HOW DO YOU CALCULATE A BUFFET? (E.G. GOLDEN CORRAL)

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  • bm99
    bm99 Posts: 597 Member
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    Honestly? Just because you're presented with a buttload of food doesn't mean you have to eat it! :sick:

    Start with a plate of salad, most buffets let you put the salad together yourself and you can choose how to make it and which kind/how much dressing to use. Stay away from the premade salads.

    STICK WITH A SMALL PLATE and get a lean cut of meat and a small portion of whatever sides you want. Don't make the plate as tall as it is wide, get normal portions. Buffets are cheap as hell, you're still getting your money's worth.

    Choose ONE thing for dessert, if you want it. If it's a big thing only eat half.

    Drink water throughout the whole meal.

    There is no reason to go insane just because you're at a buffet, and you can easily keep it under 1000 calories if you put minumum effort into it. Good practice for self control, too.
  • BigRich822
    BigRich822 Posts: 681
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    Its easy dont go to one. I wouldn't dare I can not limit myself at a place like that!
  • Cliffslosinit
    Cliffslosinit Posts: 5,044 Member
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    I keep track of what I eat and log it best I can. On April 9th I went to Golden Corral and it looks like it set me back about 2390.

    According to livestrong, the TACO BUENO WHOLE LOTTA PLATTER is 2,698 calories. I would think a trip to a buffet would be much much much worse. That platter comes with no dessert and no drink!

    Feel free to check my diary out. It's all in choices you make too....I did not have a caloric drink and tried to have a lot of protein before my deserts.

    ^^^This
    If you go make the same smart choices you would at home.
    Balance and small portions.
    For me it would be best I not go at all!!
    Would be like falling back into the old way of living...that's me!
    Food is a drug and comfort thing I used to avoid reality.
    Wish you the best!!!:flowerforyou:
  • akjmart2002
    akjmart2002 Posts: 263 Member
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    Just tally up the calories for each item.

    It all comes from one restaurant, but it's not all mixed up in a big bowl or anything.

    Also, I can't tell if you are asking about how to control yourself at a buffet, or actually how to measure how much you are eating. The first question is more difficult and personal than the second.
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
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    I have never been a fan of buffets. It is way too easy to overeat. It isn't worth the money either if you are trying to watch what you eat...

    So...either let yourself indulge and don't worry about it...or don't go.
  • genuinelyfrans
    genuinelyfrans Posts: 584
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    Instead of going to their website, you can go to the food database on MFP and search for Golden Corral. There are a bunch of foods listed. You can see what they have, take note of what you eat when you go, and then log it through the database.

    Agreed! I did this while I was in Florida. I actually went to Golden Corral and tried not to submit to the temptation of the all you can eat buffet. MFP has food from Golden Corral in the database.
  • sportyredhead01
    sportyredhead01 Posts: 482 Member
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    I guess I should consider myself lucky.
    I live in the sticks and I'm at least an hour away from the Golden C. and Chinese buffet.

    Also, I would think before I ate there, "how miserable will I feel afterward..." then figure if I still want to eat there and log all that crap.
  • KittieLea
    KittieLea Posts: 1,156 Member
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    I quit eating at buffets about 10 years ago. If I have to eat something buffet style (wedding, gun to my head) I fill my plate with the leanest of the meats, veggies and a healthy carb. If a healthy carb doesn't exist, more veggies and meat!
  • shayleeloves
    shayleeloves Posts: 72
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    Even if your intentions to go is to eat soup and salad, go to Souper Salad or some other salad bar... don't go to golden corral or country buffet. With so many items that look so appetizing, it's almost impossible not to binge. Plus, buffets are usually more money.
  • Cillasi
    Cillasi Posts: 4 Member
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    The tip to a successful trip to an all you can eat buffet is NOT to try to eat all you can. I stopped going to AYCE buffets a few years ago because my appetite had diminished to the point where I really wasn't getting my money's worth. Why pay $15 or more for a breakfast buffet when "all you can eat" equals one egg, a rasher of bacon, a sausage link, a bit of potato and maybe a slice of toast, when you can buy a full breakfast at half the price at the nearest diner.

    If you're part of a group and don't want to be the party-pooper, self-control and portion control is key. Fix yourself a "taster" plate comprised of a teaspoon of the things you like and while you're tasting, sip on a cold glass of water. Then make a meal plate of 3-4 of the best-tasting items, keeping in mind food ratios (carbs, fats, proteins).

    Between your taster, water, and main plate, it should keep you eating just as long as the rest of your group, and maybe there is a fruit salad for desert!
  • duckychic
    duckychic Posts: 57 Member
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    GO! And enjoy!

    I do it one of two ways...

    1 - I list out everything, fill up on salad, and have one plate with very small portions of each thing you want to try, and one SMALL desert. Keep track the best you can. When it is time to log everything, enter calories on the high side.

    2 - Eat what you want, put 4000 cals in (for the whole day) and call it a day!

    Have no fear, it's just one meal. Make sure to drink LOTS of water the next day and don't weigh in for a few days.
  • JMJohnson1005
    JMJohnson1005 Posts: 222 Member
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    I personally don't like buffets, but we went to one the other day with our church...specifically golden coral for breakfast. What I did was look up their nutrition. They have the nutritional value for all of their items. Then it is up to you to decide what you want and can live without. Of course, you will have to guess at the portions.
  • 10acity
    10acity Posts: 798 Member
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    Buffets gross me out. All I can think about is how many people breathed on the food, coughed or sneezed on it, picked their noses before grabbing the serving utensils... *shudder*

    I realize the potential for any of this at any restaurant, but at least when it's prepared in a kitchen and brought directly to me, the exposure is more limited. :ohwell:
  • karweb
    karweb Posts: 11
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    Why punish yourself by going to buffet type restaurants? I wouldn't have the will power not to load up on many different items. However, I don't believe one day is going to ruin your diet, get back in the saddle the next day and stay away from those kinds of establishments. Good luck!
  • meechi53
    meechi53 Posts: 195 Member
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    I like the buffets, although I don't go very often, it allows me to get just a tiny bit of something that I'd like to eat but don't want to order or cook a whole plate of, plus get healthy options. Salad bar, not a lot of dressing, grilled meats, then maybe a part of a fried chicken wing, about 5-6 french fries, fresh veggies and dip, and a small sliver of dessert, not a whole cake that will sit at home and tempt me. It's all about perspective.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    I have no self control. We go out to eat at one every once in a while, and I eat way too much. I'm estimating 1500-2000 calories. I pretty much want to die when I'm done. I do log it, though.

    Summary: It's OK for a treat, but drink a ton of water and try to steer clear of the fried stuff. Or just eat it and call it a day. One day over won't hurt, but it's basically a gut bomb. Two or three of those a month and you could easily put on a few, depending on how active and good you are with your calories otherwise...
  • Atarahh
    Atarahh Posts: 485 Member
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    Buffets gross me out. All I can think about is how many people breathed on the food, coughed or sneezed on it, picked their noses before grabbing the serving utensils... *shudder*

    I realize the potential for any of this at any restaurant, but at least when it's prepared in a kitchen and brought directly to me, the exposure is more limited. :ohwell:

    ^^^^this!
  • solman66
    solman66 Posts: 175 Member
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    No need to make things harder than they need to be, it's easy to calculate. Just keep track of everything you eat during the trip and look it up later. If that particular buffet doesn't have nutrition data available, find a similar place that does and use it's data.

    After once or twice you'll have a good idea of what's "okay" and what to avoid next trip. Maybe you'll see that you've racked up so many calories you'll never want to go back. Maybe you'll see it's not as bad as you thought.

    I'd say the worst thing you could do is NOT log it, then you'll never know.
  • liftingheavy
    liftingheavy Posts: 551 Member
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    It makes me sad when people eat at Golden Corral.

    It makes me sad when I see people eat waaaayyy too much at Golden Corral, but not for going in general. The food isn't the best quality, but it's not the worst.

    The only time I go is when I truly do not know what I want to eat. There, I can have a chicken wing, a piece of fish, a salad, potatoes WITH gravy, corn, green beans, a little bit of Asian something and a little bite of cotton candy or carrot cake.

    I'd be in the kitchen forever with too many leftovers. So, that's the only time I go - maybe twice a year.
  • WhiteCoc0
    WhiteCoc0 Posts: 192 Member
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    Couldnt imagine eating that much food in one sitting . I have trouble eating 1000 calories of healthy stuff than 2000 of sodium loaded gross food!!

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