To eat or not to eat, that is the question. Last week was one of the most tempting weeks for me to eat a lot.

Ever since February, I’m been consciously monitoring my food intake. I try to avoid red meat such as pork and beef. I’ve taken out cheese since it’s high in saturated fat. Most of my food is steamed, boiled, or grilled. Rarely do I eat fried food nowadays. I make sure I have plenty of servings of vegetables and fruits. I fruits either as dessert or to accompany my meals as shakes or pre- post-workout drinks.

Last Friday, we dined at the Market Cafe at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila to celebrate… or as a pre-birthday celebration for my dad. The buffet was absolutely mouthwatering! There was the Italian section with different kinds of pasta and all sorts of breads. There was also the Asian section with a selection of Japanese sushi, tempura and on the side of the room was the Chinese section with their own selection of dumplings. On one area of the room was the carving section with choice cut meat, different kinds of steak, lamb, turkey. What I loved was the dessert section. I variety of bite-sized cakes and patries plus a chocolate fountain! I thought I was in heaven.

Of course everything would have been perfect if not for the fact that I was watching my weight and monitoring my food intake. To me, this would have been a nightmare in the guise of a dream because once you wake up the morning after, you realize that you’ve gained 5 lbs. NOooooooooo! Well, I didn’t gain any weight, thank God! Whew!

Mixed Greens with Balsamic Vinegar

In situations like these, you just have to take control of yourself and take it easy. The nice thing about buffets is that they don’t go away and you have about 4 hours to eat. You don’t have to rush through your meal. You can go to the salads & appetizer section, get a small portion of everything so that you get to taste the selection of cheeses, Hors d’oeuvre, breads and veggies. Take your time eating your salad and appetizer, talk to your companions and give it 30 mins to an hour before moving on to the main course.

When you get to the main course, decide what exactly you want to eat. Will you take in everything? Or will you focus on favorites? In instances wherein there are different types of cuisine (ie. Chinese, Japanese, American, French, Italian, etc), it would be good to choose one or else the flavors will compete with other. The flavors should compliment and not compete with each other. Well, that’s just my preference. It would also be a good idea also to get your share of fish, chicken and other meats. As for me, I just focused on the chicken and fish.

Take your time eating. No point in gorging down enormous amounts of feed at a time. Sit back, relax and enjoy the food. Here’s a tip: after taking a bite, put down the fork and knife (or spoon) and start up a conversation. Or read while you eat, if eating alone. The key to eating wiser also is being able to chew your food properly. After you’re done with the main course, here comes dessert.

I’d rather have fruits for dessert since they don’t contain any fat and they are also good for you. However, today is a cheat day! I mean you don’t go eating at a buffet everyday, right? So might as well indulge… (While I was eating each pastry, I was counting the number of kilometers I had to run in order to burn everything).

Three days after, it was my dad’s real birthday and we had another buffet. Ahhh…. the temptation! Well, I controlled myself and maintained small portions.