Best Chinese Buffet Options

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tlblake84
tlblake84 Posts: 48 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Chinese buffet for dinner tonight. Not going isn't really an option. I plan to use portion control, I never eat a whole lot at chinese anyway, but....What items are my best option? Is one noodle healthier than the other? Or Chicken sauces?

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  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
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    Look for the option with the most visible veg, sometimes they even have plain steamed vegetables, in which case, eat a full plate of those to fill you up before heading back to reload.... Moo Goo Gai Pan is a pretty good option because it's mostly chicken and veg. Go light on the rice, choose the brown if they have it.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
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    I'm not a low carb eater, and I love rice. But when I go to a Chinese buffet (at least once a month) I don't eat any rice or noodles.

    I usually fill my plate with vegetables, beef & broccoli, and chicken or shrimp (including a little of the "bad stuff" with fried coating like General Tso's). I tend to steer clear of the crab Rangoon & egg rolls, and I sometimes get a bit of soup. I always have dessert, too. Usually 2-3 pieces of the little coffee or strawberry sponge cake and a bunch of fruit if it is in good shape (usually pineapple). Never a problem!

    What I used to do was fill my plate 2-3 times with rice, noodles, cashew or sweet n' sour chicken with tons of sauce. With it I'd eat several crab Rangoons and then eat a few almond cookies and a tiny bit of flavorless ice cream, mostly just because it was there. I would leave feeling sick.

    Do whatever works for you but I'm really happy with my current M.O. so I thought I'd share.
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
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    I usually look for the meat and veggies (think protein and fiber). The less sauce, the better. I tend not to go very noodle-heavy.

    One option I like to look for is the chicken broccori (yes, I've seen it labeled as such).
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Crab legs. Tough to get the meat and slows down the ingesting of mass quantities of calories. Otherwise like joeporta says call it a major cheat day and shrug it off. Start again tomorrow.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
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    Most everything's a sodium bomb for me at those buffets (high blood pressure here). I'm usually safe sticking to "plain" things. There's usually steamed veggies, fresh fruit, maybe even a salad bar or some veggie sushi. Look for fish (mine always has poached fish of some sort, usually salmon) or plainly prepared meats.

    My game plan is to have a plate full or two of those lovely things. If you want the taste of some of the saucy dishes, just take a bite or two worth of it, or even just a small scoop of the sauce to put over the plain stuff.

    I never eat the rice or noodles (not a low carber). I just think it's boring, and the noodles are usually old, greasy, or overcooked from sitting under the lamps. Rice? I can have that anytime.
  • nilbogger
    nilbogger Posts: 870 Member
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    Don't forget the Pepto Bismol.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,933 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I'm not going to lie, Chinese food is one of the hardest. I seem to recall Weight Watchers has a Chinese Buffet Cheat Sheet. It might be available if you Google it. It won't give calories, but you can play with it for lowest points and then look it up in the MFP database.

    http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=82061
  • DeeVanderbles
    DeeVanderbles Posts: 589 Member
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    Any chinese buffet I've been to has had a salad bar. A little of your favorite chinese food and a whole lotta salad. Though, for me personally, I'd count it as a cheat, enjoy what I want and start over tomorrow.
  • ryanhorn
    ryanhorn Posts: 355 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Some small psychological tricks that I've learned to slow you down and fool your mind at buffets if you're trying to keep your calories low:

    • Sit in a booth as opposed to a table. Research shows that people that sit in booths tend to eat fewer calories
    • Sit facing away from the buffet
    • Walk through the buffet and scout out all your options before even grabbing a plate.
    • If they have smaller plates, use them!
    • Eat with chopsticks. It will slow down your eating.
    • Drink a glass of water in between each trip to the buffet.
    • As others suggest, start with soup and salad!

    Hope that helps!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited January 2015
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    ^^ALL OF THIS^^ great post ryanhorn.

    I'd start with a soup.
    Then some fresh steamed vegetables or a salad. A couple of california roll pieces, and see how I feel, then maybe some peel and eat shrimp, nicely time consuming, and then something small that you'd really enjoy, and a few pieces of watermelon.

    But that's just me.
  • tlblake84
    tlblake84 Posts: 48 Member
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    Everyone, thanks for the advice. Very helpful!

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