How to Eat Out: Courtesy of the South Beach

I don't have too many problems knowing what to order when eating out. Where I run into problems is with places that are buffet style. I have to avoid them because almost invariably, I go in with good intentions, but leave having eaten too much.
Anyone else do this? Anyone found a way to conquer that urge to "get your money's worth?"

I'm asian, I can't cut out white rice.... it's impossible! lol

Look at buffets differently: "I've paid for it, whether I eat it or not". Pushing down more food than my body needs or wants isn't doing myself a favour.

Sit where you can't see the buffet table.

When you fill your plate, count to three: ONE protein, ONE carbohydrate and ONE fruit/vegetable. Add food by sets of three.

WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF WITH FOOD IN YOUR HAND AND FOOD IN YOUR MOUTH, PUT THE FOOD DOWN AND FINISH WHAT'S IN YOUR MOUTH.

This allows you to notice when you are getting full (that 'basketball in the stomach' feeling, food doesn't taste as good), and stop when your body has had enough.

At one point, I ate in restaurants (buffets included) most days of the week as part of my job. This works, and it will see you through any occasion where there is lots of food around.

Buffet style eating has always been a trigger for me to overeat. At other restaurants, I eat what I want (no wonder) because my no-faill environment is at home. I only eat out when a function comes up. Even if I am on a strick (not often) diet, I don't torture myself to the point of feeling deprived. It only ignites a starvation mode in my system. It is not relaxing for me to always be on guard. Although it probably would be beneficial.

Buffets? I don't like them. I call them "trough food" (hope that doesn't offend anyone). It's just a recipe for a disaster. I tend to feel that sometimes it's better to pay extra to get some quality food (rather than the volume of food).

Mike - as for the white rice. That's a South Beach Diet thing. Whatever works best for you eh?. I enjoy white rice - in my sushi, and in my occasional Turkish meals. I don't see what the issue is. Concentrate on the majors (eating too much food and not exercising) before stressing on minors...

I actually eat less at buffets. I just look at all that food and it kind of makes me sick. I get some salad, a piece of meat, and I'm usually done. If I order a dish, then I eat all or most of it, eating much more, cause I only see appealing food, and not disgusting fries from hours ago like at the buffet.

I live in the land of Buffets(Vegas). On or off the strip, expensive or cheap they all look like "trough food". Well put Jim.

If you decide to be a guest here, treat yourself to a famous chef instead of the "famous" buffet that was originally a gambling lure and was offered free decades ago.

I love buffets, but I eat only the salads, without dressings, and fruit.

How do I manage to do this? I have a protein shake at home about half an hour before I eat. You can download the recipe here: [url removed]
(This is actually a complimentary e-book about "How to Lower Cholesterol Without Drugs", but the protein shake included also reduces appetite.)

My wife is Chinese and usually eats white rice, but not always. She and some of her sisters now eat quinoa, which they rinse well before cooking in a rice cooker the same way as white rice. Quinoa has a light fluffy texture like white rice properly cooked. However, quinoa is not refined like white rice and is a good rice substitute for someone who wants to increase consumption of whole foods.

Quinoa can be combined with other seeds, like millet, amaranth, buckwheat and sorghum. I mix all five and cook in a rice cooker. The quinoa and sorghum keep the other seeds from sticking together.

At a buffet, once you decide to pay, the marginal price of the food is zero. So the question: If you could eat as much as your stomach will hold, would you stuff yourself? Would you do it even knowing that your health would suffer?

Is that a body problem or a mind problem? If you would like to read more about mental control over eating try this URL:

[url removed]

Unfortunately when I eat out I am usually faced with having my decision made for me as most restaurants only have one vegetarian starter and one vegetarian main!

Doesnt anyone else find this?

I am terrible at buffets! Especially Chinese ones! We have a Chinese restaurant here, called the Mandarin House, and it has, well, everything, not necessarily Chinese either. i.e. fried potatos, soft serve ice cream, pineapple cake. I'm a sucker for the Chinese donuts too.
Yep, buffets are my downfall. If I have to go, I usually order off the menu and stay away from the huge piles of food.

I rarely eat at buffets. The food is of really low quality normally.

Choose unprocessed, unrefined carbohydrates, such as whole grains, whole fruits, and fresh vegetables.
(Whole grains? Are you sure you want people with horrable insulin levels!?)

Enjoy plenty of lean protein, such as chicken, fish, certain cuts of meat, low-fat dairy, and reduced-fat cheese.
(Uuh...I should say grass-fed meats. Chickens, on the other hand, is nutrient poor. I should say: Enjoy plenty of GOOD QUALITY protein, such as fish, lobster, grass-fed bison, raw dairy and cheese.)

Choose foods that are high in good fats, such as fish, avocados, and nuts, and make sure your foods are prepared with healthy oils such as olive oil or canola.
(Uhhhh...Partly right. You also need to balance your fats, and one thing. DON'T USE CANOLA OIL! I should say, use olive oil, butter, lard, or coconut oil, as long as it's organic, extra virgin or free-ranged.

Avoid foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty cuts of beef, bacon, processed meats such as salami, and full-fat cheese.
(Uhhhhh, No. Saturated fats don't clog your arteries, as long as it's unprocessed and organic. Trans fats, on the other hand, DO clog your arteries.)

Eat plenty of fiber -- it's found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, seeds, and whole grains.
(NOT Whole grains. Whole grains = insulin resistance = diabetes.)

Avoid refined carbohydrates such as white bread, cake, candy, white rice, and other processed foods that are high in sugar and often high in fat as well.
(Yes! You are dead right on that!)

Avoid added sugar. Choose diet soft drinks, for instance, and watch out for hidden sugars in salad dressings and sauces.
(Uhhh, DON'T DRINK SOFT DRINKS AT ALL! Don't use Aspertine, Sucralose, or sugar alchohal. Use stevia instead. Instead of diet soft drinks, just drink water or iced green tea without sugar.)

James I think that your diet suggestions are pretty unrealistic for the average joe. If you are eating in a buffet for starters, you are not gonna get grass-fed organic meats. You'd be lucky to find lean anything. I am not speaking against your Dr. Mercola preaching, just saying that regular people can't afford the time or money to follow it.

It's toughest to maintain control when I eat out or go out, which we do at least twice a week. I use this capsule called Carbostat my pharmacist recommended, and it helps alot. I basically try to not eat any single serving larger than the palm of my hand. A dietician told me that this is a good way to estimate one serving. I also try to scrape off all the sauce. I still taste it on the food, but getting it off my plate helps keep my spoon away from it.

I think the suggestion to use one's palm as a portion guide is an excellent one: easy, and customised. (Portions in restaurants have doubled in the last ten years).

I also think that the South Beach Dining Out recommendations are useful for everyday life, not just restaurants.

I will repeat an earlier recommendation for eating moderately without depriving yourself: when you find yourself with food in your hand and food in your mouth, put down the fork and finish what's in your mouth. In no time at all, you will begin to get a sense of what your real appetite is, and you will find it is a lot smaller than you ever thought.

I practise this behaviour every time I sit down to eat, and I eat a lot less than I used to, and it's easy.

These strategies work to slim you down and keep you slim.