Oh no... It's a BUFFET

You're on Page 2 of 2
Go to
  • Quote: (however they have to DIE for omelletes they make right in front of you that I so want)
    Is the omelet way off your eating plan? If it's a really fancy hotel, they're much more likely to accommodate special requests than some other places. Call ahead and find out if they would be able to make an egg-white only or one egg/two egg white omelet, a smaller version - or whatever it is that would meet your plan. Make it clear that you'd like to be able to make that request at this specific event so they can be prepared for it.

    If it were me and I really wanted the omelet, then I would try to make it the healthiest omelet for my eating plan (lots of veggies, for example) and focus on that. Perhaps not eating anything else. If that's what you really want and you pick other things to avoid it, you may well end up eating a lot more calories of foods that you don't enjoy nearly as much.

    And then if anyone has any issues with you not eating more - you can truly tell them you had exactly what you wanted and now you couldn't possibly eat any more.
  • Quote: And trust me, no one gives a flying you know what about what you are or are not eating. They're too busy stuffing their faces.

    They'll all be miserable afterward wondering, "why did I just do that?" and you'll be feeling like a million, trillion bucks.
    Well, maybe they planned for their splurges too. I think we need to be careful not to judge what other people eat if we don't want them to judge us for what we eat.
  • Quote: Well, maybe they planned for their splurges too. I think we need to be careful not to judge what other people eat if we don't want them to judge us for what we eat.
    It was by no means a judgment. Not sure how you took it to be one.

    I do believe most people are not so interested in what others are or are not eating because they're too busy with themselves. No judgment; just it is what it is. No judgment.

    Yes, maybe they did plan their indulgences. Whether they did or didn't - hearty appetite to them! How little or how much they eat is of no concern to me, I'm too busy doing my own thing.
  • A trick that works for me is to go and look at the buffet so you know exactly what there is and then slip away to the hallway or restroom and breathe. Put a bit of distance and quiet between the food and your thoughts about it. while away from the buffet, think about how you want to feel the next day. Want to feel good? Then go back to the buffet and pick exactly what you want in half size portions, may sure you have exactly what really appeals to you and what will make you feel good the next day. No seconds and try to leave some space between the selections...no piling to the ceiling. This will give you a chance to enjoy the food AND wake up the next day feeling proud of yourself for making it WORK for you.
  • Eat BEFORE you go. Something protein based so that it will curve the hungries AND use a smaller (dessert plate or bowl) when you go through the line.
  • I think of buffets as a huge positive, and much prefer them to meals served out on a plate because you can see it. You don't have to guess if it's in a lot of oil, you can see it, is it swimming in oil or not? You don't have to ask to substitute everything (goes down better in some parts of the world than in others!), you don't have to take a lot of comments on what is on your plate because you just reassure people you might go back up later if you are still hungry. Anything that is off plan just walk past it rather than worry in case your food arrives with a sauce or dressing you'd never even considered. Maybe you can try to think of it more like that? Although I am new to this immediate weight loss goal I've been a food control freak for a very, very long time and I've always gone for buffet food for preference so I can control exactly how much of what is on my plate, and if you want to have 2 individual fries because the fries look great then you can have them, you don't have to either have 500cals of fries or no fries at all. Bonus.
  • I'd probably drink a bunch of water and eat a salad or something else before I went so I would be full. Then that way, when I get there, I'd just take small bites, like tapas size portions of a few things I want.


    At buffets, my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach as they say, and I find that especially when being conscious and not mindless, sometimes after getting a few items to eat I am full and the rest of food makes me sick to my stomach cause it is just tooo much! I used that trick to my advantage on Thanksgiving, there was sooo much food, but because I ate before, I only took small portions of stuff that looked really good to me and enjoyed that realizing after my 1st plate that I was quiiite full and then the sight of the rest of the food or thought of eating more made my sick.

    It's also kind of like the idea of not going grocery shopping on an empty stomach, you tend to buy way more things you wouldn't otherwise because you feel ravenous and like a kid in a candy shop. Whereas being full already allows you to stick to what you really need. Same thing. If you go to a buffet ravenous you're more likely to go wild but if you're slightly full then you will pick and choose with more discretion and discernment.