By Lisa Spodak (ResultsNotTypical@worldnow.com)
Provided by WorldNow
Week 12 Weigh In:
Change this week: -3 lbs.
Change overall: -33.5 lbs.
While I still stand by all the things I said last week about celebrating changes independent of the number of pounds lost, I have to admit I'm thrilled that the scale did reflect my success this week. Three more pounds off!
This week, I noticed something kind of funny -- for the past two weeks, I've had some sort of "all-you-can-eat" meal the night before my weigh-in. Last week, it was unlimited pasta at my favorite Italian restaurant. And this week, it was all-you-can-eat sushi.
Amazingly, I'm feeling confident about not gorging myself in such situations and managing to stay on my plan and make healthy choices. Such a change for me!
It actually started last month when I was in Las Vegas and ate at three buffets over the course of four days and still managed to lose. Once I got over the feeling that I had to get my money's worth by eating as much as humanly possible, the buffet became an opportunity to make good choices - rather than a huge, scary challenge.
Here are my tips for beating the buffet (or any kind of unlimited food scenario):
- Before grabbing a plate, peruse all your options and plan out what you want to eat. Limit yourself to one plate and plan accordingly.
- An exception to the one plate rule - a big plate of salad at the beginning of your meal. Get past the idea of getting your money's worth and worrying about wasting your appetite on something "cheap" like salad and use the bulk to help you from eating too much of everything else
- Identify the foods that are okay to "fill up" on and the foods that you should just taste.
- Choose one splurge item that you know isn't "good for you" and have a little bit anyway.
- Steer clear of the dessert area unless you have exceptionally strong will power!
- Drink lots of water before and during your meal. This will help slow you down and also make you feel full.
- Look for foods that are grilled, poached or steamed rather than fried. Avoid dishes with heavy sauces or visible fat.
- Get your value from variety rather than quantity. A buffet is a great opportunity to taste foods you might otherwise avoid and to try new things. Just remember that a small taste enjoyed slowly will do the trick as well as a larger portion!
When I was in Las Vegas, I ate a lot of a shrimp, crab legs and sushi at the buffet and avoided the macaroni and cheese, scalloped potatoes and fried chicken. I had a bit of my friend's prime rib. And I skipped the dessert area totally for fear of caving in and blowing everything. You know yourself best... if a buffet is going to be too much for you to handle, skip it! If it's unavoidable, see if you can get a list of the foods available and stay at your table while someone fixes you a plate based on choices made at a safe distance from the tempting steaming platters of food.
