I just got back from a long day at Disneyland! (Note to self: never go to Disneyland right before New Years.) I usually have a yearly tradition of going to Disneyland the day before Christmas Eve. This year my friends and I had to postpone it and that was probably the biggest mistake! Usually the day before Christmas Eve is pretty crowded, but this was just completely unreasonable! Apparently all the people going to see the Rose Bowl decide to make a trip to Disneyland! I felt like we were being herded like cattle....MOO! Really though, I have never seen so many people in one place and I'm used to Disneyland craziness. Even through all the craziness, I was able to hit all the main rides I wanted to go on...Space Mountain, Indian Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean etc. But sometimes the toughest part about going to a theme park is trying to find something somewhat healthy to eat. After a lot of help from my consultant at Jenny Craig, she said that probably the best thing to do is try and find a salad there. I know I like to munch a lot when I am there, so we discussed possible snacks: a pickle (which counts as a "free" vegetable on Jenny) and a pineapple to take the place of one of my fruits. I also decided to bring my Vanilla Chocolate Crisp Jenny Craig Anytime Bar for more substance, which is filled with my daily vitamins.
My day ended up looking something like this:
1. Breakfast- Jenny Craig Cinnamon French Toast and a Grande Soy Latte with cinnamon (cinnamon is a great antioxidant) from Starbucks
2. Snack- Vanilla Chocolate Crisp Jenny Craig Anytime Bar
3. Another Snack- The lines were too crowded to get into any place to eat around noon, so I had a Disneyland pickle to hold me over until my 3 o'clock lunch reservation.
4. Lunch- I ate at Cafe Orleans and it was delicious! I got the 'Crescent City' salad which came with blackened chicken (or I could have had salmon), corn, baby greens, pickled onions, grapes, orange slices, caramelized pecans, and a citrus vinaigrette. I ended up not eating the caramelized pecans or the orange slices because I am not big on citrus fruit. I also asked for my dressing on the side and used my fork dipping technique (dip the fork in the salad dressing then in the salad). There was not even 1/4 cup of corn which was good because corn is a starchy vegetable AND I could have the grapes because I did not have time during breakfast to get my extra fruit in. I made sure I kept my chicken to a deck of cards size.
5. Snack- Disneyland Pineapple....they really have the best pineapple! This is actually one of my favorite snacks there. It has always been one of my instant go-to's.
6. Dinner- IN-N-OUT! I have not had in-n-out in over 6 months and this is THE BEST fast food, hands down. Because I knew we were going to in-n-out and fast food could be a bit difficult, I looked up the menu on my nifty iphone ahead of time. After consulting the nutrition facts posted by MyFitnessPal, I decided I was going to get a hamburger protein style with onions. I really wanted cheese, but decided if I didn't get the cheese, I could reward myself with the in-n-out spread. Normally, I would get the cheeseburger that comes with both the cheese and the spread. Protein style is just wrapped in lettuce instead of a hamburger bun. I used to get a cheeseburger with onions, fries extra well done (so double fried), dip my fries in spread, and occasionally a neapolitan milkshake. That would be approximately 980-1000 calories. Today my burger was only 240 calories according to in-n-out nutrition facts. I could have not had the spread and substituted it for ketchup and mustard and that would only be 160 calories according to myfitnesspal.com, but I really wanted the spread if I wasn't having cheese! I couldn't give it all up.
MY HINTS:
1. When going to a theme park, bring some healthy snacks from home! This way if you want to munch, you have a healthier choice than buttery popcorn or sugary churros.
2. Go with a plan! When you arrive at the park, have an eating plan and stick to it! Just being aware of healthier choices will really help!
3. Try and get a salad or a lean burger! Salads are always a healthy choice, but if you really want a burger take off the bread and make sure the patty is not bigger than a deck of cards. Or you can always have one slice of cheese pizza too.
4. Try not to snack around the park! You will probably be doing a lot of walking, so choose one snack that you really want, but then maybe get a salad instead for lunch.
5. Fruits, vegetables, and water are still very important! Try and incorporate those fruits and veggies into your healthy eating plan for the day and stay hydrated!
6. Overall, just make little adjustments to your meals and try and make the healthier choices; those options are around, you just might have to do some extra searching.
I also have to weigh in at Jenny Craig tomorrow, so hopefully my Disney plan was successful!
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