My favourite food is buffet food. I could sit and stare at a well-stocked buffet table for hours. A really good buffet is as much a feast for the eyes as the mouth and tum.
I love to nibble lots of different foods. When you’re trying to lose weight having a variety of foods is much more satisfying and enjoyable than just one or two items.
However as anyone trying to lose weight will sadly attest the buffet table can often beat the strongest willpower. It’s so full of alluring temptation. So hard to know how much you’ve eaten. So hard to exercise normal control. And of course you don’t want to offend your host/hostess.
Don’t go to a party hungry!
It may seem to make sense to starve yourself all day before an evening buffet. It doesn’t. You’ll be so ravenous by time you get there you’ll likely start at one end of the table and hoover up as much as you can till you get to the far end. I know. I’ve done just that! Eat normally during the day or if it’s a lunchtime do, have a decent breakfast. If it’s a late-evening party have a mid-afternoon snack. Never arrive at a buffet table starving!
One trip only
Tell yourself you can eat whatever you like but you’ll only visit the table once. One plate (small!). One pile of food. Move away from the table and eat your goodies as far away from it as you can. Don’t go back for seconds. Avoid conversation while eating. Concentrate on your food so your brain registers that you’ve eaten.
Try not to drink too much
Drink doesn’t just loosen our inhibitions - it makes us more hungry and it’s a killer for willpower. Try to avoid getting top-ups from waiting staff, if the party has them. It’s too easy to lose touch with how much you’ve drunk. So a glass on arrival, another while circulating and chatting then one more with your food. Drink water between glasses of wine if you need to do something with your hands. That’s also a great way to avoid a hangover the next day.
Do have a dessert
If it’s a buffet which includes desserts have one if you like your sweet course. Depriving yourself risks you hitting the ‘fridge when you get home for the sugar hit you missed earlier. (Been there! Done that!) There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having a bit of cake, trifle or ice-cream. The whole point of my plan is to try and eat normally - just a bit less.
When you’ve buffet binged
If all else fails and you end up bingeing at the buffet do not despair! Do not beat yourself up and do NOT give up! To err is human. When you’re in it for the long haul this is going to happen. It’s happened to me many times. Few of us can face months of sacrifice without saying, “Ah sod it!” every now and then. It isn’t the binge that causes people to give up weight-loss plans - it’s how you handle them.
The very worst you can do is starve yourself the next day. That puts you right back on the yoyo of bingeing and starving. Write it off. That was yesterday. Today is what matters now.