Life Hacks For All-You-Can-Eat Diners

I don’t know if I’m really good at maximizing the food that I eat or I’m just a complete glutton but my buffet companions always admire my all-you-can-eat skills because I can fit five plateful rounds of different food in my stomach. Having all-you-can-eat experience for at least once a month either from hotel buffets such as Cucina, Spiral and Heat or non-hotel buffet such as Vikings, Four Seasons and Buffet 101, I feel expert when it comes to unlimited eats and drinks already. And because I’m a frequent diner of this type of restaurant, I have come up with a list of life hacks to defeat an all-you-can-eat buffet.

1. Don’t eat too much before heading to the buffet. Of course, you want to save your stomach for your unlimited. But don’t starve yourself either or else, the size of your food basket will shrink. Just keep your breakfast and lunch light and skip the snack. Also, keep yourself hydrated to have a bigger appetite.

2. Check your OOTD before going to the buffet. As much as possible, leave those skinny jeans, crop tops and fitted blouse at home and wear loose clothes instead. We don’t want those baby fats peeking under our blouse and above our pants after eating, right? This can also help you move around the restaurant comfortably.

3. Familiarize yourself with the dishes. Prioritize the dishes that you want badly or the dishes that you think are expensive like steaks, seafood, salmon and carvings. Avoid food that you can find at home or food that you can easily buy such as rice, bread, cereals and ice cream. We need to retrieve our money’s worth!

4. This is a major secret! If you and your friend are in a restaurant that provides both all-you-can-eat buffet and ala carte dining, I suggest that one of you avail the ala carte and the other one avail the all-you-can-eat. Then, you know what to do! This is only applicable if you have the guts because my mother and I have that.

5. When it comes to unlimited buffet, your first goal is to taste as many dishes as possible. And in order to do that, you have to get a little bit of everything. Get yourself a small serving for every dish so there will be a high chance of trying every food on the buffet table before your stomach says stop.

6. I said that water before starting the buffet can help stretch your stomach. However, during the buffet, you have to ditch those liquids. But for people who can’t live without water in a dining table like me, it’s okay to have water as long as it is warm. Ignore the sugary drinks because it will fill you faster caused by extra calories.

7. You have to remember that this is not the time to be ashamed of going back and forth to the buffet table or simply roaming around. I actually advise the all-you-can-eat diners to stand up and move so they can somehow have a quick digestion. If the buffet restaurant has no time limit, take your time and so some exercise.

8. Eat slowly. Enjoy your food. Savor every bite. As I said, take your time. By eating slowly, you can be conscious on the things you put in your mouth. Moreover, from what I’ve read, eating slower and chewing the food properly is good for digestion. In short, do not follow the girl in the photo below.

9. One mistake diners usually do is when they sense the call of nature and go home untimely. Hey! I’m sure that there is a rest room inside the restaurant so do your thing there. It’s actually a good sign because you were able to release the wastes which give way to more meat or salad or pasta or pastry or dessert. 

10. After eating the entire restaurant, I know there’s this weird feeling in your tummy as if something’s wanna come out from it. You may be bloated or more than full. So I recommend peppermint tea after the buffet or once you come home. It can help for your digestion, reduce bloating and cure nausea.