To think that at a buffet you can take as much as you want

[Edenviolet]

Went out today with dsis. We were starving by lunchtime and there was a huge buffet where we went (hotel), it was included in the price so we took loads as were hungry.
Noticed a couple of women really staring as we loaded our plates up and also when we took lots of the mini desserts and as we walked past one loudly said " I can't believe they are actually going to eat all that"
They kept staring at us and giving us funny looks.

Made me wonder if we really did take too much, surely as we had paid and were hungry it was ok ? I felt a bit judged as they clearly thought we were greedy

A lasagne and a large salad is a big dinner. A small salad is a small dinner.

Maybe hedgehog is a tofi

www.theguardian.com/science/2006/dec/10/medicineandhealth.health

If I don't eat often I feel very hungry and unwell. I walk a lot each day pushing a heavy double buggy so I need to eat a lot.

Op, you don't know you'd have eaten the same amount on a second trip, particularly puddings. When you are physically hungry (not just fancy a snack, your body needing food), you will often crave sweet stuff, because it's a quick calories hit for your body that's running on empty.

However, once you've eaten something, anything, so you are no longer in the hungry state, the desire for sweet stuff drops (normally).

That you wanted carbs and to clear the pudding buffet when "starving" isn't surprising, nor that once you'd taken it and it was in front of you, that you just finished it off (both because eating quickly means you don't have time to register that you are full, having to queue again would put time between courses and made you feel full on less, plus socially it's considered bad not to finish the food you'd taken). but if you'd say, just had your soup and bread (ideally a more normal portion of bread) starter, then gone back for main and then pudding, you'd probably taken a fraction of the food, or perhaps less pudding but more savoury.

This is why people who go food shopping when hungry make crap choices, and it's never good to arrive at a buffet starving.

I think there's quite a leap from 4 crême brûlées when they're part of a haul which includes several other puddings, 4 or 5 salads, soup and six bits of bread...

And I do completely see that we were wrong to do one big trip rather than a few 'top ups' which I've taken on board for next time

5'10 and 9.5 stone? That's underweight, not remotely average. I find that hard to believe, given your idea of normal portion size, but .

Anyway, I'm overinvested in this thread clearly, as I've commented loads , so I'll leave it now. I'm not sure the person was rude as such, perhaps just very surprised.

Mary - oh, god yes. I had to stop doing the 'big shop' on the way home from the gym, because I'd buy things that I thought I'd definitely eat, absolutely definitely - and then, a week later, there they'd be out of date and not eaten. :( It's a shame because the supermarket is on the way home from the gym so it made sense in a time optimisation way, but it didn't make sense either financially or waste-wise.

I really don't think this is a big deal.

You paid for it, and ate it all.

The only thing I would query is taking more than one of something, before you know you like it. But you liked it all so no problem.

And that's not necessarily a huge amount of food, it's a lot yes, but one spoon of each of the salads, a small cup of soup, ciabatta size slices of breads and afternoon tea sized desserts - it's not that ridiculous.

Today I went for afternoon tea, and had:

Smoked salmon, ham, potted beef, cream cheese, and egg sandwiches
Macaroons
Carrot cake
Green salad
Greek salad
Scone
Mini cupcake
Jelly
Eclair
Black Forest gateaux
Madeleines
Meringues
Lemon meringue pie

It sounds like a vast vast quantity of food. But in reality it amounted to around 3 small pieces of bread, a tablespoon of salad, and each sweet thing was smaller than a teaspoon bar the scone.

I don't think it is terribly relevant what the weight of the OP is,mor if she regularly eats as she did at the buffet.
The original Q was about if she is 'right' to eat as much as she wants at a buffet like this.

I would say she was perfectly entitled to eat as much as she liked. It was an 'eat all you can' buffet. However, the WAY she went about it wasn't right. These restaurants want you to take one plate and revisit the table if necessary. The OP did not do this. Also, there is the basic issue of manners in a restaurant. People don't expect to see open and obvious gluttony, especially if they feel it will limit the amount of food available to them. The OP contravened social norms of being very blatantly greedy, and showing poor manners and awareness of others.
So yes, go ahead and eat as much as you like, if you really need to have a huge feed (gluttony itself is a separate issue) but do it in a way which is acceptable in the social setting where you are eating.

There do seem to be people who can eat loads and still stay slim. I know a couple. I'm just jealous.

I've posted on both the carvery thread and this one, giving opposite views!

It is normal and acceptable to pile your plate at a carvery. That's OK. Some people have smaller appetites and might be amazed at how much others can eat, but should not judge out loud or make sneering comments.

It is NOT normal, or polite or FAIR to take 3 plates and 9 desserts in one go from a buffet, even if it is an eat all you can one. I have never seen anything like this done! Of course people will looked shocked!

If you really do not usually eat like that, how could you possibly gauge how much you would be able to eat after soup and six slices of bread? If you were hungry it would have been better for you to eat more of the salads than all those sugary pudds - which does make you look greedy.

This all seems resolved to me.
OP has said a couple of times, that next time she will take 1 plate and revisit the buffet if she wants to. I dont think anyone can argue with that at an eat all you can buffet, and I dont think she will get the nasty looks or comments by doing it like that.

No need to be jealous bau

Most people reach the stage where their bodies change and they absolutely pile the weight on and they find it difficult to adjust because they are used to eating huge quantities. I have seen in it in a long term medical trial. Women who were size 8-10 end up 16-18 or even more

And 5.5 hours between breakfast and lunch is a long time, especially if you have been active in between. And it wasn't a hugely substantial breakfast.

Dinner could have been big or small depending on portion size, and that is pretty subjective. A small salad to me is fist size. A large salad is 3 fists.

It looks like a long list, but it's probably only spoonfuls of stuff.

I was at a family buffet yesterday & ate:

Chicken breast, cooked gammon, baby potato salad, coleslaw, noodle salad, pasta salad, curried rice salad, lettuce leaves, cherry tomatoes & a thick slice of home made bread with butter.

Dessert was roulade with ice cream & coffee with a slice of cake.

Now, that lunch sounds loads doesn't it? Yet it all fitted on the one plate & I had room to butter my bread on the plate too. I just had a spoonful of everything.

Has the OP forgotten to mention that she is a professional cyclist, swimmer or marathon runner, perhaps? Although I think she does say that her normal eating is much more sensible?

I must have a really small stomach. On holiday, earlier this year I watched in amazement as four slim young women ate soup with large baguettes, main courses and then desserts. I would have been full after the soup.

The two threads can't be compared as the OP was complaining about fat teens taking 3 yorkshires and mounds of veg.

This is different although I'm not too judgy yet, were they small portions?

Maybe the staring people who the op says said I can't believe that they will eat all that thought you were going to make tomorrow's packed lunches with your six slices of bread

When ds1 was 9(ish) we went to a Chinese buffet. To put this into perspective, he was 5 foot 6 when he was in y6 (so 11), and is like a rake. He reached 6 foot at about 13, and was well chuffed to manage to get to 10 stone when he was 17!

Anyway, they had normal sized plates, and he filled his plate 3 times, mostly with ribs and egg rice. He then finished off by having 1 of every afters - I think there were 3, then going back for another slice of cheesecake. They were all normal size slices. I have learnt to ignore all the people who have felt it was ok to stare, or to even comment about how much he eats.

So, some people can eat loads. And as long as they are within normal weight range, and are healthy, that's not a problem. But even if they were massively obese, it is still bad manners to stare, and even worse to comment.

My bmi is about 18.8 (from nhs bmi calculator) so not underweight

And as long as they are within normal weight range, and are healthy, that's not a problem

Visceral fat is a problem

This poster has form for starting odd threads like this. Dramatic ones usually that stretch credulity

That is a fuck lot of food in one meal. I don't eat that in a day.

DS1 is in Phase 1 Army Training, they don't get that much for lunch and they go from 7am -12:30 pm from breakfast to lunch doing a lot of PT in between.

I agree with other posters, you should have taken multiple trips, but its done now, don't dwell on it.

'OP if you are breast feeding and reasonably slim, I say good luck to you.'

Oh, how big of you . If she wasn't either or both of those things I suppose you'd think it unacceptable?

I'm about the same height and weight as the OP. If I had breakfast at 7.30, had an active morning and it got to 12.30 and I hadn't eaten again, I'd happily eat about this much for lunch. I'd then need dinner about 5 hours later, the same as her. It's not THAT remarkable.