Thanks!!!!

Congratulations on your progress so far! I don't know how you did it! I know I couldn't have. lol I know I don't have the self control. On top of that I am on a tight income so I hate the idea of buffets. I can't take any leftovers home so I feel compelled to eat more to make it worth it. Buffets and I do not get along. lol You are right in that it is about what you eat. There are some healthy items in buffets but I know I would still over eat every time.

I actually have always abhorred buffets, even at my highest weight. They certainly weren't what got me fat I know a lot of people avoid eating out in general but I eat out once a week.

Yeah my once a week is a buffet.

Ive never been a buffet person because the thought of a bunch of people possibly breathing over the food...coughing..sneezing & touching the same scooping utensils to scoop it with where I have no idea where other peoples hands have been just turns my stomach.

Yeah my reason was I thought it was gross for food to just be sitting out there for extended periods of time. I want my food cooked fresh for me.

I'll second that...& I dont even want to think about what theyre cooking that stuff in to get a bang for their buck. American chinese food is gross in my opinion....always better to order it individual & customized in a restaurant asking them to cook it in the "real traditional chinese" way like they do in China...which cuts out most of the garbage. I just think buffets are way too unsanitary from the breathing over it ((that plastic doohicky doesnt protect squat))...to the utensils...to the spores people kick up from the carpet & uhggg.....

I know...it sounds like I need buffet therapy!!!! lol

Yes, it does. I may stop eating them now. HAHAHAHA

Im sorry!!! lol Ill just shush now & let everyone enjoy their buffet without my disturbing visuals...bon appetit!!!

I went to a lovely Chinese buffet with my husband this past weekend. But then, I didn't eat much during the rest of the day, and did a ton of walking. I still lost weight. Will I go to a buffet every week? Probably not, that's a bit much for me. But will I go once in a while, now that I see that my body can handle it? Sure. My body seems to stall if its too deprived, and it sounds like your body is the same way.

I went out to supper twice last week. (Lucky me). I spent 28 $ at the restaurant meal, appropriate servings, delicious food. Meal with salad was about 700 cals. so great.
Went to a buffet, meal cost was 17$. I could have eaten more, but had a plate of leafy salad, and coleslaw, and a plate of lean meat and veggies. No more.
Didn't have dessert.
I actually spent less at the buffet, but ate similar portions and amounts of calories. But if you can't go to the buffet without overeating, or feeling that you won't get your moneys worth if you don't eat more, then they are to be avoided.
But in the big picture, they are good places to go with a dietitian and look at portion sizes and healthy choices. Field trip anyone?

I must live in a very cheap area...Our nearest Chinese buffet is $5.25 all you can eat...lol (Run by real Chinese people and very tasty I must add). I'm such a tight-wad though, I couldn't spend $45 for 2 meals for myself because all I would think of is the weeks worth of healthy groceries I could get for the same money.

Many people have lost weight (and kept it off) by having one day a week be a "cheat day" where they can have whatever they want. I think buffets are similar.

I think Glory87 said this once - the first plate of a buffet can be whatever she wants, but any plates thereafter have to be vegetables only. Something to that effect.

It's all about moderation, balance. Buffets every night for dinner probably won't get you anywhere. If you find yourself going on a several-day binge that started with a buffet, then probably not a great idea.

I think you are doing a wonderful job! Weight loss has to be sustainable, and you have to make decisions that work with real life. And you're a tall person - I have a tall son (who isn't overweight) who would choose a buffet because he can get the portion sizes needed to fill him up.

This is a great source of info. Thanks everyone for the encouragement and comments. To be honest I like talking to people that are dealing with these issues directly. Unlike my trainer who couldn't gain a pound if he wanted too.

when I don't bring my lunch to work, I go to a pay-by-the-ounce buffet. It has a salad bar, and a hot bar, and you pick and choose what you want for lunch. I pick a meat (often fish or roasted beef or chicken), then load up on various veggies. I usually choose at least three different veggies: Chinese green beans, asparagus, beets, cucumber salad, tomato/mozzarella salad, kale and peppers, etc.

On days when I eat at the buffet, I easily get my veggie servings in, and can eat the things that I can't have at home (cucumbers, asparagus, beets). So long as I avoid the fried stuff, I find it very easy to stay within my calories for lunch. And the variety is amazing.

Since I eat fairly low-carb (I aim for fewer than 100 grams/day), I no longer have cravings for sweets and breads, so that's not so tempting for me. Even dinner buffets don't tempt me so much with desserts and fried stuff. It just doesn't taste good to me anymore.

I love the flexibility that a buffet affords. I can load up on veggies that I didn't have to cut, wash, prep, and cook. I can enjoy good lean protein and fresh fruit. Buffets are a great choice for me for eating out with others, so they can get whatever they want and I know I'll be able to find something that works on my plan, too.

That being said, I could not do buffets earlier in my journey, when I still had daily cravings for starches and sweets, and I had the "just one mouthful won't hurt" mentality. But now that that stuff is "verboten", it just doesn't appeal to me like it used to. And thus buffets are very helpful options for eating out on plan.