A buffet can be a great option for an easy meal with a lot of variety and eat as much as they can, but for other that are trying to change habits a buffet can be overwhelming, to much food, to many options, to many sweets, just to much, So how do you keep your zen and healthy on a buffet?. Here are 4 TIPS:
1- Change the mindset
“We are going to a buffet!”
All the bad thoughts will start to kick around and it can become quite overwhelming,you worry and start to doubt your self-control. That's where you need to take control, on your mind,
1. IDENTIFY the thoughts and stop them by just letting the thoughts go, don’t talk, or find solutions just let them pass.
2.QUESTION yourself, What is the worst thing that can happen?, maybe you eat a little bit more or just eat things you didn’t like at first that make you go visit the food lanes many times. Or maybe you just enjoy the food and trust your body and mind. It's just one meal, it will not affect your progress, TRUST yourself.
3. CHANGE the thoughts, make differents positive phrases, “I Trust my body to what it wants”, “I know how and what to eat to keep myself nourished and satisfied”, “it’s okay to eat dessert if I crave it”, those are some examples, but make phrases that are aligned for you.
2- Look around
The first thing you should be doing when going into the buffet is to look around, smell and take mental notes on what you wanna eat. Ask yourself:
“What do I crave?”
maybe you saw a filet that looked so juicy, a soup that smelled so good and even a dessert. It's important to look around to know what you really crave and then start adding food to your plate, instead of just going into serving yourself and at the end not finishing what you served yourself because you didn’t like or didn’t crave it.
3- A balance plate
It’s important to be satisfied with every meal. Most of the days your plate should looks like that:
Try to use this method when serving yourself the first plate..
We know it is a buffet, so going a second or even third can be possible, but on those times add the things that you really like to eat, but even if you are going to a BUFFET.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO EAT TILL YOU EXPLODE,
You need to enjoy eating not to make yourself feel uncomfortable, respect your body and even keep a small space for dessert.
Desserts
If the buffet you are going to has amazing desserts or you prefer to enjoy them then try the next distribution of your plate, so the carbohydrates you are eating are going into the desserts and have a more balanced meal.
4- Drink water
During every meal having water it is important to lubricate and facilitate the passage of food, it also keeps you hydrated and even helps to identify hunger and satiety levels. Drink at least 2 cups of water of 8 ounces each cup for each meal.
Buffets can be quite overwhelming but don’t worry, it’s not that hard to keep control and respect your body, you just need the right information.