Don't be that person..

Our Golden Corral does give the discount. And, sadly, my family goes so much I don’t even have to show the card anymore to get it. Sigh…

 

I’m not a big fan of the buffet because of my HEAD issues. It’s just stimulus overload to me. Imagine putting an alcoholic in the middle of a liquor refinery and that’d be about what I feel like at a buffet. It literally hurts my heart that I cannot eat as much as I want to in those places (and, despite it all, yes on some days I do WISH I could eat all that) and then I just get pissed off.

BUT…places like Golden Corral that have healthy options make it a bit easier to bear. Just to give folks an idea of what a “plate" looks like for me. I usually get the same thing:

 

-a small slice of meatloaf (not the healthiest thing there but it goes down well)

-some cottage cheese with some fruit (they usually have Splenda on the table)

-one of those little bowls with maybe a ½ c. chili topped with cheese

 

And if I’m feeling brave, I’ll steal a few bites of La Grande Diva’s steak. But they have lots of other options. I’ve had salad topped with grilled chicken (and my GC has edamame to put in your salad. Woot!). I’ve had salmon. I’ve had shrimp. AND…they usually have at least FOUR dessert options. Granted I never have much room for desert and end up defaulting to about half of one of their sugar-free banana pecan cookies but still…it’s nice to know it’s there.

I did a Post-Op Buffet Survival Guide on Bariatric Foodie in case anyone ever needs it:

 

http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/2010/06/niks-post-wls-buffet-survival-guide.html

said everything i was going to say! 

Why shouldn't I go to a buffet?  There is a Chinese buffet in my town that my partner loves.  Should he have to go alone?  If he and a group of our friends wnat to eat there, why should I have to stay home alone?  What's wrong with me going with them?

Well in my case never go is an accurate statement...but that's because it SUCKS! Seriously. The service was so bad, the food was cold and salty. Ugh! I ended up asking for a refund. I was excited because they, too, looked like they had healthy selections.

The fruit was good though. Yep...good fruit was about the ONLY thing going for that place...

 Here is one reason why you might go to a buffet:  adult children with children.  I hate buffets, except for Easter dinner or Sunday brunch (and then it's always been a very rare social event).  I have never in my life eaten enough food to justify the price of a buffet.  I always eat less at a buffet than at a regular restaurant.   I don't bother with the canned vegetables, tasteless potatoes, or various stale pasta.  I stick to protein and a very small salad a ton of soda and the ice cream machine (because the desserts aren't worth it, either).

I know that it's just not realistic to expect my family to all of a sudden desire a love for fine dining.  

I had to laugh when I opened our Christmas present from my beloved stepdaughter to find an OCB gift card.  Man... just the gift to give to a woman who hates buffets and is about to go in for weight loss surgery.

Agree!

The way I look at it is, not the physical amount of the food, but the end result. Am I full/satisfied? Before, I paid for an obscene amount of food to be stuffed and uncomfortable. Now I pay the same amount for less food, still stuffed.

I usually just order something small or share with my hubby. Whatevers left I take home in a box for later. I also frequent the same restaurants a lot, and they know me and have seen the difference on how I look. My sister went to one of those restaurants and they asked her if I was on a diet because I've lost so much weight and I hardly eat now. Lol!

My friend who had the lap band also got a card from her doctor--she uses it all the time and (at least) the times I've been with her the restaurants have always excepted it and no one ever questioned her about it.

I just had another thought. And this comes from fellowshipping with many, many, many, MANY post-ops.

Group dynamics for us are weird - both when we are among ourselves (post-ops) and others.

There is sometimes grandstanding. The "oh look at me! I eat like a bird!" deal. That gets on my nerves. Even if you DO eat like a bird...um....I don't care. I don't tend to think about anybody else's eating habits but my own and my kids. So you are really do that for you based on some insecurity YOU have about what people think about what YOU are eating. And YOU, I always end up thinking, should work on that!

I find this especially true when post-ops get together to eat (Why do we do that in the first place??? We always complain about food-centric gatherings then we all get together and what's the first thing we want to do? Go out to eat!) Oh it is a TRIP! I've never been shy about how much I can eat, although folks have told me I eat a lot less than they though I eat from the way I post about how much I can eat. But when post-ops get together? Wooo! We try to "out-restrict" each other. It's comical. Being a writer and, by nature an observer, it tends to go something like this.

(Three bites in...)

Post-op 1: I am STUFFED!

Post-op 2: Me too! This plate is like five meals for me!

Post-op 3: I know, right! I guess I'll have to wrap some of this...

Ten minutes later

Post-op one takes a non-descript bite of food, followed by post-ops 2 and 3...and this repeats several times until more than half the food is gone and...

Post-op 1: I don't feel so well! I think I've eaten too much! I really can't eat that much.

Post-ops 2 & 3: Ugh...me too!