How I Went to Disneyland Paris Without Turning My Diet Into a Fairy Tale

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Apparently, You Can Go On Holiday Without Eating Your Bodyweight in Croissants

I recently went to Disneyland Paris.

Which, for anyone who has been, means approximately three things:

Walking. Queuing. Eating.

And then repeating the process until your feet no longer work.

Now, as a coach, I could have approached the trip in one of two ways.

Option 1: Take Tupperware everywhere, weigh my food, track every calorie and refuse to eat anything remotely enjoyable.

Or…

Option 2: Enjoy myself, make sensible choices where I could, stay active and accept that I was, in fact, on holiday.

Thankfully, I chose option two.

And the best part?

I didn’t regress on my goal.

Because you don’t need to be perfect to make progress.

You need to be consistent.

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So What Did I Actually Do?

I didn’t follow some magical Disneyland fat-loss hack.

I didn’t survive exclusively on protein shakes and sadness.

I simply followed a few basic principles that I use with my clients.

1. Protein First

At pretty much every meal, I asked myself:

“Where’s the protein?”

Chicken?

Great.

Beef?

Great.

Fish?

Even better for some but I’m not a fish lover the thought of eating nemo doesn’t appeal to me!

Something vaguely resembling a protein source?

We’ll take it.

Prioritising protein helped me stay fuller and made it easier to manage my appetite throughout the day.

It also meant I wasn’t wandering around Disneyland at 3pm thinking:

“If I don’t eat something immediately, I’m going to start chewing on the Magic Kingdom.”

Protein is incredibly useful when you’re trying to lose body fat because it helps with satiety and supports muscle retention while dieting.

So when you’re eating out, start by looking for the protein source.

You don’t need to overcomplicate it.

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2. I Didn’t Avoid Restaurants

This is where a lot of people go wrong.

They think:

“I’m trying to lose weight, so I can’t eat out.”

Wrong.

You absolutely can eat out while losing fat.

You just need to understand that you don’t always have complete control over the menu.

So instead of searching for the mythical “perfect healthy meal”, I looked for the best option available.

For example:

Could I get a protein source?

Could I get some decent carbs in?

Could I choose a less calorie-dense side?

Could I enjoy the meal without eating until I physically needed to be rolled out of the restaurant?

Sometimes the answer was yes.

Sometimes the answer was:

“Mate, we’re in Disneyland. Have the bloody chips.”

And that’s okay too.

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3. I Ate Some Foods Because I Wanted Them

Here’s a revolutionary concept:

I ate food I enjoyed.

Madness, I know.

There were meals where I made a more nutritious choice.

There were also times when I ate something because it looked absolutely delicious.

And I didn’t feel guilty about it.

Because one meal isn’t going to make you gain a significant amount of body fat.

Just like one salad isn’t going to make you shredded.

Fat loss is about your overall energy balance and consistency over time, not whether you ate a dessert on Tuesday afternoon.

The problem isn’t having a treat.

The problem is the mindset of:

“I’ve ruined my diet now, so I may as well eat everything until Monday.”

Or as I like the F**k It Bucket!

That’s where one meal can turn into three days of eating like you’ve just been released from Strangeways..

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4. I Took Advantage of The Best Form of Cardio…

Walking.

Lots and lots and lots of walking.

Disneyland Paris is basically a very expensive step challenge.

You walk to the ride.

You queue.

You walk to the next ride.

You walk to get food.

You walk because you’ve forgotten where you get the shuttle bus back to the hotel.

Then you walk some more.

And suddenly you’ve done a ridiculous number of steps without ever having to put yourself through an hour on the treadmill.

This is something I regularly encourage clients to focus on.

You don’t have to spend hours doing cardio to increase your activity.

Walking counts.

Being active throughout the day counts.

And increasing your daily movement can make a significant difference to your overall energy expenditure.

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5. I Didn’t Try To “Earn” My Food

This one is important.

I didn’t think:

“I’ve eaten dessert, so I’d better do more cardio.”

I didn’t skip meals to compensate.

I didn’t starve myself the following day.

And I certainly didn’t arrive home and declare:

“Right. Chicken and broccoli until Christmas.”

I simply went back to my normal routine.

That’s the key.

If you eat more than usual while you’re away, don’t panic.

Your weight might temporarily increase when you get home due to more food in your digestive system, higher carbohydrate intake, sodium and changes in hydration.

That doesn’t automatically mean you’ve gained significant body fat.

Get back to your normal routine and give your body time to settle.

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The Results?

I enjoyed Disneyland Paris.

I ate good food.

I had treats.

I stayed active.

I prioritised protein.

I made sensible choices where I could.

And most importantly…

I didn’t regress on my goal.

Because my progress wasn’t dependent on being perfect for 365 days of the year.

And neither should yours be.

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The 5 Things I’d Recommend If You’re Going On Holiday

If you’re currently trying to lose body fat and have a holiday coming up, don’t panic.

Try this instead:

1. Prioritise protein

Aim to include a good protein source in each meal.

2. Make the best choice available

You don’t need the lowest-calorie option every time. Just make a sensible choice when you can.

3. Keep moving

Walk. Explore. Swim. Sightsee. Be active.

You don’t need to spend your holiday chained to a treadmill.

4. Enjoy yourself

Have the dessert.

Have the meal you’ve been looking forward to.

Just don’t turn one indulgent meal into an entire week-long food festival.

5. Get back to normal

When you come home, don’t punish yourself.

Get back to your normal calories, training, steps and routine.

Simple.

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Your Diet Doesn’t Need To Be Perfect

This is exactly why my coaching philosophy is:

Progress over perfection.

Because life isn’t perfect.

You’re going to have holidays.

You’re going to eat out.

You’re going to have birthdays.

You’re going to have weekends where you drink more than planned.

You’re going to have days where your nutrition isn’t great.

That’s life.

My job as a coach isn’t to give you a plan that only works when you’re living like a robot.

It’s to teach you how to make progress while still having a life.

Because ultimately, the best diet isn’t the one you can follow perfectly for four weeks.

It’s the one you can follow consistently for years.

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Want To Stop Starting Again Every Monday?

If you’re constantly stuck in the cycle of:

Diet → weekend → “I’ve ruined it” → Monday motivation → diet again…

You don’t need more motivation.

You need a better strategy.

My online transformation coaching is designed to help you lose body fat, build confidence, improve your training and learn how to manage your nutrition in the real world.

That includes holidays.

Meals out.

Busy work weeks.

Weekends.

And yes…

Even Disneyland.

Because your transformation shouldn’t require you to stop living your life.

Ready to make progress without chasing perfection?

Apply for online coaching today and let’s build a plan that fits around your life — not one that takes it over.

Progress. Confidence. Results.