Chinese food

I don't track calories when I go out for Chinese. It's not something I do that often so I just enjoy myself.

Look at the options like steamed veg and fish ? Maybe give the place a ring ahead of time and ask what they have on the menu then look them up to find out .

Alot of the chinese buffetts have the Mongolian part that you put your own ingredients together and they cook it for oyu. That's what I do, tell them no butter or oil..... I also fill up on crab legs. HTH.

You can't so eat the white rice, chicken and broccoli, and keep portion size down. Drink lots of water and just enjoy. It's only 1 meal and will not set you back if you are careful the rest of day or even tomorrow.

My go to is beef with broccoli ( I can't spell stuff thats good for ya) and if I must spice it up oyster sauce... Otherwise I concur veggies veggies and maybe theres a chicken dish

Is this an "all you can eat buffet"? Don't go back up to the buffet. Or rather, set limits for yourself. Once up for salad/fruit, once for main course(s) and once for dessert. Don't fill your plate. Take reasonable servings. Try to eat what you'd order or select if it weren't a buffet. Breaded and fried foods tend to have more calories. Sauces can hide a lot of salt. What you eat depends on your goals. I asked a similar question awhile about what some good choices were to order in Chinese restaurants (try a search). One suggestion was to eat brown rather than white or fried rice. Another was that some restaurants have "American" and "Chinese" menus -- with the Chinese one tending to be meals with lower calories. Even a restaurant with a buffet may have a sit-down menu option. If buffets are a problem for you, a menu may be a better option. Look up a few of your favorite dishes beforehand and see which ones would be the better choices for you. (And check... the restaurant you're going to may have an online nutrition guide.)

Good luck!

There is usually a soup section and a cold salad bar section at a Chinese buffet. I'd go for that! Go for non-breaded lean proteins and veggies when you can and gauge how oily the sauce looks. Don't bother with the empty carbs like rice or noodles. Sodium seems like it would be impossible to manage there because of all the sauces, so drink a few glasses of water while you're there to cancel that out. And since you're in control of the portion, you CAN have just a bite of your favorite guilty pleasure, yum!

Start with a salad and have a good time :bigsmile:

i usually hit the salad first then royally pi*s them off by picking the broccoli out of the chicken or steak and broccoli pans

Not to mention the other customers at the buffet! :laugh:

1. Eat a sensible dinner at home before you go out. Focus heavily on fresh vegetables and good clean protein. That way, you'll hit the buffet already satisfied.

2. Eat whatever you want, in very small portions Get your plates from the dessert section (smaller plates) and just enjoy a piece or two of this, a dab of that, etc. A little soup, whatever fresh veggies they might have (or whatever they have that's lowest in sauces), etc. Nibble. Savor. Spend more time talking and listening than you do eating.

3. Drink water like you're about to cross the Sahara unsupported.

4. You are NOT there to get your money's worth out of the buffet, you are there to enjoy some time with friends. Enjoy the food that goes along with it. In small amounts.