I cannot tell you the number of times I've heard people rant about feeling out of control when confronted with a buffet table. There is too much food and too many choices. She refuses to waste buffet calories on things like scrambled eggs. She goes for the shrimp. My friend Deborah heads off in the other direction.
Dinner parties are hard, especially if the plate is served by the host or hostess.
I usually try to head them off at the pass and request small portions. If it seems uncouth to do so, I eat slowly slowly slowly. I gracefully take my plate into the kitchen so that I'm not tempted to eat beyond my fill. Friends and clients have confided that fellow party-goers will accuse them of dieting if they try to eat with care and not over do it. Tell them that your social calendar is filled to the brim with events and you are attempting to be smart and not glutinous.