7 Ways to Beat the Buffet

Our "other" social functions do not provide any healthy options. Everybody brings in something baked...brownies, cinnamon buns, donuts, cookies, cake, etc. On occasion somebody brings trail mix, dried fruit, or fresh fruit, but it's pretty rare. I tend to do one of three things:

1. Not bring anything in. My philosophy has been, if you don't bring something in, you don't get to eat what's on the table.

2. Bring something healthy in that I can eat.

3. Try to pick around the bad stuff and have the healthiest thing at the table.

I've found that the "eat slow" advice is best. I can wolf down two or three plates of food before I even start feeling full, but if I eat slow, I'll barely get through one plate before my body tells me "no more".

Gal

One trick I have learned is to look around the room, spy the healthiest looking person I can find (the one I envy and want to like like) and eat exactly what they eat. The thin healthy people eat much less than I would if I were on my own.

To expand on this - "all-you-can-eat" restaurants are definitely to be avoided if you lack the self control.

Great tip, Jennifer. I think we should also remind ourselves that food is not in short supply in this country - we can always eat more. There's always going to be another buffet, snack, drive-thru, etc. If you remind yourself that the food or snack is always going to be available, the desire to overdo may be diminished - or at least the momentary craving.

Choosing a small plate is my approach to eating healthy. It eat things here and there are not the healthiest choices but only eating a little portion in the key to everything.

I'm not so sure I fall into the small plate club. I'm more of a "remember the healthy plate" person. How much you eat is not nearly as important as what you eat. I can eat a trough-full of romaine lettuce and consume fewer calories than the small plate of bacon-wrapped water chestnuts soaked in BBQ glaze.

Buffets always use small plates. They are not the size like the ones in my kitchen.
Buffets offer lots of fruits and vegetables. They can be the healthiest place to eat.

I definitely fall into the "wanting to get my money's worth" trap. I feel like if I don't eat more, I'm somehow getting ripped off ... even at a party or something where I didn't pay! I've tried to compensate by getting my money's worth of fruit and veggies ... but it doesn't always work. Especially when those options aren't available. My other trick is to know when an occasion for buffet is coming, and sort of compensate with the rest of what I eat that day. Maybe just an apple for breakfast if I know there's a big lunch party.

I live in buffet land (aka: Las Vegas) and try to stay far away from them for exactly that reason. I don't want to have any excuse to 'eat my money's worth'. Also, you generally have no idea what things are cooked in. Those healthy veggies could have been cooked in butter, gah.

But I can't resist all you can eat sushi. It's one of my rare treats. But I try to remind myself "I'm not buying all-you-can-eat so I can eat it all, I'm buying that so I can eat my dinner's worth and not pay $40!"

I actually prefer buffet style restaurants to other kinds because I can create my own "meal" and I don't have to worry about the kitchen staff adding things to it. Most buffet places have a salad bar and a good choice of healthy salad components and at least one low calorie dressing. They also usually have at least one or two healthy options, which is what I usually get. Most of the time, I just get a cup of a broth based soup and salad and it's pretty healthy. The thing is though, most people that frequent the all you can eat buffets AREN'T getting the salads; they're loading up on the ribs, pizza, mashed potatoes, gravy, and desserts.

At family/work functions, I always bring a veggie tray and a healthy dip so I know I will be able to at least eat something guilt-free.

This topic brought Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" to mind. For those who haven't read it, it's worth the effort. If I am at a buffet, I don't feel I have to struggle with what not to eat. I don't feel, gee, I really want that, but it's bad for me. I just take healthy items, and it's easy. I don't know exactly when I arrived at this point, but it happened over time. At some point I chose that road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

When all-you-can-eat is an option, I try to load up on fresh or steamed veggies. Of course, I like fresh and steamed veggies, so it's more of a treat.

The buffets ive been too always have a cold salads section. i always stack my first plate with vegetables, salads and fruit, a little bit of dressing where needed and go back to the table. When i finish that i go and have some of the other goodies on offer.

i find that if you fill up on the good stuff first, you eat alot less of the crap later and you feel better for it.

Whats the point of going to a buffet then? I dont even bother going anymore.