How to eat at a buffet???????

Of course avoiding the buffet is the best thing to do but otherwise, just resolve to only fill up one plate and look for things that aren't fried and have veggies in it. I had to travel for work and there was a breakfast buffet every morning so I decided to fill my plate once only and I only had some eggs, some bacon (2 slices) and a nice amount of fruit.

I start with a salad plate with lots of greens and light dressing on the side. Then I usually have grilled salmon or chicken with a hot veggie side. Then when people go up for dessert I make a small fruit plate. To make myself feel better I indulge in a glass of white wine.

Chinese buffet: first, go for some soup. Egg drop soup is your best option calorie wise. Then fill one plate worth of food. Try to avoid things that are made in a this sweet sauce like honey chicken. Get plenty of veggies like broccoli. Beef and broccoli isn't too bad. Most have a fruit table so for desert you can get that.

Ryans or Ponderosa or Golden Coral: First get a big ole salad. Load it with all the veggies you want, but avoid the cheese and bacon and croutons. try to find the fat free or light dressing. Most places have atleast 1. On your main plate, load up 50% with veggies. There are almost always steemed broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, etc. try to not use butter. Fill 25% with a meat, lean is best but try to find something you will enjoy. No fried chicken.lol The last 25% put something you want. I love rolls so i have one, or maybe a TINY piece of cake.

Just try to fill up on veggies and still let yourself enjoy something you want

Two words- sweat pants.

I limit myself to one plate...Yeah sure that plate may end up being 3 layers high, but it makes me feel better that it's just one plate lol!

Ah, this is my area of expertise. I live in a part of TX where the buffet is KING. And I mean the FRIED FOOD BUFFETS, not soup/salad places. Here are my top tips:

1) Begin at the salad portion of the buffet and LOAD THAT PLATE UP BABY. If it's all vegetables and maybe some beans and eggs for protein (or turkey, whatever) you are still going to have low cals. AND you will start to get full right off the bat and be less likely to pig out.

2) Between plates (like right after your salad for sure) - sit and visit and drink a WHOLE GLASS OF WATER. If I haven't had a full glass of water, I don't get to eat another plate. By then I'm about 3/4 full, but the smells of all the other goodies are calling me....

3) If you get up for a second plate - it must be divided between vegetables and fish/grilled chicken. None of the stuff with the sauces or the famous Golden Corral fried okra. This should put you at full.

4) Dessert - NEVER GO TO THE DESSERT TABLE!! Stick to the fruit on the salad bar. Even the pears and peaches in light syrup are better for you than the double fudge brownie cake waiting to strike down at the other end of the buffet. Also, if you tend to eat off your kids' plates (as I do) don't let them bring a TON of crap to the table that you know they won't be able to finish and you will be tempted to "help" them eat. I used to fix myself a tiny plate and then eat off my kids plates until I was stuffed like a sausage. Not good.

Hope these tips help - I totally understand where you are coming from!

Lots of salad first, and avoid the fried stuff

I try to eat at buffets rarely because if someone says "all you can eat" I feel a need to fulfill that goal. The same is true of an open bar.

Obviously I'm just a very goal oriented person. :ohwell:

I try to eat at buffets rarely because if someone says "all you can eat" I feel a need to fulfill that goal. The same is true of an open bar.

Obviously I'm just a very goal oriented person. :ohwell:

and i totally agree with this. i'm a cheap, poor person these days and i would be in the mindset that i would have to eat a ****load to get my money's worth. now if i go i just eat until im satisfied and forget the money part.

when we go out to a buffet, (which really doesnt happen as often as id like >.>) i get a big plate of salad first, just a touch of dressing and lots of veggies and yummy stuff thats easy to eyeball portions.
for my 2nd plate, ill take a little bit of everything that looks good that ive never had before (ie: one piece of bacon wrapped bbq shrimp) along with a small portion of my favorite item.
i limit myself to one dessert
i also keep track of everything on my phone and log it when i get home.

I love to eat at buffets because I can eat fish and have a wide variety of veggies. My hubby hates fish and does not like the smell of it cooked in the house. I find eating at a buffet is better than eating out at other places because of the variety, there are a lot of healthy options at most and a big plate of raw or steamed veggies with baked or steamed fish mmmmmmmm beats an itty bitty portion of something else in my book

Well, you approach the buffet, don't worry, it's more scared of you than you are of it.
Then you proceed to pick up a plate and put some of the food on it. Once you think you have enough/majorly too much food, you take it back to your table and eat it.

Never eat it at the bar, other people don't appreciate that. I've learned from experience.

<3<3<3

Get a plate of food that looks like what you'd eat at home. At home you'd have some veggies and one serving of meat, maybe a piece of bread. Not a plate loaded with 4 different meats, another plate for bread, another for dessert...

Or, if this is an especially good buffet, you could have a big meal and eat everything in sight. Just don't make a habit of it.

Have an appetizer of a full salad plate with mostly veggies and limit the dressings (and high calorie toppers) or have a veggie or broth based soup.

Then have a main plate of half veggies, 1/4 protein and 1/4 startch. If you want more, go back for fruit, soup or salad. And if you have calories to spare, have a little dessert. And drink plenty of water. And have fun.

Good suggestions above, but take the smallest plate you can find.

Don't go for seconds.

If you can google the restaurant, and check out the nutrition in each of the dishes. That way you know ahead of time which dish has 1500 calories per serving, and avoid that. Some of the processed salad bar items fit in that category, like carrot salad.

Things to avoid: rice noodles, fried things, things covered in batter, processed things, salads with the dressing already on it, creamy things.

Go for the raw unproccessed food, and stuff that is broiled.