Things I Wish I Would Have Known: I Didn’t Have to Give Up Being a Theme Park Foodie
If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love theme park food.
I’m the person who wants to know what seasonal snacks are coming to EPCOT. I want to try the festival booths. I want to see what’s new on the menu. And yes, I absolutely want to build some of my vacation around what I’m going to eat.
So when I had bariatric surgery, one of the things I wondered about was: “What does this mean for my love of food and my Disney vacations?” Would I still be able to enjoy the foods I love? Would eating at the theme parks become stressful? Would I have to completely change the way I vacation? Is this a part of myself that I needed to give up entirely?
What I wish I would have known is that bariatric surgery didn’t take away my ability to be a foodie. It simply changed the way I experience food. And honestly? When it comes to theme park vacations, some of those changes have actually worked out pretty well.
I can still be a foodie. I just have better control.
Before surgery, it could be really easy to fall into the mindset of, “I’m on vacation, so I’m going to eat ALL the things.” And theme parks certainly make that easy!
There are snacks everywhere. Seasonal treats. Festival foods. Desserts you can’t get at home. Restaurants you’ve been looking forward to trying. Disney especially is always updating their food offerings.
Now, I can still enjoy those things. But I’m much more intentional about what I choose to indulge in. Instead of feeling like I need to finish something just because I bought it, I can have a few bites and decide I’m satisfied.
Instead of automatically ordering the biggest meal, I can look at the menu and think about what I actually want. If I truly want a couple bites of this big meal, I see if a travel companion wants to split with me. We love a good money saving tip, right? And if not, and it’s something I really want to try, then I’m ok with throwing the rest away.
That shift has been incredibly freeing.
I didn’t lose my love of food. I gained more control over how I enjoy it.
And here’s the funny part: smaller meals actually work really well at Disney.
One of the biggest changes after bariatric surgery is that I need to eat smaller amounts more frequently. And if you’ve ever spent an entire day walking around a Disney park, you know that there are approximately 7,000 opportunities to eat.
So rather than sitting down for three huge meals, I often find myself enjoying smaller meals and snacks throughout the day. A little something from a festival booth. A few bites of a fun Disney snack.Something protein-forward when I need it. Maybe a meal that I can enjoy over a longer period of time.
It has actually allowed me to embrace one of my favorite parts of a Disney vacation: snacking around the parks.
I’m not trying to eat everything in one sitting. I can enjoy little tastes throughout the day and still feel like I’m participating in the food experience.
And for a theme park foodie, that feels like a pretty great compromise.
I’ve also become a much better planner when it comes to food.
One of the biggest changes I’ve made is doing more research before I arrive at the parks.The Disney app makes this especially helpful because I can look at menus and offerings ahead of time.I can see what restaurants are available. I can check out snacks and seasonal offerings.
And I can think through what sounds good before I’m standing in the middle of a park surrounded by a million delicious options and more likely to make an impulsive choice instead of an intentional one.
My husband and I, when planning for our trips, keep lists of what we’re hoping to try. That’s a true foodie if I ever heard it! I now include some healthier options, as well as indulges, that I want. I organize my list by park, so when I’m feeling hungry in the middle of the day, I can easily look at my note and pick something.
That doesn’t mean I always choose the “healthiest” thing. Sometimes I absolutely want the fun treat. But now I feel like I’m making that choice intentionally rather than simply grabbing whatever is in front of me because I’m hungry.
Knowledge gives me options.
My theme park vacations look a little different now. I think one of the biggest things I wish I had known before surgery is that life after bariatric surgery doesn’t have to mean saying goodbye to the things you love.
For me, it meant learning how to enjoy them differently. I can still be the person who gets excited about Disney food. I can still look forward to EPCOT festivals.I can still try new snacks. I can still make restaurant reservations and get excited about a great meal.
I just approach food with a little more intention now. And honestly, I think that has made me enjoy my vacations even more.
I’m less focused on “How much can I eat?” and more focused on “What do I really want to experience?”
That applies to food, but it also applies to the vacation as a whole.
The biggest lesson I wish I would have known: You don’t have to choose between taking care of yourself and enjoying your vacation. You can do both.
Your Disney vacation doesn’t have to look exactly like someone else’s. Your meals don’t have to look exactly like someone else’s. And your relationship with food doesn’t have to keep you from enjoying the experiences you love.
For me, bariatric surgery gave me a different relationship with food, but it didn’t take away my identity as a foodie.
If anything, it helped me become a more intentional foodie.
And as someone who loves Disney, I’ll happily take that win.
Planning a theme park vacation after bariatric surgery? You don’t have to figure out all of the logistics alone. From choosing a resort and planning your park days to researching dining options and building an itinerary that leaves room for breaks, having someone help you think through the details can make a huge difference.
And if you’re a fellow theme park foodie, you already know I’m going to want to hear what snack you’re most excited to try!
If you want to start planning your next vacation, click the link below to get connected with one of our advisors.
