Chinese Food Buffet... help ?
 

My boyfriends grandma turned 80 yesterday and shes taking the whole family to a pretty well known chinese buffet in town. I LOVE chinese food, but won't let myself gorge. I know to stay away from the deep fried stuff (:(), but what other options would you suggest that would be satisfying?

Seperate question but ties into this.. Do you believe in "cheat" days? If so, how do you go about doing that? Maybe I'll make a seperate thread for that.

Thanks !

No matter if you splurge or not be prepared for a gain because of the msg/sodium in Chinese food. Just make sure to drink lots of water, and focus on the family/friends not on the food. Have fun.

I can't help with the Chinese food because I don't eat it, but as for the cheat days, I give myself one meal every week or two that I can cheat on. I still don't let myself go overboard but I find it helps me stay on track better knowing I can still have a meal from my favorite restaurant.

Oh for sure with the water. I've been drinking water like its' my job lately. And I checked the website and they claim to not use any MSG. We shall see I guess ! Thanks for the reply.

I'd find the grilled chicken or beef skewers (hopefully not too much teriyaki sauce!), the pork strips (not the red boneless strips but the white with pink edge) and the mixed vegetables. Oh and soup too, maybe you can have that first and you might feel fuller quicker.

Chinese food is my biggest temptation, I understand what you are up against.

As far as cheat days, my program doesn't allow them (medically supervised) and I'd be mortified if my blood work showed I'd eaten a chicken finger lmao. :o:devil::o That's enough to keep me on the straight and narrow!

Good luck and have fun!!

Eat half of what you would "normally" eat. (I.e. smaller portions)
Try to stick with veggies or single ingredient items.
Try to avoid rices, noodles, and fried anything.

Have fun!

Some ideas:

Only do one plate.

Load up half of the plate with veggies. Get steamed if available.

Go easy on rice and fried dishes.

No breaded meats.

Fill up on brothy soup and salad (if abailable). Also green tea (no sugar).

Drink lots of water.

The day of the buffet either:
A) Eat small/light snacks during the day so that you aren't too hungry and overeat at dinner
or
B) Fast before to reduce total number of calories consumed

HTH.

Have fun!

Hopefully the buffet will have things like steamed veggies, plain brown rice and proteins like chicken or fish. If possible I would avoid fried things and sauces.

Regarding your question of cheat days, some people have good luck doing this but I wasn't one of them! I noticed really early on in my weight loss if I tried this it tended to erase any loss I had for that week. I think if you are interested in calorie cycling one day a week, it might be better to try it for just one meal instead of the whole day.

re:
 

Chinese always does a number on my body because of its high salt content.

Regardless of what you choose to eat, I'd recommend staying off the scale for a few days because you'll mostly likely see a few pounds of water retention if you think it will discourage you.

GO FOR THE SEAFOOD. God I love the seafood. Last time I went to a Chinese buffet I had my fill of crab legs and I was still under my calorie budget for the day.

And soup. Yummm.

We do the chinese buffet sometimes too because my kids love it. My husband also works for a chinese rest. so knows how everything is made. Steamed veggies, (not the yummy grean beans and onions...those are deep fried) rice and soups are great options. Also they always have fresh fruit and icecream ( you can count that at least). But I find I take 1 of what I want one time around and then fruit the rest of the time. Then I'm good. I generally don't eat the rest of the day (just not hungry) so I think it's probably a wash. NEVER weigh the day after....I give it a whole week. I don't try to be good when I go out though...I'm out and I want to have a nice yummy meal. I don't gorge though. It's not my last time there. LOL....I'm learning moderation! Good luck and have fun!!!!!!