Tactics for Eating at Buffets

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

I thought this article was very interesting. It's a study about heavier people compared to skinnier people's eating habits when dining at a buffet....Hope you enjoy it.

Tactics to Eat Less at the Buffet Table

Study reveals how people stay in control when faced with endless portions, many choices

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Brenda Goodman

FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Few situations can trip up someone who is watching their weight like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

But a new research letter published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests two strategies that may help dieters survive a smorgasbord: Picking up a smaller plate and circling the buffet before choosing what to eat.

Buffets have two things that raise nutritionists' eyebrows -- unlimited portions and tons of choices. Both can crank up the calorie count of a meal.

"Research shows that when faced with a variety of food at one sitting, people tend to eat more. It is the temptation of wanting to try a variety of foods that makes it particularly hard not to overeat at a buffet," says Rachel Begun, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She was not involved with the new study.

Still, some people don't overeat at buffets, and that made study author Brian Wansink, director of the food and brand lab at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., wonder how they restrain themselves.

"People often say that the only way not to overeat at a buffet is not to go to a buffet," said Wansink, a psychologist who studies the environmental cues linked to overeating. "But there are a ton of people at buffets who are really skinny. We wondered: What is it that skinny people do at buffets that heavy people don't?"

Wansink deployed a team of 30 trained observers who painstakingly collected information about the eating habits of more than 300 people who visited 22 all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet restaurants in six states.

Tucked away in corners where they could watch unobtrusively, the observers checked 103 different things about the way people behaved around the buffet. They logged information about whom diners were with and where they sat -- close or far from the buffet, in a table or booth, facing toward or away from the buffet. Observers also noted what kind of utensils diners used -- forks or chopsticks -- whether they placed a napkin in their laps, and even how many times they chewed a single mouthful of food.

They also were taught to estimate a person's body-mass index, or BMI, on sight. Body-mass index is the ratio of a person's weight to their height, and doctors use it to gauge whether a person is overweight.

The results of the study revealed key differences in how thinner and heavier people approached a buffet.

"Skinny people are more likely to scout out the food. They're more likely to look at the different alternatives before they pounce on something," Wansink said. "Heavy people just tend to pick up a plate and look at each item and say, 'Do I want it? Yes or no.'"

In other words, Wansink said, thin people tend to ask themselves which dishes they most want out of all the choices offered, while heavier people ask themselves whether they want each food, one at a time.

Thin people also were about seven times more likely to pick smaller plates if they were available than those who were heavy.

Those behaviors also appeared to help people eat less. People who scouted the buffet first and used a smaller plate also made fewer trips to the buffet, whatever their weight.

There were other key differences in how thinner and heavier people acted, Wansink said. Thin people sat about 16 feet farther away from the buffet, on average, than bigger people. They also chewed their food a little longer -- about 15 chews per mouthful for those who were normal weight compared with 12 chews for those who were overweight.

Those behaviors weren't associated with taking fewer trips to the buffet, but researchers think they may be habits that help thinner people regulate their weight.

"The interesting thing was that almost all of these changes were unconscious to the person making them," Wansink said. "They essentially become habits over time."

A nutrition expert who was not involved in the study praised the research, but questioned whether these strategies might really be powerful enough help.

"As with all of Wansink's observations, these are insightful and useful," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, in New Haven, Conn. "But in some ways, they are like looking for the reasons why some people got wet sooner than others when the Titanic went down. The bigger issue was: The ship was sinking, and everyone was in the same boat."

Katz said the best advice for dieters might be to avoid a buffet's temptations in the first place. "By all means, survey the scene and choose a small plate," he said. "But, better yet, avoid the all-you-can-eat buffet altogether."

[M2G 1,836]

So interesting, thank you for posting.

As I read this I kind of felt bad for the people BEING observed but that is probably the only way to get an accurate picture of what is going on and habits, because when you TELL someone you are watching them, they immediately try to do better.

As for buffets I think I've only been to about 3 in the last 2.5 years they are just a waste of money IMO.

[delta_girl 931]

I will not go to a buffet at all. I don't miss them. However, I do eat out a lot.

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

I also hate going to buffets....It's not worth my money. But when I'm with friends and if that's what they choose, I will go and try to be really selective. I remind myself it's about the company not the food....It works most of the time....I have gone to Soup Plantation about 4 times in the past year and it is really hard to find Protein there.....So I try to just be selective.

[Supersweetums 1,164]

I hate going to buffets because it feels like a waste of money, but my family loves to go, especially my kids, they think it is great! And it is funny to read the article and see that I now go into like a thin person. I only have so much room, so I really choose what I want to eat and only pick the things I know I will really enjoy. Before, it was an attitude to get my money's worth. And it always bugged me that my naturally thin husband never ate very much when we went to one....I always thought "yeesh buddy, we are at a buffet, EAT!". Now I know why he is naturally thin, his attitude around food is so much different than mine used to be. I still struggle with adjusting my perception, but it is getting there!

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

Thanksgiving 2012

i went to my 1rst and last buffet

i was about 10 lbs away from my goal

i knew i wouldn't.couldn't eat much - but i "thought" the buffet would be the way to go

wrrrrrrrrrrrrong

i used a small bread plate

carver was there i had a little turkey - green Beans, a "little" sweet potatoe, maybe something else too, don't remember

after the meal, i told a server i recently had "stomach" surgery

could they please give me a to go container

he looked at me - said he would check

he came back with a nice size container

i boldly went up to the buffet - and got plenty of meat and veggies, and..........

yummy leftovers for a week or so!!!!

[coops 1,790]

Interesting for two reasons... a buffet here in the UK is generally associated with a party... say an 18th or 21st birthday party, wedding or engagement party, as an alternative to a sit down meal... I had never thought of a buffet as a place where you 'pay' for food... we call this 'all you can eat'!!

But yea, complete waste of time and money for me too.

I agree that when I am confronted with this type of situation, I too use a small plate - have done since the first day of solid food and will continue to do so, great for Portion Control. I am also selective with what I put on my plate too... I go for the chicken based foods, that are real chicken not nuggets or crap like that, sometimes there will be ribs or pork. I also pile on the salad and maybe add a small sandwich that I never eat, cos by that point I'm too full, but I put it on there to stop people looking at the lack of food...lol! In this type of situation, people mostly over stuff their plates to get 'value for money'. I don't believe in that!

I honestly don't like eating out now... I don't like the look on peoples' faces when I leave food on my plate and it is just a waste of money that I could happily spend in the cinema!

[lsereno 2,525]

Buffet is not my first choice, but if others choose it, I'm in. I stick with my favorite Proteins, and a little of my other favorite foods. For instance, last month we went to Reno and ate at a Breakfast buffet. I had smoked salmon, shrimp, pineapple and watermelon, and an individual fruit tart. I drank a cup of coffee when we got there before I ate.

I really don't mind leaving food on my plate. Take a peek at thin people who eat at restaurants next time you're out. They always have food left on their plates.

Lynda

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

Buffet is not my first choice, but if others choose it, I'm in. I stick with my favorite Proteins, and a little of my other favorite foods. For instance, last month we went to Reno and ate at a Breakfast buffet. I had smoked salmon, shrimp, pineapple and watermelon, and an individual fruit tart. I drank a cup of coffee when we got there before I ate.

I really don't mind leaving food on my plate. Take a peek at thin people who eat at restaurants next time you're out. They always have food left on their plates.

Lynda

I also notice that they cover the left over food with their napkin so they don't see it and nibble on it. I like these practices.

[BenisaMartim4 369]

I also notice that they cover the left over food with their napkin so they don't see it and nibble on it. I like these practices.

I cover mine with a napkin so I don't throw up looking at it 0.o

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