How one man lost 150 pounds at Disneyland eating corn dogs and walking daily - OCR/SCNG

[Darkbeer1]

How one man lost 150 pounds at Disneyland eating corn dogs and walking daily

The Disneyland Diet combines walking several miles a day with eating anything on the menu at the Anaheim theme park.

www.ocregister.com

>>Mark Gautier had been brought back from the dead three times and had just emerged from a two-week coma when a priest was administering last rites to him.


“The doctor said, ‘You really need to do something or you’re not going to last much longer,’” recalled Gautier, 39, of Anaheim.


At 400 pounds, Gautier had slipped into diabetic shock and his kidneys were shutting down after years of failing health. The doctor’s diagnosis: Gautier needed to exercise and lose weight.

Gautier’s then-girlfriend-now-wife Vanessa had a novel idea: Let’s go to Disneyland. Her simple plan: Help Gautier lose weight by walking around the Happiest Place on Earth.


Gautier lost 150 pounds on a Disneyland Diet that included walking several miles a day while eating whatever he wanted at the Anaheim theme park — from turkey legs to corn dogs to nachos. The key to his food intake: Portion control.


Now Gautier works at Disneyland after falling in love with the theme park during his journey from death’s door to renewed health. The new lease on life persuaded Gautier to earn a bachelor’s degree as part of Disneyland’s Aspire program, which offers free tuition to its employees, known as cast members in Disney parlance.<<

 

[Darkbeer1]

This article hits home for a couple of reasons.

One is three years ago, I ended up in a 2 and a half week coma for different reasons. And came out of it with multiple issues, the main one is nerve damage, which I still have, though my nerves have been repairing themselves, though at the expected very slow speed.

My hand skills are still limited. and my walking still requires mobility aids when I leave the house. But the use of the ECV/Wheelchair has been greatly reduced, and my UpWalker is getting much year, as I enter my second year. Already have two 5K's scheduled in the next few months.

My wife, due to my health issues, decided to address her main health problems. First off, she has stopped smoking! (Big Kudeos to her!)

Second, she wanted to address her weight, as she was in Fluffy range. She got a Fitbit, started to watch she ate, and logged her food in the Fitbit app, and started to walk. Also, Kaiser recommended to me to start going to the gym for my rehab (cheaper than my co-pays), so we both got a membership two years ago. She walks 6 miles/14,000 steps a day.

But she went from a size 18 to a size zero over those two years. I am so impressed by her.

Now, we argue about where to have dinner, as we have different diet restrictions, but that is a very minor issue.

So, good for you Mark!!!

Not just for the diet and walking, but taking advantage of the Aspire program, and getting a Bachelor's Degree.

So we have a person with a B.A. happily working at Disney. Yes, he gets a decent wage, plus he is in a quasi-tipped position, and wonderful benefits. But why won't you see Mark in an Unite Here ad?

 

[Lilofan]

This article hits home for a couple of reasons.

One is three years ago, I ended up in a 2 and a half week coma for different reasons. And came out of it with multiple issues, the main one is nerve damage, which I still have, though my nerves have been repairing themselves, though at the expected very slow speed.

My hand skills are still limited. and my walking still requires mobility aids when I leave the house. But the use of the ECV/Wheelchair has been greatly reduced, and my UpWalker is getting much year, as I enter my second year. Already have two 5K's scheduled in the next few months.

My wife, due to my health issues, decided to address her main health problems. First off, she has stopped smoking! (Big Kudeos to her!)

Second, she wanted to address her weight, as she was in Fluffy range. She got a Fitbit, started to watch she ate, and logged her food in the Fitbit app, and started to walk. Also, Kaiser recommended to me to start going to the gym for my rehab (cheaper than my co-pays), so we both got a membership two years ago. She walks 6 miles/14,000 steps a day.

But she went from a size 18 to a size zero over those two years. I am so impressed by her.

Now, we argue about where to have dinner, as we have different diet restrictions, but that is a very minor issue.

So, good for you Mark!!!

Not just for the diet and walking, but taking advantage of the Aspire program, and getting a Bachelor's Degree.

So we have a person with a B.A. happily working at Disney. Yes, he gets a decent wage, plus he is in a quasi-tipped position, and wonderful benefits. But why won't you see Mark in an Unite Here ad?

Great job. I was overweight for a number of years and I changed my life with daily exercise and portion control of a balanced diet. I now eat to live instead of live to eat.

 

[FerretAfros]

What an inspiring story for Disney to launch the much-anticipated Hot Dog Days promotion!

 

[RobWDW1971]

This article hits home for a couple of reasons.

One is three years ago, I ended up in a 2 and a half week coma for different reasons. And came out of it with multiple issues, the main one is nerve damage, which I still have, though my nerves have been repairing themselves, though at the expected very slow speed.

My hand skills are still limited. and my walking still requires mobility aids when I leave the house. But the use of the ECV/Wheelchair has been greatly reduced, and my UpWalker is getting much year, as I enter my second year. Already have two 5K's scheduled in the next few months.

My wife, due to my health issues, decided to address her main health problems. First off, she has stopped smoking! (Big Kudeos to her!)

Second, she wanted to address her weight, as she was in Fluffy range. She got a Fitbit, started to watch she ate, and logged her food in the Fitbit app, and started to walk. Also, Kaiser recommended to me to start going to the gym for my rehab (cheaper than my co-pays), so we both got a membership two years ago. She walks 6 miles/14,000 steps a day.

But she went from a size 18 to a size zero over those two years. I am so impressed by her.

Now, we argue about where to have dinner, as we have different diet restrictions, but that is a very minor issue.

So, good for you Mark!!!

Not just for the diet and walking, but taking advantage of the Aspire program, and getting a Bachelor's Degree.

So we have a person with a B.A. happily working at Disney. Yes, he gets a decent wage, plus he is in a quasi-tipped position, and wonderful benefits. But why won't you see Mark in an Unite Here ad?

Great story and congrats to you and your wife - it really is all about what you put into your body. Exercise is great, but proper nutrition is key.

When I see people eat at the parks, it just saddens me. A turkey leg has over 1,100 calories and over 50 grams of fat. You'd have to walk over 11 miles to burn that off and that doesn't even begin to offset the other ill effects.

People tend to GREATLY underestimate the calories and sugar they are consuming and GREATLY overestimate the amount of calories they are burning when exercising.

Just eat 1,500 calories of whole foods everyday and you won't be fat. Really isn't more complicated than that - now sticking to that is the hard part.

 

[DavidDL]

Kudos to this man and kudos to you and your wife as well Darkbeer!

I'll throw in my two cents on this whole issue even though no one is asking for it.. but even the off Turkey Leg/Churro/Soda isn't going to undo you while you enjoy the parks. The key word there is off.

My wife and I eat/live well (proper nutrition, calories, exercise) 5 to 6 days a week, with one or two cheat days a week (depending on what is happening that weekend) and that keeps us in check. When we visit the parks or go on vacation, we consider those to be "cheat" days where we won't bother thinking too hard about the list of chemicals or amount of sugar present in our Blue milk but then again, we aren't living in the parks either so things balance themselves out for us.

I don't like to "encourage" anyone to eat or live poorly, but the truth is that the every now and again Disneyland/vacation meal or snack isn't going to kill you or totally warp your image. Enjoy your time in the parks or wherever you choose to travel. The key to good health (in my eyes) is self control and portion intake. Sure, have that churro or Mickey bar! Enjoy it! Just don't come to the park and eat those every single day (as some people can and do). Enjoy the treats life has to offer when possible but in the end, eat more good than bad and don't stress too much about it and you should be fine.

Again, the issue can be self control.. a lot of life's delicious foods are designed to hook you and keep you coming back for more. If you can win the self control battle, then you can win the war.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Well, diets have different benefits.

Both my wife and I have high protein diets, I need to watch my sodium, but allowed lots of fats, as they contain things my body needs.

Lisa does have to watch her fat intake, and her carbs. She is like 1/3'rd Protein, 1/3 carbs.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Kudos to this man and kudos to you and your wife as well Darkbeer!

I'll throw in my two cents on this whole issue even though no one is asking for it.. but even the off Turkey Leg/Churro/Soda isn't going to undo you while you enjoy the parks. The key word there is off.

My wife and I eat/live well (proper nutrition, calories, exercise) 5 to 6 days a week, with one or two cheat days a week (depending on what is happening that weekend) and that keeps us in check. When we visit the parks or go on vacation, we consider those to be "cheat" days where we won't bother thinking too hard about the list of chemicals or amount of sugar present in our Blue milk but then again, we aren't living in the parks either so things balance themselves out for us.

I don't like to "encourage" anyone to eat or live poorly, but the truth is that the every now and again Disneyland/vacation meal or snack isn't going to kill you or totally warp your image. Enjoy your time in the parks or wherever you choose to travel. The key to good health (in my eyes) is self control and portion intake. Sure, have that churro or Mickey bar! Enjoy it! Just don't come to the park and eat those every single day (as some people can and do). Enjoy the treats life has to offer when possible but in the end, eat more good than bad and don't stress too much about it and you should be fine.

Again, the issue can be self control.. a lot of life's delicious foods are designed to hook you and keep you coming back for more. If you can win the self control battle, then you can win the war.

You mean that our dinner at Morton's was a cheat night

 

[RobWDW1971]

Kudos to this man and kudos to you and your wife as well Darkbeer!

I'll throw in my two cents on this whole issue even though no one is asking for it.. but even the off Turkey Leg/Churro/Soda isn't going to undo you while you enjoy the parks. The key word there is off.

My wife and I eat/live well (proper nutrition, calories, exercise) 5 to 6 days a week, with one or two cheat days a week (depending on what is happening that weekend) and that keeps us in check. When we visit the parks or go on vacation, we consider those to be "cheat" days where we won't bother thinking too hard about the list of chemicals or amount of sugar present in our Blue milk but then again, we aren't living in the parks either so things balance themselves out for us.

I don't like to "encourage" anyone to eat or live poorly, but the truth is that the every now and again Disneyland/vacation meal or snack isn't going to kill you or totally warp your image. Enjoy your time in the parks or wherever you choose to travel. The key to good health (in my eyes) is self control and portion intake. Sure, have that churro or Mickey bar! Enjoy it! Just don't come to the park and eat those every single day (as some people can and do). Enjoy the treats life has to offer when possible but in the end, eat more good than bad and don't stress too much about it and you should be fine.

Again, the issue can be self control.. a lot of life's delicious foods are designed to hook you and keep you coming back for more. If you can win the self control battle, then you can win the war.

Of course, but the people we are talking about are not having that turkey leg as a once a year exception to eating clean the other 364 days. That type of eating is a lifestyle and it shows.

 

[Darkbeer1]

I remember having to argue with my nutritionist while staying in the wonderful Kaiser Hospital.

I was trying to order my meals, and the order taker (aka computer entry) wouldn't allow the items I wanted. I said this is what my Doctor wants me to eat. Well, the nutritionist said the order taker was right. I said no, check with my Doctor. A few minutes later, she comes back saying she would override the computer, and had to go through the procedure every day to get all the things I needed in my diet, while avoiding the bad stuff....

Everyone is different, and yes, I take a lot of supplements. (32 pills a day, including a few prescribed ones).

So think for yourself and check with your doctor, there is no right diet for everyone.

Yes, they try and force one school lunch for all, but that athlete needs a different diet than the portly kids.

 

[DavidDL]

..Everyone is different, and yes, I take a lot of supplements. (32 pills a day, including a few prescribed ones).

So think for yourself and check with your doctor, there is no right diet for everyone.

True enough! Everyone is different. Different genetics, different bodies, etc. and only you can know what signals your body is sending you, along with whatever information is shared privately between you and your doctor.

I try not to pass too much judgement on others.. I have friends with a myriad of health issues (immunosuppressed, cystic fibrosis) that you could never tell simply by looking at them and they are in fact, encouraged by their doctors to eat more greasy fast food types of meals and sugars because their bodies actually need to be fattened up to stay healthy in their cases.

But I think there is a bit of truth in Rob's point as well. There are certainly lots of folks in the parks whose churro isn't an "every now and again" type of churro, followed promptly by burgers and fries on the way home and a Pop Tart for breakfast the next morning. -and while encouraging eating poorly is certainly something we shouldn't be doing.. it is their body and therefore follows their rules. We live in a free country so I'll totally respect any one person's decision to make the choices they want to regarding their meals. I would just certainly hope that if that person has a family they are taking care of that they care taking them into consideration, as well.

But hey, it's all genetics too. Maybe they're totally fine! Or maybe not.. who knows.

 

[RobWDW1971]

True enough! Everyone is different. Different genetics, different bodies, etc. and only you can know what signals your body is sending you, along with whatever information is shared privately between you and your doctor.

I try not to pass too much judgement on others.. I have friends with a myriad of health issues (immunosuppressed, cystic fibrosis) that you could never tell simply by looking at them and they are in fact, encouraged by their doctors to eat more greasy fast food types of meals and sugars because their bodies actually need to be fattened up to stay healthy in their cases.

But I think there is a bit of truth in Rob's point as well. There are certainly lots of folks in the parks whose churro isn't an "every now and again" type of churro, followed promptly by burgers and fries on the way home and a Pop Tart for breakfast the next morning. -and while encouraging eating poorly is certainly something we shouldn't be doing.. it is their body and therefore follows their rules. We live in a free country so I'll totally respect any one person's decision to make the choices they want to regarding their meals. I would just certainly hope that if that person has a family they are taking care of that they care taking them into consideration, as well.

But hey, it's all genetics too. Maybe they're totally fine! Or maybe not.. who knows.

Obesity is never healthy.

 

[DavidDL]

Obesity is never healthy.

You are 100% correct, by definition. The folks I know and am referring to are on the opposite side of the spectrum because of medical issues their bodies face. Obesity shouldn't be encouraged but in rare instances there are folks who are actually told by their doctors they need to drink more milkshakes and have a burger more often. Though in these instances, these folks usually have a plethora of different health issues affecting them that are keeping them dangerously underweight so it's not like they're living some fantasy life where being told they should eat more fatty foods is some kind of dream come true. But then again, these folks are unable to reach that "obese" level because of the conditions they have.

But they are a rare exception. You're right, obesity by it's definition cannot be healthy and should not be encouraged. But while I won't encourage or endorse it, I also won't throw shade at folks who choose that lifestyle. They're adults, they can make those decisions for themselves and if they want to be unhealthy, that's none of my business.

 

[Lilofan]

You are 100% correct, by definition. The folks I know and am referring to are on the opposite side of the spectrum because of medical issues their bodies face. Obesity shouldn't be encouraged but in rare instances there are folks who are actually told by their doctors they need to drink more milkshakes and have a burger more often. Though in these instances, these folks usually have a plethora of different health issues affecting them that are keeping them dangerously underweight so it's not like they're living some fantasy life where being told they should eat more fatty foods is some kind of dream come true. But then again, these folks are unable to reach that "obese" level because of the conditions they have.

But they are a rare exception. You're right, obesity by it's definition cannot be healthy and should not be encouraged. But while I won't encourage or endorse it, I also won't throw shade at folks who choose that lifestyle. They're adults, they can make those decisions for themselves and if they want to be unhealthy, that's none of my business.

Another exception is when a person is suffering a terminal illness and or in hospice like my father before he passed. Eat and drink wherever you want and be comfortable.

 

[DavidDL]

Another exception is when a person is suffering a terminal illness and or in hospice like my father before he passed. Eat and drink wherever you want and be comfortable.

Sorry to hear about your father. Yes, definitely there is an exception to be made here as well. I hope he enjoyed himself in what time he had left and hopefully you were able to spend some meaningful time with him as well.

 

[RobWDW1971]

You are 100% correct, by definition. The folks I know and am referring to are on the opposite side of the spectrum because of medical issues their bodies face. Obesity shouldn't be encouraged but in rare instances there are folks who are actually told by their doctors they need to drink more milkshakes and have a burger more often. Though in these instances, these folks usually have a plethora of different health issues affecting them that are keeping them dangerously underweight so it's not like they're living some fantasy life where being told they should eat more fatty foods is some kind of dream come true. But then again, these folks are unable to reach that "obese" level because of the conditions they have.

But they are a rare exception. You're right, obesity by it's definition cannot be healthy and should not be encouraged. But while I won't encourage or endorse it, I also won't throw shade at folks who choose that lifestyle. They're adults, they can make those decisions for themselves and if they want to be unhealthy, that's none of my business.

And yet we treat smokers like child molesters. Society is funny.

"Obesity is a grave public health threat, more serious even than the opioid epidemic. It is linked to chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Obesity accounts for 18 percent of deaths among Americans ages 40 to 85, according to a 2013 study challenging the prevailing wisdom among scientists...This means obesity is comparable to cigarette smoking as a public health hazard; smoking kills one of five Americans and is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.

Excess body weight leading to cancer causes about 7 percent of cancer-related deaths, or 40,000 deaths each year. This number doesn’t include deaths from the many other medical conditions associated with obesity. Obese people are between 1.5 to 2.5 times more likely to die of heart disease than people with normal body mass indices (BMIs).

There are also substantial economic losses associated with obesity. The medical costs of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment are estimated at $147 billion in 2008 dollars. Reduced economic productivity adds to these losses."

 

[DavidDL]

Economic losses aside (which in fairness probably have a portion of themselves incurred by smokers too), inhaling second hand cigarette smoke is it's own animal entirely. Unless I'm kidnapped and force fed someone else's diet, a total strangers food choices do not affect me in the same way that someone deciding to light up in line for Mansion and shoot that stuff all over my loved ones does.

But I get it. Smokers are having their options taken away from them and folks who eat poorly have more options than ever presented to them. The issue of, "why demon-ize one option and not the other?" isn't lost on me. You're right, society is funny that way. Maybe if Disney is encouraging folks to come and try their new churro flavor all the time, maybe they should offer them a safe area to smoke (I believe Tokyo Disney has special rooms dedicated to this for those who do). But I'll bet there's more negative points to be made against someone exposing others to second hand smoke vs. someone who can't control their sweet tooth.

 

[RobWDW1971]

Economic losses aside (which in fairness probably have a portion of themselves incurred by smokers too), inhaling second hand cigarette smoke is it's own animal entirely. Unless I'm kidnapped and force fed someone else's diet, a total strangers food choices do not affect me in the same way that someone deciding to light up in line for Mansion and shoot that stuff all over my loved ones does.

But I get it. Smokers are having their options taken away from them and folks who eat poorly have more options than ever presented to them. The issue of, "why demon-ize one option and not the other?" isn't lost on me. You're right, society is funny that way. Maybe if Disney is encouraging folks to come and try their new churro flavor all the time, maybe they should offer them a safe area to smoke (I believe Tokyo Disney has special rooms dedicated to this for those who do). But I'll bet there's more negative points to be made against someone exposing others to second hand smoke vs. someone who can't control their sweet tooth.

I'm not advocating encouraging more smoking, I am advocating using that same energy for education, public awareness, and societal commentary to address obesity that society has done so well to reduce smoking over past 40 years. Let's call a spade a spade and get on to dealing with a huge societal health crisis and not dance around people's feelings.

Obesity is killing far more people than the opioid crisis yet you never hear anybody say it's "opioid abuse shaming". We need to deal with it like adults.

 

[DavidDL]

I'm not advocating encouraging more smoking, I am advocating using that same energy for education, public awareness, and societal commentary to address obesity that society has done so well to reduce smoking over past 40 years. Let's call a spade a spade and get on to dealing with a huge societal health crisis and not dance around people's feelings.

I think the issue there is that doing the same to curb obesity that has been done to curb smoking would simply mean the removal of unhealthy foods from Disneyland, grocery markets, etc. completely in the same way smokers are told they are simply no longer allowed to smoke in certain areas.

You'd effectively be telling the world as whole, "you are no longer allowed to eat this, you must make the choice to be healthy", which is not the same as protecting others from the harmful effects of careless smokers in public places.

But you're right in the sense that more effort could be put into raising public awareness about the issue of obesisty. There is plenty out there already but at the end of the day, it will be up to the individual to make that choice for themselves (a choice they don't have where secondhand smoke is concerned). You can lead the horse to water, but you certainly can't make it drink. It's their choice. Hopefully with the information and wake up calls available out there, folks will be encouraged to make the right choices for the sake of themselves and their loved ones but I don't think you'll get folks to stop buying churros unless you remove them from the park entirely. Which.. I can't imagine would go over the same way as the removal of smoking sections.

 

[Lilofan]

I think the issue there is that doing the same to curb obesity that has been done to curb smoking would simply mean the removal of unhealthy foods from Disneyland, grocery markets, etc. completely in the same way smokers are told they are simply no longer allowed to smoke in certain areas.

You'd effectively be telling the world as whole, "you are no longer allowed to eat this, you must make the choice to be healthy", which is not the same as protecting others from the harmful effects of careless smokers in public places.

But you're right in the sense that more effort could be put into raising public awareness about the issue of obesisty. There is plenty out there already but at the end of the day, it will be up to the individual to make that choice for themselves (a choice they don't have where secondhand smoke is concerned). You can lead the horse to water, but you certainly can't make it drink. It's their choice. Hopefully with the information and wake up calls available out there, folks will be encouraged to make the right choices for the sake of themselves and their loved ones but I don't think you'll get folks to stop buying churros unless you remove them from the park entirely. Which.. I can't imagine would go over the same way as the removal of smoking sections.

The ease of getting food ( 24/7 fast food locations, BK serving whoppers at 7am?, The term super size is normal, all you can drink soda), TV programs such as man vs food, food network channels glorifying all kinds of food, many cities and towns having all you eat breakfast,lunch and dinner, vending machines everywhere in sight) just adds to the obesity epidemic of the USA. It's out of control. Someone said to me that healthy food is expensive. I posed the question - what's more expensive , a $4 bag of raw spinach or a $4 box of donuts?