Mexican Food???!!!!!
KaleiAlanaSmith
Posts: 133 Member
So tonight I'm going out to eat to this really amazing Mexican restaurant. It's going to be VERY hard to stay within my calorie limit, so I'm asking for advice,,. I only have about 800 calories left of the day so i KNOW I'm going to go over my limit. Between the chips, salsa, guacamole, and my entree which will probably be enchiladas, I bet I'll hit 1000 calories no matter how little I eat. Do you think I should just totally skip logging my dinner and just try to moderate how much I eat? How do you think I should go about this?? Not only am I asking logging advice but I'm also looking for advice about what to do when you go to restaurants!!!!!!
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Replies
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Do you go out to eat often or is this a rare thing? If you go often you'll want to be more careful about logging. If it is a rare thing just add what you can or do quick adds and drink some extra water tomorrow (to flush out all the extra sodium you'l have tonight).0
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Ready2Rock206 wrote: »Do you go out to eat often or is this a rare thing? If you go often you'll want to be more careful about logging. If it is a rare thing just add what you can or do quick adds and drink some extra water tomorrow (to flush out all the extra sodium you'l have tonight).
We have a tradition of going to a Mexican restaurant every Friday!!
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I think you should just go and enjoy yourself.
I don't eat out all that often, so when I do I just enjoy it. My health, fitness, etc are not predicated on occasionally indulging myself...these things are predicated on what I'm doing most of the time.0 -
Hey look!
A thread about that thing!
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10213155/a-guide-to-going-out-to-eat/p1
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Log it in, even if you go over.
I would also suggest that you skip the chips and salsa, those calories aren't really worth it. Ask for the guacamole and sour cream on the side when possible.4 -
Hey look!
A thread about that thing!
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10213155/a-guide-to-going-out-to-eat/p1
Thank you sooooooo much!!!! I'm going to brush this off for sure and not beat myself up about it
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KaleiAlanaSmith wrote: »So tonight I'm going out to eat to this really amazing Mexican restaurant. It's going to be VERY hard to stay within my calorie limit, so I'm asking for advice,,. I only have about 800 calories left of the day so i KNOW I'm going to go over my limit. Between the chips, salsa, guacamole, and my entree which will probably be enchiladas, I bet I'll hit 1000 calories no matter how little I eat. Do you think I should just totally skip logging my dinner and just try to moderate how much I eat? How do you think I should go about this?? Not only am I asking logging advice but I'm also looking for advice about what to do when you go to restaurants!!!!!!
You may wish to try their Taco Salad. It will probably come out to 400-600 calories. For me-who happens to be a big eater-it is very satisfying. I am offering this IMHO0 -
Also watch your alcohol, especially with sugary cocktails.0
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jesusarolon wrote: »Also watch your alcohol, especially with sugary cocktails.
Thankfully I'm no fan of alcohol.... I'm a sweet tea fanatic so I'll switch to water0 -
always log, even when you go over. come as close as you can to what you actually ate.
once in a while it can't hurt to treat yourself. me, i might go for a long walk (or before i hurt my knee, an intense exercise bike ride) in advance or after to earn some extra calories. but when i go out to eat, unless we're at disneyland (where we do LOTS of walking), i tend to keep my meals small and often pre-plan what fits in my calorie goal by looking up the restaurant menu nutrition info to see what fits for me.
but like i said, imo a once in a while full meal isn't going to wreck your progress.
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If you plan to eat it, why would you not plan to log it? I log everything, to my best guess: nights out, potlucks, birthdays, Thanksgiving...
Know what I figured out when I was losing(I'm maintaining now)? I had a calorie deficit built into my goal already, 3500 cals for the week when I was set to lose 1 lb/week. So even if you add a couple margaritas onto the chips, salsa, Guacamole and enchiladas... You'll still probably only be over by 700 cals from your 800 allowance for dinner. Over the course of the week you still have a deficit of 2800 cals and you would likely still lose weight. Plus if you want to spend the next few days offsetting it by eating 200 less, you know exactly how much you need to adjust for.
People who blow off logging meals like that altogether have a tendency to say "F it, I'm already over, I might as well eat whatever I want the rest of the weekend too" when in actuality logging it puts it all in perspective they its not that bad...6 -
If you go out every Friday for Mexican food, you need a new strategy. The only person that is going to make you healthy is you and every meal counts.
First, ask for baked chips. I am in Texas and this is an option at many of our Tex-Mex restaurants. Then enjoy a lovely large handful with all the salsa you want. Try the tortilla soup, huge portion and not too many calories. Ask them to put the cheese on the side so you can put in a little at a time and see that actual amount. Or try the fajitas with extra veggies and enjoy those with 1 corn tortilla. If you are set on those enchiladas eat 1/2 and you have the other 1/2 for lunch tomorrow.
You can do this. I wouldn't change all of this at once. Just ask for the baked chips tonight.
And yes, log your food. And be honest with yourself, then you can look back and see how well you did our how you can improve.7 -
WinoGelato wrote: »If you plan to eat it, why would you not plan to log it? I log everything, to my best guess: nights out, potlucks, birthdays, Thanksgiving...
Know what I figured out when I was losing(I'm maintaining now)? I had a calorie deficit built into my goal already, 3500 cals for the week when I was set to lose 1 lb/week. So even if you add a couple margaritas onto the chips, salsa, Guacamole and enchiladas... You'll still probably only be over by 700 cals from your 800 allowance for dinner. Over the course of the week you still have a deficit of 2800 cals and you would likely still lose weight. Plus if you want to spend the next few days offsetting it by eating 200 less, you know exactly how much you need to adjust for.
People who blow off logging meals like that altogether have a tendency to say "F it, I'm already over, I might as well eat whatever I want the rest of the weekend too" when in actuality logging it puts it all in perspective they its not that bad...
I questioned logging it because I wasn't sure if picking foods that were compararable, but from different restaurants, would be accurate. Also It kinda bums me out seeing me go over so much!!! But I'm gonna log ahead of time so I can see where I stand
I definitely don't want to be mentally consumed in this "diet" thing I'm doing. Tomorrow is a new day and my progress is still here XD 0 -
mejanejaneC wrote: »If you go out every Friday for Mexican food, you need a new strategy. The only person that is going to make you healthy is you and every meal counts.
First, ask for baked chips. I am in Texas and this is an option at many of our Tex-Mex restaurants. Then enjoy a lovely large handful with all the salsa you want. Try the tortilla soup, huge portion and not too many calories. Ask them to put the cheese on the side so you can put in a little at a time and see that actual amount. Or try the fajitas with extra veggies and enjoy those with 1 corn tortilla. If you are set on those enchiladas eat 1/2 and you have the other 1/2 for lunch tomorrow.
You can do this. I wouldn't change all of this at once. Just ask for the baked chips tonight.
And yes, log your food. And be honest with yourself, then you can look back and see how well you did our how you can improve.
I'm also from Texas!!!!
we go to a hole in the wall Mexican place so unfortunately they don't have baked chips...... However I will take your advice on the soup. They have this amazing Mexican seafood soup and it's going to be way healthier than enchiladas...... 3 -
I think you should always log everything...if you want to go back and look at your weights and see what you were eating during a certain weight trend your food wouldn't be accurate;)2
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You should indulge without guilt, but double that calorie estimate, at least. With chips, salsa, and guacamole you'll hit 1k before you tear into those 1k+ enchiladas.3
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KaleiAlanaSmith wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »If you plan to eat it, why would you not plan to log it? I log everything, to my best guess: nights out, potlucks, birthdays, Thanksgiving...
Know what I figured out when I was losing(I'm maintaining now)? I had a calorie deficit built into my goal already, 3500 cals for the week when I was set to lose 1 lb/week. So even if you add a couple margaritas onto the chips, salsa, Guacamole and enchiladas... You'll still probably only be over by 700 cals from your 800 allowance for dinner. Over the course of the week you still have a deficit of 2800 cals and you would likely still lose weight. Plus if you want to spend the next few days offsetting it by eating 200 less, you know exactly how much you need to adjust for.
People who blow off logging meals like that altogether have a tendency to say "F it, I'm already over, I might as well eat whatever I want the rest of the weekend too" when in actuality logging it puts it all in perspective they its not that bad...
I questioned logging it because I wasn't sure if picking foods that were compararable, but from different restaurants, would be accurate. Also It kinda bums me out seeing me go over so much!!! But I'm gonna log ahead of time so I can see where I stand I definitely don't want to be mentally consumed in this "diet" thing I'm doing. Tomorrow is a new day and my progress is still here XD
You just have to take your best guess with places like that. One strategy I use, especially when I know I will eat out later in the week is to bank 100-200 cals/day in the days leading up so that I have an extra 500 or so on the weekends.
Also don't be surprised by an increase in the scale due to water retention from the salty chips and stuff. It will be gone in a day or so.
Enjoy, sounds tasty!
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If it's a little hole in the wall place, I would take in a bag of baked Tostitos scoops and ask them if it's cool if you eat them. I would even ask them to put them in a basket. But that is me, I am pushy like that.
Have a fun Mexican food night out.1 -
You should indulge without guilt, but double that calorie estimate, at least. With chips, salsa, and guacamole you'll hit 1k before you tear into those 1k+ enchiladas.
Also note this is a heads up, not being condescending. I had a nice greasy homemade breakfast sandwich for breakfast and 7 wings and a slice of sicilian for dinner. And some of my son's fries. And I'm going to binge drink about 1k calories of alcohol in a bit. Yolo.2 -
KaleiAlanaSmith wrote: »mejanejaneC wrote: »If you go out every Friday for Mexican food, you need a new strategy. The only person that is going to make you healthy is you and every meal counts.
First, ask for baked chips. I am in Texas and this is an option at many of our Tex-Mex restaurants. Then enjoy a lovely large handful with all the salsa you want. Try the tortilla soup, huge portion and not too many calories. Ask them to put the cheese on the side so you can put in a little at a time and see that actual amount. Or try the fajitas with extra veggies and enjoy those with 1 corn tortilla. If you are set on those enchiladas eat 1/2 and you have the other 1/2 for lunch tomorrow.
You can do this. I wouldn't change all of this at once. Just ask for the baked chips tonight.
And yes, log your food. And be honest with yourself, then you can look back and see how well you did our how you can improve.
I'm also from Texas!!!! we go to a hole in the wall Mexican place so unfortunately they don't have baked chips...... However I will take your advice on the soup. They have this amazing Mexican seafood soup and it's going to be way healthier than enchiladas......
Fellow Texan and lover of Mexican food with a few other options...since you do this every week.
I give myself a chip budget, like 8 chips, and break them into small pieces for salsa delivery.
Chicken fajitas w/corn tortillas and easy on high fat stuff (guac, cheese, sour cream) is good.
If you ask about the enchilada sauces some are better than others. Beef chili sauce, queso sauce, and sour cream sauce are all pretty high fat, but red and green sauces are usually not too bad, especially over shredded chicken, though shredded beef is good too.
And I often order a la carte (no rice and beans that way)...crunchy beef tacos, steak or grilled chicken on soft corn tortillas, or shredded chicken on soft corn tortillas are all good. Even when the restaurant only lists crunchy and soft flour as the two choices for tacos I find most will be happy to give you soft corn tortillas instead of flour.1 -
KaleiAlanaSmith wrote: »So tonight I'm going out to eat to this really amazing Mexican restaurant. It's going to be VERY hard to stay within my calorie limit, so I'm asking for advice,,. I only have about 800 calories left of the day so i KNOW I'm going to go over my limit. Between the chips, salsa, guacamole, and my entree which will probably be enchiladas, I bet I'll hit 1000 calories no matter how little I eat. Do you think I should just totally skip logging my dinner and just try to moderate how much I eat? How do you think I should go about this?? Not only am I asking logging advice but I'm also looking for advice about what to do when you go to restaurants!!!!!!
I eat Mexican EVERY Saturday. I find something in the database that looks similar to what I plan to eat and I log it. Since I do this every Saturday it's pre-logged and then I can cut calories other days to make up for the Saturday surplus. If you like to eat out like me it helps to go by the weekly average in the nutrition tab instead of looking at the daily numbers. Meet your weekly intake goal and you'll be fine. Just avoid the scale for at least 4 days so you don't see the water weight from the sodium.0 -
Ceviche is a good option if you like it. Fajitas (as suggested above) are great too, just limit or skip the sour cream. You can usually get some sort of grilled meat with rice & veggies on the side. I just try to skip the fried stuff or really heavy/cheesey things. I'd rather save the calories for guacamole!0
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Chicken fajita salad dressing on side.0
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KaleiAlanaSmith wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »If you plan to eat it, why would you not plan to log it? I log everything, to my best guess: nights out, potlucks, birthdays, Thanksgiving...
Know what I figured out when I was losing(I'm maintaining now)? I had a calorie deficit built into my goal already, 3500 cals for the week when I was set to lose 1 lb/week. So even if you add a couple margaritas onto the chips, salsa, Guacamole and enchiladas... You'll still probably only be over by 700 cals from your 800 allowance for dinner. Over the course of the week you still have a deficit of 2800 cals and you would likely still lose weight. Plus if you want to spend the next few days offsetting it by eating 200 less, you know exactly how much you need to adjust for.
People who blow off logging meals like that altogether have a tendency to say "F it, I'm already over, I might as well eat whatever I want the rest of the weekend too" when in actuality logging it puts it all in perspective they its not that bad...
I questioned logging it because I wasn't sure if picking foods that were compararable, but from different restaurants, would be accurate. Also It kinda bums me out seeing me go over so much!!! But I'm gonna log ahead of time so I can see where I stand I definitely don't want to be mentally consumed in this "diet" thing I'm doing. Tomorrow is a new day and my progress is still here XD
I just pick MFP database entries that are on the higher side among the ones I find out there, and call it good. If I'm skeptical, I may add an extra line item for more cheese or something like that.
Have fun - if you do it rarely, you'll be fine. Don't be panicked at the water weight gain you'll see next day - it doesn't reflect fat gain. Drink plenty of water, go back to your healthy routine, and the water weight will drop off quickly, along with any tiny gain from eating over maintenance (if you do so).1 -
mejanejaneC wrote: »If it's a little hole in the wall place, I would take in a bag of baked Tostitos scoops and ask them if it's cool if you eat them. I would even ask them to put them in a basket. But that is me, I am pushy like that.
Please don't do this.
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It's tough to do, but a lot of good ideas here. It was my wife's birthday and we went out for Mexican food. You have to be REALLY disciplined while that bowl of chips is just sitting there. Agree with the suggestions of corn tortillas instead of flower. And have them take away any condiments you have on the side of your entree that may tempt you (cheese, sour cream, guacamole. )
Bank calories before and go a little light the day after. And DON'T weigh yourself the next day. I think of a special meal as something that I'll absorb over a 7 day period.1 -
I didn't read every word in this thread, but OP, do you consider the option that you just indulge freely without any worry or minding calories?
In my experience It's very good psychologically and physiologically. You'll be surprised that we can't really eat more than 5000 calories and all the cravings and hangups and difficulty, craziness of "dieting" are gone for days, weeks. LOL.0 -
KaleiAlanaSmith wrote: »So tonight I'm going out to eat to this really amazing Mexican restaurant. It's going to be VERY hard to stay within my calorie limit, so I'm asking for advice,,. I only have about 800 calories left of the day so i KNOW I'm going to go over my limit. Between the chips, salsa, guacamole, and my entree which will probably be enchiladas, I bet I'll hit 1000 calories no matter how little I eat. Do you think I should just totally skip logging my dinner and just try to moderate how much I eat? How do you think I should go about this?? Not only am I asking logging advice but I'm also looking for advice about what to do when you go to restaurants!!!!!!
I eat out once a week for lunch. I plan what I will eat in advance and log it. Sometimes it means I have a lighter breakfast or dinner if I have a bigger calorie lunch. Dh and I often split an entree at our local Mexican place because the portions are really big. I don't eat chips and guacamole. I drink water or unsweetened tea.
I find something similar from a chain restaurant to log.
Things that are going to add a bunch of calories to your meal: cheese, sour cream, guacamole, chips, rice, fried stuff, alcohol, dessert
Things that are lower calorie- grilled meats, vegetables, salsa
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I have found the best route with Mexican is fajitas minus the tortillas (or just eat one). No beans. Limit your chips and salsa.0
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I have no control over the salsa and chips. But for my entree I'll usually ask for fajitas. I'll skip the tortilla though and add some salsa over the meat and veggies. I'll ask for no rice or beans and they'll make me a sorta salad on the side with lettuce, tomato, guac, and sour cream. I usually leave pretty happy. A lot of restaurants have chicken soup which is really good. They usually have a salad. Also if I just want something I'll just order one chicken quesadilla.0
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