Buffet Strategies

Dessert is a good thing, but it doesn’t have to be automatic. Stuffing yourself at a buffet doesn't have to be automatic either. I was at a function that served a buffet style lunch. This is not uncommon and is often the ideal situation for over eating. I know that the fear is “I can have as much as I want, so I am going to take as much as I can”, but that doesn’t have to be the way we do it. I actually have found that this is an easier way to control not only what you eat, but how much you eat. Here are some simple tips to help you at your next buffet- style meal:

Take a look before you go up

You get to pick and choose at the buffet. What better way to know what you want (and don’t want) than to take a preview? Once you take a look, you can plan for the items that you want to make sure you include. We’ve all been in this situation: You are filling up your plate when you get down the line to something that you simply must have. It may not be a terrible option, but you’ve already filled your plate and you want to make more room for it, so it gets piled on. And, that is the “typical buffet”.

With a preview, we are planning ahead. It is almost like looking at a menu and deciding before you are in the heat of the decision.

Plan another trip

I know that no one wants to be stigmatized as the one abusing the buffet. Sometimes it can feel awkward to make another trip up. First of all, you can use that to your advantage and NOT go back up. Once you have finished your plate (even if it is small by regular buffet standards) you are likely to notice that you are satisfied. The food on your plate was enough to get you through the event and now you can relax and enjoy the conversation at the table. Or, if you are still hungry, you can go up and get another small plate and no one will care. You can’t lose. The only way you can lose is to eat too much and feel like you have harmed your routine.

My favorite example of this is the dessert table. Many of the events I have attended have a dessert table at the end of the buffet line. Each dessert is on its own plate, so you need to take it separately anyway. I use this opportunity to split things up. By not taking the dessert, I am making it a conscious decision to go back if I really want it. I have found that often, I won’t, not that it never happens, but when it is a conscious decision I don’t automatically do it without thinking. In fact, I’ve noticed that there are times when we have a dessert already in front of us that we are merely thinking of that and pounding down our food just to get to the dessert that is staring us in the face.

Whether there is a dessert table, a room full of food or just a typical buffet, you can succeed. Buffet does not have to equal over eating. As long as you have a plan and stick to that plan, you will be able to get through without the guilt.