It’s not uncommon to find yourself in a situation with a table full of food, it might be a family BBQ, work potluck or a buffet at an all-inclusive or cruise. While these are opportunities to enjoy good food, it can get out of hand pretty quickly.
There is no need to avoid these kinds of parties or deprive yourself, but there are things you can do to keep things under control. Let’s talk about it!
All you can eat - Before
If you’re arriving by car, park as far as you can from the door. A little extra exercise can help you feel better post-meal.
Look at the menu online (if available), make some decisions ahead of time about what you’d like to eat and what you can pass on.
Do a lap of the buffet before you take a plate. This will also help you make decisions on the foods you must have and those you can pass on.
Consider limiting the foods you can have anytime, use this opportunity to have those foods you don’t have often.
All you can eat - During
Choose a table as far from the buffet as possible. It’ll mean a few extra steps, which is helpful, but will also keep the food from your view which may help reduce temptation to do many visits.
Try to sit facing away from the buffet, or at least not facing it directly.
Drink a glass of water before you go to the buffet. This can help take the edge off and may help with portion control.
Choose a smaller plate, if there is choice.
Give yourself permission to go for seconds. This may help you reduce the amount you put on your plate to begin with. It also gives you time between servings to assess your hunger.
Avoid standing by the food table. At parties or BBQs it’s easy to get talking while standing by the food, making it really easy to pick at food while you’re talking.
Make yourself a tasting plate. Choose very small portions of multiple items. If there are many things you want to try, don’t feel bad about cutting the piece in half. This may also help you waste less food if it doesn’t taste like you thought it might.
Go to the vegetable or salad section first. Choosing these foods first will leave less space on your plate for the other, higher calorie foods.
At the dessert section, do the same with fruit.
Wait until you get back to your table to eat. Try not to pick at your plate while you’re in line – this just makes more space for more food!
All you can eat - After
Don’t beat yourself up if you ate more than you anticipated. These situations should be infrequent so shouldn’t have too much of an impact on your overall health.
Get back to your normal, healthy eating patterns. Remember that it’s what you do most frequently that matters, so the quicker you get back to eating healthy, well-balanced meals, the better!
It can be easy to lose control in all you can eat situations. Contact me to discuss more strategies to regain control over your eating wtihout having to avoid these kinds of situations.
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