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Dieting at Disney?

Dieting at Disney?

It seems absurd. To go on vacation, a Disney vacation, with the intentions of actually watching one’s weight? To me that’s a sin. But what if there was a way to shed those pounds without ever confronting the hardships of an ordinary diet?

All throughout my childhood, my dad would insist that, upon returning from our annual Walt Disney World Vacation, he had shed a few pounds since he last checked before the trip. And this was accomplished without any precautions or efforts on his part – in fact I imagine he left our home in New Jersey anticipating to do quite the opposite.As a kid I was indifferent about such matters. It wasn’t until later that I realized that this phenomena, in which my dad coined as the “Disney Diet” started to reveal itself to me. It became real to me during my high school marching band trips; I noticed that I too was returning from Florida weighing a few pounds less. At first I thought that couldn’t be right since I made a point of stuffing my face at any opportune moment (which, let’s be honest, was really all the time). But recently, I broke down the logistics of it.

Walt Disney World is massive: spanning roughly 30,000 acres. Compare that to the more averagely sized Disneyland resort, which is only around 500 acres. Albeit only about half of that land has been utilized, that’s still 4 major parks plus two water parks, 34 individual hotels and resorts, a massive shopping complex, and four golf courses. When considering the size of the resorts and the theme parks themselves, that’s a lot of walking, a lot sleeping, and inevitably a lot of eating too. Think about the layout of Epcot, for example. The walk from the park entrance to dinner at Germany (assuming you’re not entering from the International Gateway) is no easy task. There’s so many opportunities to eat once you get to the World Showcase, but just simply moving around forces you to burn so much energy. And hence why my dad called it the Disney Diet, it’s essentially eating a ton of food and burning off two tons.

The takeaway point from all of this is that the average person* should not be too concerned about their diet while on vacation. As long as you stay properly stay hydrated (extremely important in the summer months), you will be getting enough exercise as it is. Take my advice: splurge on that carrot cake, you’re on vacation for a reason.