Studying abroad in mexico--drinks and enchiladas!

freshice

Hello all,
I'm studying abroad for 6 months in Mexico, but I am a bit afraid of gaining weight. So far I have just been trying to limit my portion sizes, but it's difficult when my friends will want to go out for drinks, etc, and I'm not sure if I can keep it all down! My host mom understands that I want small portions (she makes really delicious food) but do you guys have any tips, any healthy Mexican food options in the restaurant, etc?

Thanks in advance

ImJDLookatME

I am impressed that you are trying to maintain. I went backpacking for 2 months in Australia/New Zealand/Fiji and when I got back I was at my highest weight. GOOD LUCK!!

cnflet2

I dont have food advice but I do have advice for the drinking-

get ahold of some crystal light individual mix in packets (5 calories), or some mio water flavoring (0 calories) and bring it with you.
At the bars order whatever rum, vodka you'd like and order 1 shot mixed in with water on the rocks. So essentially its a glass of water with a shot of alcohol. Then add your flavoring. This essentially replaces all the cranberry juice or pineapple juice which add on all the unnecessary calories.

Its what I do and it's pretty yummy, and still effective.

MFPfriend

Coming from somebody who studied abroad in Germany for a year- don't worry about it.
Seriously. That's the best advice I can give you.
Eat, drink, and be merry.
NEVER AGAIN in your life will you experience those 6 months. Enjoy them. Enjoy them for all they are worth- weight gain and all.

I did the same thing in Germany, and I lost weight. Just stay active. Join a sports team in the community, walk everywhere. But have fun. You will never ever ever ever EVER be able to do that again, so enjoy it.

TiniTurtle

avoid fried things & too many carbs... they do a lot of rice & tortillas, so try to minimize them & maximize veggies or be more active to balance it out & you will only have this experience once, so enjoy it & try everything! have fun ♥

doramouse

Eat, drink and have fun and be sure to exercise. Don't over do it - but don't deny yourself.
What an experience!!
You don't have to have huge portions and tons of cheese but if you do - then exercise! That is the best thing you can do.
Have fuN!

freshice

Thanks everyone! I am no good at sports but they have a gym at the university so worst case I could work out there! Plus we will be walking to school every day which is a total of ~20 m but it's still something! And I hope to do some dancing in the discotecas too

cnflet2--I'm not sure if they have the packets/mio here, but I will definitely check next time!

You guys are totally right about it being a once in a life time experience -- I just don't want to get back and have all my progress be undone I worked hard to lose the pounds that I did!

abby1791

I SO agree with the above poster. Don't worry about the weight. I just got back from Ecuador for a semester and I gained 10lbs. BUT the food was one of the best things about the country. Keep an eye on the amount of fried stuff, and other than that just try not to get a parasite. Don't worry about gaining weight, a good thing about Latin American countries is that they fully believe that "if you're skinny you're not happy" so just go with that and have fun. You can deal with it when you get back to the real world.

Have fun!!!!

vsmurrow

I like the eat, drink, be merry philosophy. Instead of limiting your calories, move your *kitten*. Work it off, and eat what you want. Live it uuuup.

Espressocycle

I dont have food advice but I do have advice for the drinking-

get ahold of some crystal light individual mix in packets (5 calories), or some mio water flavoring (0 calories) and bring it with you.
At the bars order whatever rum, vodka you'd like and order 1 shot mixed in with water on the rocks. So essentially its a glass of water with a shot of alcohol. Then add your flavoring. This essentially replaces all the cranberry juice or pineapple juice which add on all the unnecessary calories.

Its what I do and it's pretty yummy, and still effective.

EWWWWWWWWWW!!! Just drink a good sipping tequila straight! Besides, a real Margarita should just be lime juice, tequila and tiplesec, so not much extra calories. The crystal light thing should only be done if you have nothing but Cuervo in the house.

kr3851

Stay away from the cheese and load up your tacos/burritos/fajitas with veggies - lettuce, tomato, carrot etc. Try to have way more fillings than tortillas/rice and go easy on the sauces (high sodium).

And play!! Run, walk, bike, skip.... you can do anything!

Agreeing with all the other posters as well... enjoy the experience. I never did anything like that when I was younger (even though I had the opportunities) because I was too fat and afraid to experience life. Get out there!!!!

Famzav8

I studied abroad for a year in Guanajuato, mexico - where are you heading? Honestly.... I wouldn't worry too much about it. The beauty of the food down there is that your not eating processed crap. I actually lost weight because you have to walk everywhere - or walk to a place that you can take a bus from. I enjoyed ALLLLLL the food that was available - but I also took advantage of the fresh fruit stands that were up...... Also they sell BeLight in Mexico - which is the exact same thing as our Crystal Light here - you can find it at any store or mini mart down there. Enjoy!!!! Add me if you want - I'm already feeling jealous of you! lol

daffodilsoup

As someone who is just finishing up 6 months abroad in China (going home tomorrow!), I have to disagree with a lot of the "forget about it" posts. I started this leg of my weight loss journey while living abroad, and am going to come back to my family and my boyfriend nearly 20 pounds lighter than when I left in July. I don't feel like I missed out on anything at all - if anything, I am more excited for them to see me!

Be sure to log everything - you don't have to deprive yourself of good food to have a good time, just find good foods (think veggie fajitas, fresh fruits, etc) and remember to watch your portions. You can eat whatever you want, as long as you remember to stay within your calorie limits. One of my favorite things in China was waking up in the morning and buying the most delicious, colorful fruits from stands near my dorm. Grant yourself a day or two a week to go out drinking/partying with your friends if you feel you need it, but I find that when I throw caution to the winds, it never ends well, haha. Remember - it's not the alcohol that makes a good time, but the company you share. I went out a lot with my friends, but usually just had diet Coke or water, and I don't regret any part of it, because I look better than I have in my whole life.

I hope you enjoy your time there - it goes fast!

freshice

Oh man, this board is so supportive-- I should have posted here earlier!!

Formica, your post made me lol.

kr3851 -- That's good advice! I actually just asked my roommate if she wanted to go to the gym with me some days after class, and she's down, so there's that plus exercise is such good stress relief (I just hope they have ellipticals...)

leannbond -- I'm in Puebla! Yeah, we definitely have to walk everywhere unless we're taking a taxi to Cholula or something. It's only my second day here, but I'm already overwhelmed with opportunities (and afraid of culture shock--which I'm apparently supposed to be in the "honeymoon" stage for)

I'm a bit afraid of street food! We were told to stay away for the first month or so just because we might get sick because no estamos acostumbrados :P Though apparently it's safe to get salads in restaurants because they bleach them (or something...), which is good to know! I will definitely look out for Belight! Thankfully there's still Coke Zero and stuff here too, haha. And sure, I can add you! 6 months (more like 5 months, really--I leave early June) seems like such a long time, with many hurdles to overcome, and it always helps to have another person who's been through it -- and who's conscious of their health!

freshice

As someone who is just finishing up 6 months abroad in China (going home tomorrow!), I have to disagree with a lot of the "forget about it" posts. I started this leg of my weight loss journey while living abroad, and am going to come back to my family and my boyfriend nearly 20 pounds lighter than when I left in July. I don't feel like I missed out on anything at all - if anything, I am more excited for them to see me!

Be sure to log everything - you don't have to deprive yourself of good food to have a good time, just find good foods (think veggie fajitas, fresh fruits, etc) and remember to watch your portions. You can eat whatever you want, as long as you remember to stay within your calorie limits. One of my favorite things in China was waking up in the morning and buying the most delicious, colorful fruits from stands near my dorm. Grant yourself a day or two a week to go out drinking/partying with your friends if you feel you need it, but I find that when I throw caution to the winds, it never ends well, haha. Remember - it's not the alcohol that makes a good time, but the company you share. I went out a lot with my friends, but usually just had diet Coke or water, and I don't regret any part of it, because I look better than I have in my whole life.

I hope you enjoy your time there - it goes fast!

Haha, I'm definitely not going to forget about it! :P I've been tracking my food for about 6-7 months--it's become too much of a habit to give up now! This is excellent advice, thank you!

and Pu_239, that was one of my plans! Definitely trying to limit my consumption of tortillas, beans, rice, etc just for calories sake--which is fine lol, I don't feel like I'm missing out because a little bit is usually enough to satisfy me.

Famzav8

Oh man, this board is so supportive-- I should have posted here earlier!!

Formica, your post made me lol.

kr3851 -- That's good advice! I actually just asked my roommate if she wanted to go to the gym with me some days after class, and she's down, so there's that plus exercise is such good stress relief (I just hope they have ellipticals...)

leannbond -- I'm in Puebla! Yeah, we definitely have to walk everywhere unless we're taking a taxi to Cholula or something. It's only my second day here, but I'm already overwhelmed with opportunities (and afraid of culture shock--which I'm apparently supposed to be in the "honeymoon" stage for)

I'm a bit afraid of street food! We were told to stay away for the first month or so just because we might get sick because no estamos acostumbrados :P Though apparently it's safe to get salads in restaurants because they bleach them (or something...), which is good to know! I will definitely look out for Belight! Thankfully there's still Coke Zero and stuff here too, haha. And sure, I can add you! 6 months (more like 5 months, really--I leave early June) seems like such a long time, with many hurdles to overcome, and it always helps to have another person who's been through it -- and who's conscious of their health!

enjoy your time down there!! I ate on the street all the time and lucked out and never got a bug..... however I still go back every year to visit and have gotten sick on my shorter trips... no fun. lol!

Oooohh..... great exercise - salsa dance! I took classes when I was down there and swear i found muscles I never even knew existed. I would love to hear about your travels - I ended up coming home with a dog off the street that I adopted and a husband hahahahaha sooo..... it was a great deal for me! HAHAHAHA!

No te preocupes tanto de cada cosa que te metas a la boca.... porque te lo juro que vas a extranar la comida de alla cuando regreses. Y echate una michelada en mi nombre!!!

abby1791

Oh man, this board is so supportive-- I should have posted here earlier!!

Formica, your post made me lol.

kr3851 -- That's good advice! I actually just asked my roommate if she wanted to go to the gym with me some days after class, and she's down, so there's that plus exercise is such good stress relief (I just hope they have ellipticals...)

leannbond -- I'm in Puebla! Yeah, we definitely have to walk everywhere unless we're taking a taxi to Cholula or something. It's only my second day here, but I'm already overwhelmed with opportunities (and afraid of culture shock--which I'm apparently supposed to be in the "honeymoon" stage for)

I'm a bit afraid of street food! We were told to stay away for the first month or so just because we might get sick because no estamos acostumbrados :P Though apparently it's safe to get salads in restaurants because they bleach them (or something...), which is good to know! I will definitely look out for Belight! Thankfully there's still Coke Zero and stuff here too, haha. And sure, I can add you! 6 months (more like 5 months, really--I leave early June) seems like such a long time, with many hurdles to overcome, and it always helps to have another person who's been through it -- and who's conscious of their health!

Be wary of street food, but don't be scared of it! Just look at your surroundings, if you're in a huge city, see how dirty it is around before you buy. Avoid meat on the street, but other than that, go for it! I ate 3/4ths of my meals the last month of my abroad from the street food. But DEFINITELY be wary of salad. It's not the best down there anyways, the U.S. do salads much better than Latin America. But have fun!!!!