how do u handle eatin at a buffet?

Like many others have said. Just don't. If you can't measure it or get the nutritional information easily, you shouldn't eat it.

Oh come on.

So you never eat at any sort of local restaurant? That's an absurd restriction to suggest that everyone should follow.

1) Fill up on steamed vegetables and lean protein (fish, turkey, chicken) with a tiny serving of bread/pasta/anything super rich.

2) It's one meal. Don't eat much before that meal and save ~1000 calories for this. If you don't fill up on carbs or oils it should be pretty hard to go over 1000 calories in one meal. Even if you fill up on carbs and eat 1500 cals instead of 1000 that's less than 0.2 lbs gained. Don't sweat it.

So long as you don't go every day, you'll be fine.

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Just get one plate and put a reasonable amount of food on it. Eat that food and don't go back.

I'm not sure what the issue is. Does your kitchen/pantry only have single meal servings in it at any one time because that's all it really is. If you are able to be in your home without constantly going back to the kitchen for more food, you should be able to sit in a restaurant and not keep going back to the buffet line.

Too much drama for one meal. how often do you go? if it's a special trip, one buffet meal is not going to hurt you. Even if you stuff yourself to the hilt, it's really not going to do much damage, other than possibly cause you to retain some water. Remember, it takes roughly 3,500 calories to gain one pound of fat. And that's over the daily calories you burn to stay alive and any exercise you do. So, go ahead and indulge once in a while. that's healthy! Don't demonize food, learn to enjoy it.

I have changed my whole mindset towards buffets. I used to always over indulge in the past, but now, I look at it as an opportunity to be able to better control how much I am eating.

Typically, I'll only have some sort of salad anytime when eating out because it is both a healthy option and easily trackable on MFP.

My best tip is to resist temptation and stick with a healthy option and reasonable portion. Eating against your diet will be enjoyable for the amount of time it takes to devour the food, but the guilt will kick in right after and you'll have only prolonged your goal. That's what I always tell myself.

IMO, I don't like to have any cheat days because it's like taking a few steps back from your goal.

It's also a good idea to change your mindset about your goal. It's not a final destination. You really are on a lifelong journey. Once you reach your goal weight, you're going to have to learn to live at maintenance, which can be more difficult than losing if you're not mentally prepared for it. Learn to enjoy food and think of your calories as not so static. you have a goal right now (just as an example) of a 500 calorie deficit per day, if you want to lose a pound per week. If you have one day in a month where you eat over that deficit, it's not going to affect your overall weight loss one bit. You are not going to steadily lose weight anyway. There are fluctuations all the time. Once you hit your goal weight and begin maintenance, you are going to fluctuate as well. It's a lifelong balance and learning process, and learning to enjoy food and have a healthy relationship with it a good place to start.

If I know I'm going to a buffet I try to excercise more than usual to gain more calories.

finally I can stop reading this thread about suffering and just go ahead and agree with someone!

haha

i know this- when I go to St Lucia to get married, at an all inclusive, I am going to get up each day, run the island, swim, climb, jump and wave my arms all day. I am going to eat as much lobster and steak, and whatever local everything they got for 8 straight days! I will not count a single calorie, and if I do, may it poke my eye out!

I live this healthy lifestyle EVERY DAY- so I can live! Holding myself hostage regimen, when it's time to have fun, is not living in my mind.

Good grief, go to the buffet and have a bit of whatever you like.

this is coming from an exerciser though, not so much a dieter

so, if you are not an exerciser, then don't use me as justification for a binge.

I went to an all you can eat buffet last night. I enjoyed every minute of it. I don't do it often, i didn't go overboard but i did enjoy. I hope you can/do!

I don't go...Thank goodness my husband refuses buffet's..."That's where the cows go to graze"

<<< Cow

Moo

Buffets are usually a smorgasbord of low quality crap. I rarely ever go.

If I do? I eat what I want and move on.

I don't eat at buffets either, it's too much uncontrolled portions and eating, I also come from the old school of "clearing your plate" all of those things can really sabotage weight loss. However, there are healthy alternatives provided, eat the salad buffet before you venture to the hot foods and grab the meats before grabbing and loading on the carbs!!

No problem. Go around ONCE, choose your favorites, do NOT go back for seconds. Easy. I do this at Chinese restaurants all the time. No problem.

I dont go to buffets on any regular basis becouse I will overindulge. When I do I try to eat the better stuff fish, poultry, veggies at first anyways. So I usually eat less of the unhealther stuff later in the meal.

Grab a plate, put a sample size of everything on my plate (use two plates if needed), see what I like, then go back and pig out. Leave room for dessert. Pig out. Feel guilty tomorrow.

Personally, I'm really not a fan...food is generally of poor quality and the only purpose in going to eat at a buffet is to pig out. Dieting and eating out in general can be difficult...going to a buffet while dieting just seems a bit ridiculous.

make your best estimates. the myfitnesspal database is loaded with items. If you want to be extra safe, shoot for 1200 calories.