It's Ok to Have a Strategy

My 21st birthday was two days ago and I ate well despite having gone to a buffet. I'd be lying if I said that  buffets didn't sometimes scare me; I'm usually worried that I'll overeat. Buffets might be the ultimate American meal and exercise in over consuming food and it's all right to go into a buffet with a strategy. When food is readily available, you must fight the primitive instinct to eat in order to control your portions, and for many people this is a challenge.

My strategy was sticking to the things that were most stripped down and/or that I knew to be healthy (which more often than not turn out to the be the same things). Many people unknowingly eat more calories than they think at buffets or in similar situations (like a BBQ) because they get things like Pasta Alfredo or a chicken dish with a sauce on it that could have any amount of butter, sugar, ect... in it (I'm not saying that these types of dishes can't be acceptable on occasion, but you're taking a gamble when you don't know who prepared it and what's in it). And the usual thought process is "it's chicken, it's healthy." Worse than the high caloric intake is now they've just taken in more sodium, cholesterol, sugar, carbs, and fat than they thought as well. So in these situations again, I stick to the most stripped down things, such as plain rice, eggs, toast, raw salmon, fruits, nuts, milk, ect...  At this particular outing I stuck to the fruit, salmon, rice, cheese, and spinach salad, knowing that I could eat till I was satisfied and be better off than if I had eaten the fried chicken, french fries, sausage, bacon, bagels, cream cheese, ect... There are countless other reasons why I chose one group of foods over the other but right now I'm focussing on the weight loss aspect. It all interconnects and I'll get into nutrition as this blog expands. I hate to make eating out sound like war, but when you don't know what's in your foods it is war. You're fighting for your health and it's your job to do what you need to do to minimize damage, and you're wrong to assume that the restaurant you're eating at is looking out for your best interests.