Seven Non-Diet Tips to Apply to Any Buffet Table

A party, restaurant, or cruise buffet can be a wonderful event for some and for others on some kind of weight management plan, quite anxiety producing. However, there are ways to be ensure that a buffet is always a positive experience, with no guilt-ridden side effects.


Seven useful tips to consider:

1. Don’t come to the buffet starved or hungry. If the buffet event is in the evening don’t skip lunch and/or breakfast. Even though you don’t have to wait the whole day for the buffet, eat something light anyway. You don’t want to be full, but ‘saving your calories” may not be a good idea either. If you are too hungry, you may be more likely to loose sight of your intake.

2. Don’t station yourself at the buffet table (ie. sit too close to it for most of the time). If you have the food in front of you for most of the time, then that becomes your “entertainment” and you naturally pick at more stuff than you would otherwise. Especially with the bit-size, finger foods, it’s easy to overdo it as it is likely that you will have no idea how much you’re actually consuming.

3. Walk around and scan the buffet area before you pick up a plate and begin making food choices. This helps you to know before hand what you really would like to have and it also shortens the time you will spend making decisions once you are on the line.

4. Give yourself permission to not have to try everything and to try the things you really want. While on the line, if you are not certain about a food, take a little on your plate and try it right there to make sure it is something you want.That way you avoid later having a full serving of a food on your plate that you may find that you do not even like that much, but still end up more than just tasting simply because it's on your plate already.

5. Get some water in between cocktails, and other drinks to manage liquid calories.

6. You don't have to eat everything on your plate. A buffet, with all of its choices, can make people quite anxious especially when they are on the line and have seconds instead of minutes to make a decision on what to take. You may feel pressured to rush and may put things into your plate that you may not really like, then later feel that you have to eat whatever is on your plate.

7. Be sure to only allow yourself one plate per course or buffet station-appetizer, entree, dessert etc., if you can. A buffet is often separated into many different stations with many different choices and it helps to be mindful when navigating each section. That way you don't overdo it in one section before you get to the other food courses offered.


These tips will help you make the buffet experience one that is exciting and less overwhelming as far as making choices that leave you satisfied and free of guilt. Since a buffet is an ideal opportunity to try a variety of foods all in one place, the number one thing is to savor and enjoy the food fully in order make it a good eating occasion for you.


To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-free Food Experiences,