Coping with buffet lunches – don’t let them ruin your diet

I’m indecisive at the best of times, and buffets – with all their tempting options – can often spell dieting doom. Like many office workers, I occasionally get a free lunch to compensate for sitting through a day-long boring meeting, and I’m learning not to treat this as an excuse to indulge too much.

My tips are:

• Don’t pile your plate too high (you can always go back).
• Just take things you really like. You don’t have to have one of everything!
• Fill half your plate with salad, fruit, or crudités.
• Get a glass of water or juice to sip, which will slow down your eating.
• Don’t feel guilty about food being wasted. Leftovers might well go to someone in more need of them than you. (At one meeting I was at, they were taken to some homeless people.)
• If you know you’ll be having lunch out, plan a lighter supper.
• Don’t eat too fast: take time to chat to some colleagues, or have a wander round to stretch your legs.