Eating at a Buffet

colleenhayden58

Anyone have any tips on how to eat healthy at a buffet like Golden Corral?

britkip

I would say eat in the salad section. You can choose what goes on your plate, all the other food is probably not good for you at all.

MizTerry

My family loves buffets, so I usually pick a couple of items and stick with that. Small servings. It CAN be done.

Velum_cado

I... have nothing helpful. I gorge myself at buffets. That's why I only go about twice a year.

970Mikaela1

If i go to a buffet i go to eat. Seems like a disaster waiting to happen otherwise .

MFPfriend

Start with a huge plate of salad. Then once you're done, wait about 10-20 minutes before deciding if you want to get something else. You may feel that you're too full to get more food, or you may only want a small portion of something else.

FussyFruitbat

Anyone have any tips on how to eat healthy at a buffet like Golden Corral?

Don't.

Cr01502

It's a buffet.

Eat healthy tomorrow.

groovy_dhruvy

Drink a large glass of water before you eat. You'll feel fuller quicker and be less likely to overeat

luvtcuk

I usually go for a lunch buffet. To prepare for that I eat no breakfast nor dinner, and have a big work out. I usually eat 1500 cals in a buffet, drink only water. And that is all for the day.

awake4777

What I like about buffets is that I can have a little of most of the stuff I like. My rule is, one trip to the food only. And I never eat everything on the cold and hot plate, and stick to water if you must drink. I drink 30 minutes before or 30 minutes after.

Some_Watery_Tart

Here are my personal guidelines: 1. Go in knowing how many calories you're willing to spend. 2. If it's a cheat meal--then cheat! If not, proceed to rule #3. 3. Load up on fresh veggies and grilled meats. 4. Don't overstuff yourself. That's it. It's served me well.

YoungDoc2B

Start off with a nice big salad and glass of water, then hit up the lean proteins. Good thing about Golden Corral is that they have tons of grilled meats to choose from, everything from chicken to steak. It's quite easy to eat healthily at a buffet if you're sensible about it. If you decide that you want some dessert or whatever, go for it. Make it fit into your calorie goals and move on. This is a lifestyle change, not a diet.

BobbieInCA

First thought...if overeating is a problem for you, don't go there!
If you must go: Fill most of your plate with salad, dressing on the side. Avoid fried foods and buttery sauces. Take a small portion of protein, grilled or steamed, and a taste of starch. Fruit for dessert. Don't go up for seconds or try to get your money's worth. Steam table food just isn't worth wasting all those calories!

theCarlton

One meal, one plate. Just because it's a buffet, doesn't mean you have to go up more than once.

Jacwhite22

I eat one plate of whatever I want.......several plates of protein (meats) and then 1 plate of dessert. Hope that helps.

TimeForMe99

Golden Corral does have nutritional information on line, so you can make some advanced choices and know where the landmines are hiding. Generally the survival techniques are the same as for any other restaurant.

Avoid the pastas and other sauced foods. Go for the carved meats or the sirloin and ask for a lean portion. Careful with the salad bar as there are always mayonnaise rich potato and pasta salads waiting to jump onto your plate. Look for steamed veg or other lightly handled foods. If you absolutely must have a particular dish take a small portion and factor it in.

Go only once through the line. It's the seconds that kill you. The deserts are usually not great, but if you want a sweet go for a small dish of soft serve or froyo with some non-sugared fruit from the salad bar (if available).

coolraul07

My strategy(TEHO/YMMV):
1) Ask for 2-3 glasses of water so you don't have to wait long for refills; Drink 1-2 before you even take your first trip
2) 1st trip - plate FULL of salad; lite dressing on the side, use fork method; heavy on high-water (e.g. cucumber) and high-fiber/protein (e.g. beans, turkey) items
3) During/after 1st plate, drink 2 more glasses of water and wait 5-10 min before 2nd trip
4) I can eat anything/everything I want, but it must fit on 1 plate without piling high (sampler plate) or falling off side
5) During/after 2nd plate, drink 2 more glasses of water and wait 5-10 min before 3rd trip
6) 3rd trip is focused on 1-3 items that I REALLY like, small portions, only fills about half the plate and a dessert on the side, usually carrot cake and/or ice cream

I try to go for lunch and have low cal b'fast and only fruit for dinner/snack. If timing means I have to go for dinner, I try to get in a 1,000+ cal burn ahead of time or eat light (e.g. half cals; mostly fruit/veg) the following day.

MB_Positif

I usually get tiny portions of everything I want to try, I am talking a bite size or two. If something was really great I might get a little more of it. Lots of salad of course, but not coated in dressing!

randimarie1125

It's a buffet.

Eat healthy tomorrow.

i like the way you think! haha

Athena53

I tend to avoid buffets. They're priced for people who (on average) eat a lot, so you either have a moderate price and lots of cheap, starchy foods, or decent food but a price that's not worth it to me for what I eat.

When I do go to one I tend to follow the same rules I do the rest of the time: heavy on salads and vegetables, be careful with salad dressings, nothing cream-based, nothing fried, water to drink (fizzy water if I feel extravagant). Main dishes should not feature meat as the main ingredient. Second helpings OK on veggies. I'll even have dessert if I can get a small amount and it looks worth the calories. Cinzetti's has nice mini-cannoli and one doesn't look big enough to do much damage. The buffets I used to go to while on business in India had exquisite desserts in small portions, so I could enjoy one without going overboard.

Jacwhite22

Main dishes should not feature meat as the main ingredient.

Orlly? why is that exactly?

Unknown

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BEERRUNNER

Piece of cake babycakes!!!!:bigsmile: This is how I roll!!!

Rd 1.......SHRIMP the cooked & peeled one with cocktail sauce! NOT the fried breaded junk!

Rd 2.......Veggies and oven baked chicken & whatever MEAT they are carving up!!

RD. 3.......SALAD!!.............dont go all buck wild with the dressings and cheeses and stuff!

Rd 4........A glass of milk and some JEELLOOOO!!!!

damn!!!!!!

dad106

Heres how I eat at Golden Corral:

Trip One-Salad
Trip Two-Steak, mashed potatoes/fries, corn, garlic knots
Trip Three-Chicken, more mashed potatoes/fries/garlic knots
Trip 4-Desert

After that, I'm an totally stuffed and done!

princess_goal

Anyone have any tips on how to eat healthy at a buffet like Golden Corral?

Don't.

I Agree , if you try to lose, one of the rules is NOT to go to a buffet...

ldrosophila

NO that would be sending a recovering alcoholic to a brewery and telling them to be good. I would just have to write that meal off.

ldrosophila

My strategy(TEHO/YMMV):
1) Ask for 2-3 glasses of water so you don't have to wait long for refills; Drink 1-2 before you even take your first trip
2) 1st trip - plate FULL of salad; lite dressing on the side, use fork method; heavy on high-water (e.g. cucumber) and high-fiber/protein (e.g. beans, turkey) items
3) During/after 1st plate, drink 2 more glasses of water and wait 5-10 min before 2nd trip
4) I can eat anything/everything I want, but it must fit on 1 plate without piling high (sampler plate) or falling off side
5) During/after 2nd plate, drink 2 more glasses of water and wait 5-10 min before 3rd trip
6) 3rd trip is focused on 1-3 items that I REALLY like, small portions, only fills about half the plate and a dessert on the side, usually carrot cake and/or ice cream

I try to go for lunch and have low cal b'fast and only fruit for dinner/snack. If timing means I have to go for dinner, I try to get in a 1,000+ cal burn ahead of time or eat light (e.g. half cals; mostly fruit/veg) the following day.

this is a good idea and you will find that you cant handle the volume and portions you used to.

twoss9112

Golden Corral does have nutritional information on line,

Hopefully they include the nutrition info for all of the kid-snot and fruit flies all over that buffet. Mmmm protein!

Can you tell I don't like the G.C.? :noway: :laugh:

KenosFeoh

Here are my rules:
1) Only fill the plate once.
2) Go around and get the vegetables/salad first, see what else is available/choose wisely.
3) Last I get small servings of the "what else" category, only the stuff that really appealed to me. The plate can't be heaped; it has to look like a reasonable meal.
4) I have a lemonade iced tea ("Arnold Palmer") to drink.

SteelySunshine

Bleh. I haven't been to a buffet in ages and I will go ages more. Or never go to one again and I am cool with that. I would rather make something yummy at home.