heading out to eat in probably the worst place possible

Its my cousin's birthday, and my aunt and my parents planned to go to goldern corral buffet this evening.
Obviously, this does not go well with my "trying not to overindulge" plan.
What kind of food should I look for and which ones should I completely avoid?
my caloric intake left for today is 1800 after my workout today, but i'm trying to keep at least 500 less calories than what i need to take in.

Haven't been to a buffet in like forever but from what I recall they have tons of raw veggies, fresh fruit, fish, broiled steak, salad fixin's, caution on the dressings. When I decide to go with dressing away from home I don't pour it on the salad but have it on a seperate plate/bowl and use the tines of my fork and simple dip them and then eat a bite of salad that way. You get the flavor a bit but not go crazy on the fat and cals of the dressing.

Think ahead, plan ahead and don't get caught up in the mixed salads, such as macoroni, potato salads etc. Lots of GOOD things on a Salad bar, just be careful and think of what you'd chose at home to eat and you'll probably be pretty safe.

Portion carefully and you can even ask them to cut the steak in half or actually a 1/4 for a healthy portion, they never seemed to mind that sort of thing when I'd gone with family or friends in the past.

Buffets gross me out now. Well I won't go into to much detail but it's always sorta given me a sense of a feeding trough mentality. Ppl pay and they want to 'get their moneys worth'.

Keep cool, remember this is a lifestyle change and you want to keep your choices healthy so when tomorrow comes you won't carry over any carb cravings if you over do it tonight or have any reason to feel guilty for choices you make tonight.

Most of all take time to enjoy time with your family

Becca♥

- Green salad with romaine and/or spinach. Watch out for high fat/calorie cream based dressing. If possible, make your own with olive oil and vinegar. No cheese, bacon bits, ham/turkey meat or croutons
- Baked chicken breast (no skin)
- Steamed broccoli (no cheese sauce )
- Green beans
- Corn (as your starch)
- I'd probably splurge for dessert but get something sensible and add a small bowl of fruit.

Good luck!

Maybe try to stick to eating mostly natural type foods and leans meats (if available) and avoid the processed foods.

Ok I happen to love Golden Corral but thankfully we dont have one close. Mind you I live in Vegas and buffets are on what seems to be every corner. Thankfully we try to avoid them.

I would say eat small portions. Eat very slowly, talk to your cus and enjoy being with the family. Drink lots of water. And enjoy the birthday. If you end up eating to much then you can work out more tommorow and get back on track. You cant let what you eat or dont eat control your life. So try to eat smart and forgive yourself if you dont. I for one know I cant say no to the rolls there.lol

Have a big a** salad(greens, tomato, cucumber, carrots) before you eat anything avoiding the dressing, use lemon if there'sno low cal option. Have soup, broth based only, then go through the buffet line ONCE! :laugh: avoiding, battered, deep fried and heavy cream sauces....my plate would look kinda like this...roast beef/chicken, potatoe, veggies, small dinner roll and ONE item that would be a no-no..like onion rings, or a piece of deep fried something, keep it sensible, if you can accomplish this, trust me, you can do anything, buffets are tough, don't let the junk foods do you in!!!

Whenever I go to a buffet I try and have a salad first...fresh veggies and such with little dressing...then I go and have a little meat, veggies and such...that way I fill up mostly on salad and don't want to much more!

My belated advice would be to eat at home just prior but try to fill up on healthy food and then just eat a simple salad or something.