Parties or family gatherings where YOU CANT ESCAPE THE BUFFET!!!

stephyj528

Hey! I feel my biggest downfall is when people get together for a party or gathering for a holiday, birthday, etc. What do you do to avoid overeating?

melimomTARDIS

How many parties or family gatherings do you have each week/month/year? if its once a month, or half a dozen times a year I'd not worry about it. If its a weekly thing, restrict yourself to one plate, and a small portion of dessert/OR an alcoholic beverage afterwards.

knitapeace

I usually make sure I get a workout in early in the day and eat lightly throughout the day. I used to even save up calories throughout the week when I knew there was a party coming up, but that isn't the way to go for everyone. Then at the party I try to bulk up on veggies and other lighter treats while still enjoying reasonable portions of the more "treat" type foods and drinks. The worst thing you can do is stress over it...the best thing you can do is plan for it.

Serah87

I just enjoy myself.

DawnieB1977

Depends how often and where it is. We go to my husband's aunt's on Boxing Day and she's from Thailand so I a, definitely going to eat some yummy Thai curry. I jogged just over 5k before we went last Xmas! So, I'd just make sure I exercised first.

I took my kids to a birthday party on Sat and didn't touch a thing. It was all processed crap, there's no way I'm wasting calories on that. When I do birthday parties for my kids I am going to do homemade stuff.

If I'm at a family member's house for a party and I want to be careful, I'd fill my plate with salad so less room for the other stuff, and I'll drink lots of coffee.

aplcr0331

Eat beforehand. Practice restaint. Just my opinion since I do neither of those things, but they may help you

Jolinia

I'm fine at a buffet if they have roast or sliced rib eye. Better yet, prime rib. Yum! Guaranteed to get me the stinkeye from the guy ladeling it out or the thrifty host, though.

ana3067

Uh.. Just grab reasonable portion sizes? Logging should help you understand general serving sizes and how different types of food are more caloric than others and how much volume you normally eat. If it's that big a deal then bring your food scale or cups to log more accurately

tulips_and_tea

Just because food is available does not mean you have to eat it. Just because someone you know or love prepared it does not mean you are obligated to eat more than you need.

Standard "buffet-type" advice is scan the entire buffet first. Get what you want in reasonable portions.

beemerphile1

stephyj528 wrote: »

Hey! I feel my biggest downfall is when people get together for a party or gathering for a holiday, birthday, etc. What do you do to avoid overeating?

I eat and enjoy. The occasional splurge (cheat) day isn't going to have any long lasting effect and according to some studies might be beneficial for weight loss.

NoelFigart1

stephyj528 wrote: »

Hey! I feel my biggest downfall is when people get together for a party or gathering for a holiday, birthday, etc. What do you do to avoid overeating?

Buffet plates are often smaller than usual dinner plates. So... I allow myself ONE plate of stuff I really like.

segacs

I approach buffets strategically. To me, they're easier than sit-down dinners, because I get to choose, which means I get to control the quantity and nature of the food I take.

I usually choose salad greens, some protein like smoked salmon or roasted meat or whatever is on offer, and then allow myself a small amount of filler with carbs or sweets.

The plate method of half veggies, one quarter meats and one quarter carbs is a useful strategy for buffets.

And I don't go back for seconds. Instead, I just socialize, mingle, and refill my water glass a lot.

tracie_minus100

I eat whatever I want. These things only come up once every couple of months so it's not a big deal for me.

Liftng4Lis

Eat, in moderation, have fun. Log it and move on, (yes sometimes you need to guesstimate).

girlviernes

I have this image of a big huge monster of food (the buffet monster) chasing you around the house.

kaseyr1505

Self control.

SergeantSausage

I find saying "No" and walking away works every time.

Every. Time.

Funny thing is : it works for absolutely everyone when they do it.

I guarantee it will work for you, too.

Go ahead ... try it out next time.

MaryPoppinsIAint

I have days off built into my schedule (not "cheat days", but "days off"), 1 day out of every 10. I mean literally plotted on my calendar. Date nights get scheduled for my day off. Parties/special events that other folks arrange and thus I can't schedule to my liking, I adjust the nearest day off if it's reasonable to do so. If it's not, I pay really close attention to what I eat, & log it as accurately as possible when I get home, but I enjoy the party no matter what!

Also? If you don't struggle with this, have the courtesy to go comment where your experience will be helpful to people instead of being snarky & rude. This is supposed to be a support board, FFS.

cwolfman13

learning portion control and self control is going to ultimately be one of the most valuable tools at your disposal long term. Holidays and occasions are going to happen regularly...and pretty much forever...so, like I said, learning portion control and self control is pretty much invaluable.

streamgirl

Fill half the plate with veggies and only have one plate.

Roxiegirl2008

I do a quick "walk through" to see what is the one thing that I really want to splurge on and then I will fill the rest of my plate with veggies, hummus, protein, a few little pieces of cheese and fruit. Buffets can be very hard. I also will eat an apple or something like that before I go so I am not starving when I get there.

MakePeasNotWar

I just make sure I'm not ravenously hungry when I start on the "good stuff". If I haven't eaten before the event, I will have a plate of veggies before anything else. I can still enjoy some of the higher calorie dishes, but portion control is a lot easier when you're not famished.

Some people like to try to pre-plan, but I prefer to just have a little of anything that looks good. I feel like planning ahead might make it less fun for me, though it certainly works for others.

Liftng4Lis

girlviernes wrote: »

I have this image of a big huge monster of food (the buffet monster) chasing you around the house.

seriously? GIMME!

sjaplo

We do potluck at work on the last Friday of every month. I politely take a small portion of everything and cut out snacking that day. Sometimes I'll skip dinner because I'm still full from lunch.

Lasmartchika

OOOOOHHHH YYYYEEEAAAAHHHH!!!! :drinker:

OP, just get small portions of the foods you like, and guesstimate. :flowerforyou:

Capt_Apollo

the great thing about events like this is that you generally know about them ahead of time, and can plan properly.

-schedule your big workout that day to have extra calories to be able to eat

-start with the healthy stuff, such as salad, and lean meats

-if there are no healthy dishes, bring one!! but don't be "that person" that brings something uber-healthy. turkey chilli is my go-to healthy winter meal to bring to potlucks.

-if the parties and events are just that numerous that you're going to one a week, just pick and choose which ones you can go to. don't feel like you have to go to all of them.

-relax and enjoy yourself

ana3067

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

girlviernes wrote: »

I have this image of a big huge monster of food (the buffet monster) chasing you around the house.

seriously? GIMME!

Your new pic looks like you wanna PUNCH US AAALL.

SergeantSausage

MaryPoppinsIAint wrote: »

Also? If you don't struggle with this, have the courtesy to go comment where your experience will be helpful to people instead of being snarky & rude. This is supposed to be a support board, FFS.

Also? I'll comment where when, and how I like.

Saying "No" works.

Find some flipping discipline in your commitment to lose weight.