Back Away from the Buffet
Katie Jay, MSW
Eating with these will slow you down!
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At a restaurant recently I ate too much. I hadn't planned to. In reality, I hadn't planned at all. I went into lemming mode and followed along with a group of women from a business group.
We lined up at a buffet and filled our dinner plates. We sat close to and
facing the buffet. We used forks (it was a Chinese buffet, so we could
have use chopsticks).
One of the newer buzz phrases used to help people overcome eating
problems is "Mindful Eating." We certainly did NOT do that. We were
busy talking and laughing.
Of course the end result for me was a stomach ache and guilt. I know
better.
When I read a new study that looked at how both obese and non-obese
people behave at buffets, I realized what I had done.
I went to the buffet as "Big Katie" instead of "Healthy Katie."
Big Katie doesn't limit herself. She ignores the cries of her healthier
self and focuses on the FOOD. She wants to feel normal and
be part of the group. She wants to forget about being a WLS
person for awhile.
That part of me, though, is not my best self. It's my sabotaging self.
While she doesn't come out to play nearly as often as she used to,
she still lives in me.
The new study about behaviors at buffets showed that 71 percent
of healthy-weight diners looked over (and evaluated) all the food
offerings before serving themselves, while only 33 percent of obese
diners did.
Almost three times the number of healthy-weight people chose to
use chopsticks rather than forks, which means they took smaller
bites and took longer to eat.
The overweight people sat much closer to the buffet and were
significantly more likely to face the buffet.
Finally, non-obese diners chewed each bite longer than the obese
diners.
In light of this study, I see that I could have changed a few simple
behaviors and had a much more satisfying (and much less
guilt-inducing) experience.
Being mindful of how I eat makes a huge difference in how much
I eat, what I eat, and how I feel afterwards.
The next time I am out at a buffet, I am going to remember this
study and invite Healthy Katie to take charge. I know exactly what
to do (but the reminder is always helpful):
Check out what's offered and plan what I want to eat before I pick up a plate,
Use a salad or bread plate, rather than a dinner-size plate,
Sit further away from the buffet and don't face it,
Take small bites (use chopsticks at the Chinese restaurant!), and
Chew, chew, chew.
I am certain I'll be just as satisfied, if not more so, with my meal.
And I won't miss the guilt or the extra pounds I could pack on!
Your Assignment:
With the holidays approaching, it's time to pull out all your strategies
for healthy eating, dust them off, and use them. Take a few minutes
today to think through your likely challenges for the next few months
and make a plan for how you will meet those challenges. Also, you
can read an article about the buffet study here:
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