Okay.. So.. I am 7 weeks out from surgery and cleared to try anything I'd like to.. most things go down well. My friend's birthday is tonight and we're going to go to a Chinese buffet. Needless to say.. I cannot eat at a buffet the way I used to but the price is not going to change (unless by some miracle I can explain and they'll let me eat a child buffet but let's assume I won't get that lucky). How do you guys make the most out of a buffet? In general I don't eat around my sleeve and I'm doing good on weightloss.. but if I am going to go to a buffet.. I'd like to make it count and it's not like at a regular restaurant where I can get a normal portion size and just take home what I can't eat either... So what are your tricks and tips for getting the most out of your money at a buffet after sleeve surgery.

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PS I'm just going to say I can see this becoming a hot topic.. but I'm doing well. I've lost 35 pounds... my doctor says I'm well ahead of the curve for his patients on loss. I'm exercising regularly. I'm making better food choices than I ever have and "slider foods" aren't a thing for me.. I just don't have a problem with them... I'm seeking information from those who've been here and not a debate about whether I should be going, whether this is a slider food, whether I'm going to mess up my weight loss or any other hot topic. -thank you-

I get a take out container priced by ounce.

Thanks you guys gave some great advice and it really helped tonight!

@@VSGAnn2014 - sorry I didn't mean to come off as demanding.. More.. I was trying to avoid this becoming a debate about whether buffets should even be an option for those of us who are sleeved. And I was afraid if I didn't say something it would.. I was mostly looking for information on how to make the most of the experience and enjoy it the most even though I can't have the quantity I used to.

@@jess9395 - TY this is exactly what I was looking for! I did what you suggested and went for variety rather than quanity.. I tried everything I wanted to try but only a bite of it.. it was a different experience than I normally have, but a great one! I tried loads of new things I've never tried before.

@@AvaFern - Yep! I allotted lots of extra calories for going out to eat. I had low fat high Protein options earlier in the day to make sure I would be hungry and have the calories. Also I got a bit more out of my money because we sat and talked for three hours so I was able to get two plates (much smaller than my usual plates!) but what I ate when we came in digested.. I drank.. then was able to eat more in all that time.

Also good point about what money I waste being a present to my friend

@@LipstickLady Completely agreed! Choice of location was up to the birthday girl so I'm just figuring out how to make the best of it Best part EVER!!! They let me have a Child's buffet!!!!! They couldn't seem to figure out what my sleeve was but I asked if I could show them what I could eat and if they could give me a child's buffet and they said "Sure" so I showed them a plate and they were like "Yes absolutely ma'am We understand! You can have child buffet price!" (which was 7.99 as opposed to 14.19!!!)

Oh if anyone is curious I had:

Shrimp

Crab salad with cheese

General Tso's chicken (wiped off excess sauce as it's a bit spicy and high calorie)

Sushi and Shashami with unidentified fish on top

Egg

Chicken & Broccoli

Grilled Vegetable mix with some delicious sauce I have no idea what it was.

Fruit mix with cottage cheese

and for a treat I let myself have a tiny bit of noodles and a crab rangoon.

Now bear in mind I only had a bite or so of each. So that sounds massive but lol it wasn't much.

Sounds delicious.

My sister-in-law is Chinese so when she is in town we take her to our local buffet restaurant. Now, my plate looks more like hers (except for the starches) in volume than it used to before my sleeve.

I went to a buffet about a month ago. It was a total waste of money ($30 pp). As it was 'all you can eat', the food was very cheap and bulked out to fill up the people who go there to eat multiple plates.

I would much prefer to go somewhere expensive and order a decadent entree or just an extremely rich dessert. It costs the same anyway!

This is totally different to how I ate preop where I would fill my plate with rice or bread as it took a hell of a lot for me to feel full.

Edited July 17, 201610 yr by BCs 1000

So getting the most out of a buffet post of is not an option in most cases and even harder with a Chinese buffet.

If you can order a small plate or appetizer and skip the buffet itself that would work best. Many times with Chinese buffet, this is not an option so I will literally pick meat and veggies out of the buffet. That being said, I usually don't end up eating what I do pick out because of my restriction.

When a Chinese restaurant has Hong Kong beef on the menu, I will order that and take the leftovers home. It is basically a filet mignon with Chinese veggies and it is delicious. YUM......or I will choose mu shu chicken or pork and don't use the little pancakes.

Keep in mind there really is a ton of salt in Chinese food.

Just do the best you can but don't expect to get your money's worth, that just doesn't happen at a buffet.

Our Bariatric Care Center gives us printed "restaurant cards" post-op to show to servers, managers, etc stating that we have had WLS and to allow us to share a plate , order from the children's menu, take home leftovers etc. Our city of 75, 000 is so used to this after a decade or so, that we do not get much push-back from any place. I also figured I could put mashed potatoes or similar food in a take-out to be weighed at, say, Golden Corral, pay and eat it at the table as was mentioned above. You shouldn't have to avoid restaurants the rest of your life. Just make adjustments. Oh, and Egg Drop Soup is a good choice at Chinese restaurants, I'm told.

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You can have crab, our buffets have fresh sushi, so sashimi is pure Protein and shrimp you can always get there!

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Let the waiter know that you've had stomach surgery and you'd like to pay per pound. Ours does that for take out. Much cheaper. Enjoy!

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Our Chineese doesn't allow any of that sharing, lower price, eat from weighted container.

But my husband and I still go maybe once every 6 weeks. We do eat out a lot, but I always have over half a plate go home with me. Probably 3-4 times in a week, yeah I don't like cooking and he doesn't cook. But now I'm hungry for Chineese and guess what? We're going there any time now, lol.

@@Beck90,

I think it depends how you define “most for your money.” If you’re looking to get the lowest cost per bite, you’re probably going to end up with a stomachache, some guilt, and possibly dumping syndrome.

I would instead look at getting the most for your money as getting the best experience possible. You’re spending that money; you have no choice about how much it is. So, once it’s spent, just see what you can get out of the experience. I would think the ideal birthday party would include a healthy meal and having a great time with your friends.

There are usually some great and some terrible options at a Chinese buffet. chicken breast and fish if it’s not breaded are usually good, and vegetables are also good. Just watch out for sweet and sour sauce since it’s so sugary. For dessert, a lot of times you can find some nice fresh fruit. Rice and noodles probably aren't great. If you're looking to get a bigger bang for your buck, look for crab legs - they're more expensive!

Looks like you solved the problem by eating a bunch of different foods and keeping the portion sizes small – that sounds like a good solution!

I don't go to buffets. I go to a regular restaurant and order my food. I eat the amount I am supposed to and take the rest home with me.

If you want to go to be with your friends, know that you are paying for being with your friends. I don't want to pay money to hurt myself. No amount of food is worth dying an early death from obesity.

I can and I will.

Wow that sucks!

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One of the Chinese buffets around here allows people to do takeout from the buffet items and it is priced per pound of food in a takeout container. We went there for Father’s Day and they let me do takeout and eat it at the table with everyone else.

I was careful to choose only Protein that was not breaded or deep fried, and had minimal sauce. I enjoyed what I had and it only cost me $4.

That was a very good idea...

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I don't go to buffets. I go to a regular restaurant and order my food. I eat the amount I am supposed to and take the rest home with me.

If you want to go to be with your friends, know that you are paying for being with your friends. I don't want to pay money to hurt myself. No amount of food is worth dying an early death from obesity.

I can and I will.

Yup! Nothing wrong with paying to be with your friends. Also no one saying you have to overeat at a buffet.

I've gone to many since surgery over 2.5 years ago, never once overate. I have friends/kids/husband none of whom are overweight who like to eat there. I like their company. I'm willing to pay for that