Calling P2 starters AUG 24TH-or thereabouts (SLIMSEEKERS II)

[2cats1kid]

I envy you LCFatFSU! We go to Disney every 2 years and I'm already planning our 2011 visit (we were there this last Easter). A large part of my planning involves which restaurants to eat at and we'll be on the dining plan, so will eat way too much. I've already been looking at some of the menus and thinking "I could sub broccoli for potatoes" or "I could have that as it is brown rice" etc. How sad is that?

Major change next time will be breakfast - I would use a snack credit for a pastry or something for breakfast, then have quick serve lunch and a lovely table service dinner in the evening. Next time I suspect I'll be using a quick serve for a good breakfast of omelette or scrambled eggs or something.

Have fun!

[LCFatFSU]

We've never done the dining plan. Does it save you money, because food is ridiculous there. I don't know how we will afford it when we have kids! I'm already thinking about the Chinese potstickers(meat wrapped in a noodle with soy sauce). And the dishes in Mexico and the margaritas and I'm getting crazy I need to stop! The good part is the food there is going to be small samples. The bad thing is, I want it all. And it figures that we are going right at the time I'm about to break into a new weight level. I can see 179.5, I'm so close. Saturday is probably going to knock me back a pound or two! I'll get right back on track on Sunday and go from there.

[Taleena]

Oooo, wish we had the money to tag along, LCFatFSU! I'm a huge Disney fanatic and our Disney annual passes expired a couple months ago, for lack of funds to renew. I miss it already. One of the best things about WDW is all the walking you do definitely helps offset the weight you might gain from the excellent food. Just around the World Showcase lagoon at Epcot is about 1.25 miles! The hardest part of SBD eating there, IMO, is finding whole grains. At least with the sit-down restaurants, you can usually inform them ahead of time (through the Special Diets department - just ask for the phone number when making dining reservations) that you're on a special diet and they'll do their best to accommodate your needs. Counter-serves are a bit harder to find good SBD stuff, but it's doable at places like Tangierine Cafe in the Morocco pavilion, Cosmic Ray's (rotisserie chicken or veggie burger) at MK, or Studio Catering Company at Disney Studios. Good counter-service meals at AK park are harder to find, but that's been the case since they turned Tusker House into a sit-down. At least fresh fruit is easier to come by almost anywhere at WDW than it was a few years back.

As for the Dining Plan, there are a lot of comparisons out there to find out if it will save you money. If you plan on staying on-site (since you can't get it unless you stay in a Disney resort hotel) and racking up either over $30 (for the Quick Service plan) or over $40 (for the regular DDP) in meals for each adult per day, then it's worth it. Otherwise you're better off not getting it. I know the couple times we used it in the past, we were always scrambling on the last couple days to try to use up all our credits just to get our money's worth. YMMV, of course.

[2cats1kid]

Whether it saves us money depends a lot for us on the exchange rate. When we first booked for Easter 2009 £1 = $2, so everything was going to work out pretty cheap for us. Then it slid alarmingly, to about £1 = $1.30 or thereabouts and we were like . We cancelled our booking with Disney US and rebooked through Disney UK, which saved us several hundred pounds. They had an offer for a 14 day ticket for the price of a 7 day ticket, so we snagged that too, and because we had booked hotel and tix with them we were eligible for the DDP. When we discovered that they were still offering it at £20 pppd (the £1=$2 rate) we jumped at it as that meant we only had to pass $26 per day to break even, which is easy to do at a table service restaurant! We only had DDP for the first 5 days of the trip, as we split our stay between Port Orleans Riverside and Coronado Springs, but it was lovely to order what we fancied without watching the $$$ all the time. And we tried some new restaurants too, which was nice.

Next time I think we'll still do the DDP as although it won't save us as much money, it will mean we can pay everything bar tips in advance, and we will eat less quick service stuff, so less burgers and fries and stuff. DD (12) is getting to be a bit of a foodie and she really enjoyed the nice food in the table service places, whereas before she was happy with nuggets and hot dogs for a fortnight! I'd like it better if you could have a starter (appetizer) instead of a dessert, though, as I'm not a big dessert eater.

[Taleena]

Oh yeah, the deals you folks across the pond can get are usually much nicer than what we here in the U.S. get. Nice score there! And Port Orleans Riverside is such a beautiful place to stay. It's our favorite of the moderate resorts at WDW. We also miss the old DDP of several years back, when you actually could get an appetizer instead of dessert. I've always been a dessert eater (part of why I'm on SBD now ), but my hubby isn't, and that's another reason we almost never get the DDP when we stay on-site (rare though that is now that we're only about 1.5 hours away).

[Beaching It]

Oh the challenges of vacations. DH and I are going to puerto vallarta, Mexico in January / February for 1 week all inclusive with NO kids!! I usually gain 5 1bs during our 1 week away, but this time I've chosen a resort with an amazing gym and tons of activities to do in and away from the resort (yoga, jetskiing, ziplining, doonbuggying)... FUN!! I think you have to try to make it about something other than the food. When DH and I went to New York City (our first time) this past February, we were so busy seeing everything in 3 days, walking everywhere, absorbing everything, that it wasn't about the food at all and I didn't gain a pound!

I've never been to Disney and can't wait! We'll take our 2 kids probably next year or the year after. This winter will be our last vacation alone so that's why I'm making it an extra good one.

[LCFatFSU]

Hi Girls-
I haven't posted in forever! I have been so busy these last few weeks that the last thing I want to do is sit in front of a computer! It's been nice though, in the previous years busy meant eating out. I am proud to say I have continued to cook and keep up with the south beach ways!

Disney was great. I ate way more than I wanted too! Drank way more than I wanted too! But somehow managed not to gain anything! I am thanking my lucky starts on that one! It's nice to know you can cheat and the next day you get right back on! I really didn't have any cravings come back either!

I've been stabilizing right around 180 lbs. Yesterday I finally broke into the 170 range, weighing in at 179.5! I don't think I will stay there, I always seem to fluctuate for a couple weeks before actually maintaining that weight. But it was nice to see that on the scale. Haven't seen 179 in a good while!

How's everyone else doing?

[Beaching It]

Hey LC! Glad to hear you had a great time. Excellent that you didn't gain weight and congrats making it into the 170s... Awesome! I think that's the biggest challenge is getting right back on track after a slip up and not letting it make you stray permanently. Well done!!

[Beaching It]

How are the Slimseekers doing out there?? I've definitely slowed in my weight loss the past few weeks so am taking a closer look at other's journals to get some ideas and see where I'm going wrong. I'm also focussing on more dairy, water and exercise, and trying to snack less although that's difficult for me as I'm a big snacker. As soon as I feel any pang of hunger I eat a snack... maybe I need to embrace that feeling once in a while and not stuff it...

Hope you're all doing well.

[LCFatFSU]

Hi Everyone-
I haven't been on here too much lately, my weeks have been jam packed and by the time I get home, the last thing I want to do is sit in front of the computer! I was doing really well this time last week, but this past week has been really hard. I allowed myself to get into the Halloween candy, lucky for me I didn't hit the chocolate and hard core stuff that I would usually indulge in, but I still paid for it on the scale. It is also my TOM and I usually don't get too bloated and experience weight gain, but this time I have. Plus, I'm ALOT more hungry. And I don't choose the best beachy snacks. I have not fallen off the wagon and gone crazy, but again it is not good either. I also have "sweet tooth" cravings, probably from all the sugar in the candy I have been eating. I did not even get on the scale yesterday morning. And for me, that's huge! I usually get on the scale three times a day and I didn't get on once yesterday! I"m feeling a little sluggish today. Me and the hubby are going to go to a flea market and bum around. Then I'm going to do my weekly grocery shopping. So if anyone has any hints on new foods you've been trying, let me hear them! I'm always up for new things.

It seems as if we have lost a few of our original slim seekers!

[Beaching It]

Hey LC, I totally relate. I too got into the candy a little bit last weekend and I too am much hungrier this week (also on TOM) and have sugary cravings... it has to be related to last weekend. I'm considering doing a couple of P1 days Mon-Weds next week, just to get rid of the cravings again. I managed to lose 1 1b this week on weigh in Weds but that may have changed now?? Hang in there and I will too.

[LCFatFSU]

I thought about doing a couple days on P1 as well, and I can give up the grains, but I don't think I can give up my smoothies!!! I have a smoothie everyday! I love them. That is my new addiction.

I'm definitely hanging in there. Even though I got into the Halloween candy, it was nothing compared to the damage I did last year. I went through BAGS of those candy corn and pumpkins not to mention all the "mini" chocolate bars that I ate a billion of. So even though I'm not doing as well as I should, I look back and compare to last year and I am doing a hell of a lot better than where I was a year ago! And I'm ok with that )

[2cats1kid]

I'm still about, just not posting that much.

I've managed to give up the compulsive weighing - I'll weigh every couple of weeks now, and that's fine. I think I've gone down to a pound every 2-3 weeks now, rather than a pound a week, but that's fine. I'm still noticing a gradual change of body shape, so something is happening.

I'm still working on my principle of not being perfect, but being good enough, and it seems to be working.

[Beaching It]

Hey 2Cats. Good to see you. You're doing great and still ahead of me. We started on the same day so I'm always happy to see you post. I weigh in once a week and that works for me more or less.

LC - I agree with you about seeing the positive changes and what we would have been like in the past. I so do not want to go back to that old me! Things are good now. Today I'm back on P1 and I feel fine. Will only do it for a few days to dump the cravings, then gradually add back in the fruit and grains. I feel like I need an overall adjustment.

[Beaching It]

LC, 2Cats, Teleena?? Where are you guys? Hope you're doing well.