I am getting used to the new website! I have many more things to do to tweak it, but now that the big back-up and transfer of files is done I am doing the easier stuff as I have time.

Anyway, yesterday I went to Cheyenne for some hospital visits and errands. I decided to stay the night at La Quinta–they are dog friendly and have breakfast. I managed to get up early and after feeding and walking Tango, I went to the lobby for coffee and yogurt. I watched others making waffles at the self-serve counter top. Ymmmmmm. They looked fabulous, but I have decided to cut back a bit more carbs for a while so I passed. I enjoyed watching others eat them, instead.

I have to tell you about one couple. I am not being judgmental. I gave that up for Lent in hopes that I can carry it on every day of the year. So, I remain observant, taking in the scene like a good roving reporter and not judging.

Both the husband and wife had waffles, and I watched them split 8 oz syrup between them. The wife filled a Styrofoam coffee cup full of syrup–to the top. I was tempted to judge them by thinking: how wasteful to take a whole cup of syrup, but resisted. To my surprise, however, they used every drop. First the husband poured half of the cup on his waffle. The wife did the same thing: four ounces each. Now, neither of the mid-40ish couple was overweight by more than 10 pounds.Because I watch sugar intake for health reasons, I dribble a small amount of syrup over pancakes or waffles and consider myself lucky. So I was curious to learn just how many calories these people consumed. Here is the run down:

4 oz of pancake syrup = 175 grams

Calories in 4 oz = 410

Total carbs = 214

Total grams sugar: 214

Their waffles added another 400 calories and 50 grams of carbs. Without adding in the butter on the waffles, each consumed 800 calories and 264 grams of carbs.  That is about 1/2 days worth of calories for the woman and the total carb allowance for a person/day.Again I am not judging, just sharing an amazing scene. They also had cereal and milk on the table, presumably to eat after the waffles.

Perhaps the most perplexing is that the two were not really overweight, which means they don’t eat like that at home. On other occasions,  I have also seen people consuming huge quantities of food at the mediocre breakfast buffets–people passing by me with overflowing plates of toast, sausage, and pastries.

What is this all about, from an objective viewpoint? I can think of two possible motives:

1. We all want something for nothing.

2. I already paid for it in the hotel price, I am going to get as much as I can for my money.

I think these are common sentiments. Everyone wants a deal! Greatest.com offers this insight: Anyone who’s been to an all-you-can-eat buffet (or college cafeteria…) knows: Limitless food supplies inspire us to put far more on our plates than we need to. They also make us crave and consume things we never wanted in the first place. Does this mean we’re all bound to binge? 

The folks at that website also offer 16 tips to overcoming the buffet syndrome. I found these the most helpful.

•  Double Down. Use smaller plates and glasses to avoid taking in too much. Not only do big cups, bowls, and plates hold more food and liquid to begin with, but over-sized dinnerware also makes normal portion sizes seem larger than they actually are. Finishing a full plate makes us feel full. The large the plate, the more we’ll need to eat before that visual cue gets to our brains.
•  Hit it and quit it. As soon as you load up at the food bar, nab a seat as far away from it as you can. Studies show that the more distance there is between you and a stockpile of edibles, the less likely you are to get up for seconds, or crave more. (The mere awareness of a food being within our midst makes us want to eat it, even if we’re already full.) If it’s not possible to steer clear of more food, try positioning yourself closer to the salad bar than the dessert trays, since we tend to consume more of whatever’s conveniently within reach . At the very least, face away from the buffet — one study shows this also aids in curbing excess consumption.
• Survey The Area. A full walk around the cafeteria to look at all the options may sound overwhelming at first. But, says Just, “knowing what all the offerings are enables you to make decisions based on what you’d like as well as what you should make room for on your plate.” Otherwise, we’re tempted to return to the buffet multiple times to make sure we didn’t miss anything.
•   Gum. Before you head back for seconds, try sticking a wad of sugar-free gum in your mouth. This can help sate that need to keep on noshing even after our stomachs are crying for help.

The list of tips also includes:

• Stay Warm. Dining in colder atmospheres makes us eat more. Bring a sweater — or Snuggie — to the dining hall!

Now, it’s bad enough watching people prance around the buffet wearing slippers and curlers. I surely do not want to see someone in a Snuggie first thing in the morning. What were they thinking by offering this as a suggestion?

On Monday I have a lunch appointment at the local pizza hut, which means a salad buffet followed by pizza buffet. I tend to eat too much of the sweet dessert pizza, so I will try to use some of the anti-binge strategies. Hope they work: pizza is my favorite and resisting a full pizza buffet is tough.

By the way, recently an Islamic cleric from Saudi Arabia issued a “fatwa” or prohibition against all you can eat buffets. I wonder if the “fat” in fatwa is supposed to be a disguised commentary on excessive eating. Maybe it is my guilty conscience. Regardless, it is good to be in America where we are free to consume excessive quantities of just about everything, even pancake syrup.