OK guys, am I the only one that hates buffet restaurants? As a fat person I totally try to avoid them at all costs! My reasoning is two fold. 1) It's really hard to keep control of your portions when confronted with rows and rows of delicious steaming food. I find myself saying, "Just one more egg roll..." The last time I went to an all-you-can-eat place I only allowed myself one trip to the trough - no going back for seconds, or thirds, or fourths, or... I figured it was the only way to limit my feasting! So reason 2) why I hate buffets? This is the main reason actually. 2) I hate the looks I receive when I eat in a buffet restaurant. You know what I mean... You can almost feel the groans from the staff. They're probably thinking, "Oh damn, we're gonna some more sweet and sour chicken... a lot more..." And other patrons seem to take note when a fat person eats at a buffet. I feel like I'm constantly scrutinized at these places. I end up feeling like all eyes are on me. I hate that! I'm sure a lot of this is self-imposed self-esteem bullshit, but still I always wonder what others are thinking. I think one other reason I hate these buffets is that there ARE so many fat people there. It's like I'm guilty by association. The last time I went to Sunday brunch at our local slop-and-trough (an endearing name my mom and I always use when referring to these vile buffet restaurants) the place was filled with the obese. Normally when I'm out in public I feel like the fattest one in the room, maybe there are a few chubby people or the occasionally morbidly obese person, but for the most part I feel like I represent a small percent of the population. Not so at the buffet! At the buffet I feel thin! It really makes me feel bad to see all these fat people at the buffet restaurant. I feel like it perpetuates the stereotype! Being in a buffet restaurant makes me feel like a fat cow! I hate that! And really, is there truly a need for all-you-can-eat restaurants? I know some people say, "I like them for the variety of food you can eat." But really it's, "I want to be able to stuff my gullet so full I need to roll out of the restaurant!" I think anyone serious about staying healthy and losing weight has no place in a buffet. The temptation alone will kill you!
Enough of my rant! Some of you have been asking for progress updates on my weight loss, so I thought I'd oblige you. OK the goal of this blog was to lose one pound for every reason I hated being fat. So OK, apparently I type way too damn fast, cause I'm not quite there... but I'm catching up! As of today, just by eating a little less and moving a little more I have lost 41 pounds. Yipee! I've lost this weight during the past 8 months - pretty slow - but hey, it's not a race! I'm never going to set up weight loss goal time lines again! I'll lose it when I lose it. Every time I've set some goal date in the past, I usually fail, then beat myself up, then gain the weight back. Well screw that! I'll take my sweet time losing this time. It's so much better for your body to lose it slow anyway. My opinion is that gradual changes more easily become permanent changes. And I want this time around to be my last! I hope you all are doing great on your weight loss too! Stay healthy!! Stay positive!! And do yourself a favor, stay away from the buffet!
About Me
- karaokekitty
- I'm a medical/ science/ nonfiction writer living it Texas. In my quest to get healthier, I've tried to refrain from my favorite activity of baking yummy goodies! I've shifted my life from one in front of the tv to one in front of the computer - I guess I've gone from couch potato to mouse potato!
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19 comments:
ROCK ON >> THAT POST was so on TARGET... I hate those buffet places too.. .and I know exactly what you mean... One place I do enjoy though.. and if you have one in your home town.. check it out.. Our Whole Foods here has a HUGE SALAD BAR.. and HUGE HOT BAR... There are items there that are not the most healthiest.. but you know its not as bad for you as the regular stuff... HOWEVER the Majority of food on both bars is VERY GOOD FOR YOU.. different types of steamed veggies , raw veggies.. Tofu... Everything from Turkey Meatloaf... to fresh steamed crunchy veggies.. and some GREAT GREAT SALADS.. Not to mention the fun you can have shopping there too .. We usually eat there once a week. Congrats on the weight loss.. thats phenominal.. Have a great week..
I hate buffets too...but for a slightly different reason. Yep, I definitely eat too much since the portions aren't decided for me.
But I also hate buffets because I have an internal battle...the healthy side of me wants to only eat a normal portion while the cheap side of me wants to eat as much as I can because then it makes me price of admission worth it.
Say it costs $7 to go to the buffet. If I eat one plate....each plate costs $7. If I eat 2 plates, each one costs $3.50. If I eat three...$2.35. So...the more I eat...the more cheap I become. And if anything, I love being cheap.
So...I tend to stay away from buffets, so my healthy brain and my cheapaholic brain don't have to have a constant battle.
Great blog...I just found it through FatFighters.
I only ever go to a buffet if I am allowing my diet to go out the window for the day. I don't like the food at most of them anyway, it is usually sub-par. But I do like Sweet Tomatoes, fresh soup, salad, baked goods and some frozen yogurt, that's it. I got invited to a graduation party at a kind of upscale chinese buffet (all-you-can eat sushi included) and I am thinking about just eating before hand. I know I am not to be trusted in that situation.
i haven't been to a buffet in ages and wouldn't go unless i had no choice in the decision... even though i feel you CAN eat healthy, its still too dangerous and way too easy to say, "f-it, i'm eating"...
i think its great that you've lost 40+ pounds! that's like an average of 5 pounds a month which is great and totally in the recommended 1-2 pounds a week range... slower is the way to go cus you'll keep it off... :o)
Buffet-free here too!
I dont do time lines either. I NEVER acheive it. I almost always sabotage myself.
I have 2 other reasons to add: 1) difficulty with personal hygiene. Everything from shaving your legs to trying to stay clean from sweat is impossible. and 2) not recognizing yourself in the mirror. What I see in the mirror is NOT what I think of myself! Who is that girl?
I've lost 30 pounds myself! 20 more to go til I'm in the "green" BMI zone!
nice opinion
As usual you have hit the nail on the head. It's like you are in my head! :-)
Such a great post. Actually, its a fantastic blog all around(-: But, one question: why would anyone want to go to a buffet restaurant anyway? (except to eat unlimited amounts of food, of course.) I'm serious here. I don't get the "more choice" argument since most restaurants have extensive menues. It can't be cost since arguably its cheapest to eat at home anyway.
Congrats on your 41lbs of weight loss! Your right, this isn't a race, as long as the weight is coming off your heading in the right direction, and you'll have a better chance of maintaining it!
I LOVE your blog…almost as much as I LOVE Chinese food. But, as this is the most common type of buffet, it’s a double whammy. American Chinese food really is horrible for you:
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20070321/chinese-restaurants-calories-galore
Keep up the good work!
That reminds me...till few years ago whenever I went to a wedding or a party,I used to look for the fattest person there to ensure that I wasn't the one with the most flab.I did this to convince myself that I would not be made a butt of everybody's jokes when they looked for a fat person to sneer at and make fun of.Pathetic,isn't it? I despised this habit of mine though I have nearly stopped doing it now...it was like I was hating myself!
I completely agree! AND 41 POUNDS?!?! If I could, I would hug you, throw confetti in your face, and then take you shopping for some FABulous shoes.
Congrats on your 41 lbs.
We don't have too many buffets here in the UK but there is a great chinese one in town which I love. However, due to financial constraints I don't go often and account for the likely extras over the rest of the day and the next by being extra good.
so true. Oh man, you always hit the nail on the head :)
-Lorrie Bee
Just found your blog and love your honesty. It's refreshing to hear honest feelings that cut through the BS.
I hate buffet restaurants too, because of the whole cheapness aspect to them and how they perpetuate the stereotypes. Few people in the USA need THAT much food and being around people eating too much cheap food is depressing.
If you need to save money, stay home and cook a good meal for yourself.
I like buffets
1. it's easy to stick to my diet because I don't have to ask for substitutions on my order, I get to pick from a wide variety of legal foods.
2. since there isn't a buffet or many stores in my town I usually end up shopping and walking a lot on the same day so I can afford to try a few bites of a couple of different desserts without breaking the bank or the calorie limit and no high calorie, sugary leftovers in the house to tempt me later
i just love your blog, i can identify with all what you say
heba
I think going to a buffet once in a month or treating yourself with such foods that may have gone under the water while dieting, isn't that bad. I've lost exactly 60 pounds to this date.(A span of 3 months) I was really obese and now people tell me left & right how good I look. It took me a while to gain the confidence and new character I have built on this journey. I still have 20 pounds to go and have slowed down a bit, to ensure most of it is body fat. Anyways, within those 3 months I did treat myself to a buffet binge twice and it did no harm at all, I ended up losing the same amount of pounds weekly. I don't advice on doing this, just saying, IF you have, don't beat yourself up, one day doesn't do anything.
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