definitely not the best thing to do and I hate myself for it. It's very hard to break out of it. What I'll typically do is enjoy myself the first day or two, then I'll spend my Counter Service with salads or chicken sandwiches, etc.

 

[tehniqi]

Hey - I totally hear ya. I know binge eating way too well. I lost 90 pounds in my lifetime. Sweets are still my downfall. I believe in calories in vs. calories out while hitting your protein, etc. - but I have to restrict myself from sweets. One scoop of ice cream turns into chocolate and cookies and cake. Next thing I know I've taken in 3,000 calories. I hate talking about it because 1) it makes me feel weak and 2) people look at me and always say "well you can put on a few pounds now."

No, I can't. So going to Disney obviously makes me very nervous. I always lose about 5 pounds before going to Disney (as I previously mentioned.) All in all - even if you eat terribly the entire time at Disney, you need to take in 3,600 calories ABOVE the calories you burn. I invested in a Fitbit Charge HR and frankly, I spent a week measuring everything I ate and tracking calories burned. I wasn't a believer but it's pretty spot on.

Now - I know Disney's cals are pretty outrageous but I tend to burn 3,200-3,600 calories in Disney (results not typical). That would mean I'd need to take in about 7k calories to really do damage. I doubt I'm taking in THAT many calories (but who knows.)

Anyway - I see Disney as my time away from my diet and yes, I do binge. Not advocating it. It's definitely not the best thing to do and I hate myself for it. It's very hard to break out of it. What I'll typically do is enjoy myself the first day or two, then I'll spend my Counter Service with salads or chicken sandwiches, etc.

I'm actually thinking of getting a Fitbit and maybe having one will ease some of my fears. I think the most helpful thing is I'll have my husband and son to split snacks and treats with so I won't be the only one eating the entirety of some sort of food. We're planning on hitting up the 50's Prime Time diner and all going to share their sampler platter and then go grab dessert elsewhere for a lunch one day for instance. In days of yore I could have polished off 8000 calories in a go no problem so I constantly worry about reverting to that, though!

For me I've been binge free because I don't restrict foods, I just try to work in the calories to my daily allowance (and I have a protein target I try to hit) and adjust accordingly.. So very frequently I have small portions of so called "bad" food. It's just by Disney not providing calories they don't make it so easy for me to do that, haha.

 

[TeresaWen]

For me it was breakfast that was my downfall. Those muffins are good but so not worth the calories. The last time I stayed on property I bought a loaf of really good whole grain bread and a jar of peanut butter. we went out to breakfast once and stuck mostly to eggs (and a Mickey waffle or two). Now I stay off property and make scrambled eggs most mornings.

The other killer is desert. the deserts in most restaurants look way better than they actually taste. We skip desert and a few hours later get ice cream if we want something or go to a restaurant where we love a particular desert.

In December we had a blast. Ate great, walked 6 miles a day, worked out every morning. I lost 4 pounds.

 

[Mamanemo]

Thank you for this!

I completely understand that other people may prefer not to count or prefer to cut loose but I've lost 50 pounds with another 35 to go, and I didn't have a very healthy relationship with food. Binge eating is a serious and dangerous issue I've dealt with and going "wild" at Disneyworld is about as healthy for me as for an anorexic to just not eat at all their entire trip. I'm planning on enjoying a few treats when I go next January but my way of balancing that is by eating much lighter the rest of the time. It's good to know I can request food be prepared with minimal butter or oil. Is it possible to sub out starches, etc with vegetables too?

I

 

[Mamanemo]

I can totally relate. I am the same way. Way to go on your weight loss!!!!!!

 

[goofy4prez]

I'm with the others here who have expressed they like to continue to eat healthier at WDW. Like a previous poster, I was a big time binge eater. Put me in front of a wh

Thank you for this!

I completely understand that other people may prefer not to count or prefer to cut loose but I've lost 50 pounds with another 35 to go, and I didn't have a very healthy relationship with food. Binge eating is a serious and dangerous issue I've dealt with and going "wild" at Disneyworld is about as healthy for me as for an anorexic to just not eat at all their entire trip. I'm planning on enjoying a few treats when I go next January but my way of balancing that is by eating much lighter the rest of the time. It's good to know I can request food be prepared with minimal butter or oil. Is it possible to sub out starches, etc with vegetables too?

Congratulations on your successful weight loss so far, I'm sure you will meet your goal. I feel the same way as you do, I also did not have a healthy relationship with food and binge ate for most of my life. I myself just cannot let lose and eat till my hearts content on anything and everything in sight.

Something else for me is what my body has gotten use to. If I ate a diet of burgers, pizza, pasta, fried foods, hotdogs, cupcakes, zebra nomes, Dole whips, starches and etc. not only would I pack on the weight, I also would become quite ill. These foods are not in my diet any longer and most of them I no longer crave, but I'm sure would adversely affect how I would feel. Sure, I'll have a dessert a few times during my week, but I'm not going to go fall off the wagon and into a freefall. I should say in spite of all the walking I'm also one of those "nutcases" that hits the gym each morning and also runs early in the morning as well.