Advice for eating out at a Mexican Restaurant.

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  • ahviendha
    ahviendha Posts: 1,291 Member
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    Guacamole is *very* healthy. Eat it without guilt. So is salsa! Skip the rice and the chips and the refried beans.

    I'm always wary of restaurant guac. Common recipes add sour cream & other junk so it's not as good for you.

    My rule of thumb, if it looks like a true green of an avocado, eat it. If it looks like it's whiter/added in sour cream, don't eat it. Or you could ask the waitress. I guess that's easier :P
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    ...........Why do we say that weight loss is a "LIFE-LONG COMMITMENT"? Because the events of ONE DAY have VERY LITTLE influence.

    Go have a nice dinner out. Quit making mountains out of a bowl of nachos.

    I like that!
  • aakokopelli7
    aakokopelli7 Posts: 196 Member
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    I love Mexican food, we go out to eat at the same one every Friday or Saturday night. I just eat half of whatever I want, then take home the rest for a leftover lunch or dinner. I also just have a few chips and Salsa or cheese dip, which salsa is generally pretty low in Calories anyway. Moderation is key. Also having a water keeps the caloric intake low.
  • jmjm55077
    jmjm55077 Posts: 43
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    ...I order a shrimp taco (corn tortilla), lots of lettus, hold the cheese, and no spices...I'm on a low oxalate diet so no beans....but can have rice. To mix it up...sometimes I get steak with a verida sauce, rice, and again corn torillas only. I usually ask for a to-go box and put half the meal in there first as the serving sizes are so large! I keep it to 350 calories...
  • cecyvaquero
    cecyvaquero Posts: 154 Member
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    Try a tostada of chicken. it is a tortilla chip and it has black beans, chicken breast, lettuce, cheese and avocado. They are good. i make them at home and when I add the calories of all teh items Its not so high at all. Try it.
  • dawnp1833
    dawnp1833 Posts: 264 Member
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    Skip the beans and rice. Skip the chips. Don't order something smothered in cheese or sour cream. That's where the fats and calories come in. Exercise a little more to make up for what you do eat.

    Or, eat it all and just enjoy yourself one meal and be good the next. To paraphrase Nora Ephron...if I get hit by a bus tomorrow, I don't want my last thought to be "I wish I'd eaten that Taco!"
  • Erica_theRedhead
    Erica_theRedhead Posts: 724 Member
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    If you are looking for healthy options, stay away from the alcohol, unless you love it like me. Then just limit it to 1. As far as entrees, fajitas that you make yourself would be good, but I always go for the fish tacos, which are usually grilled, with sauce on the side. I usually just end up using lime juice anyways instead of whatever mayo/sour cream that they offer. And stay away from the chips if you have the will power. I do not lol.

    And most of all, enjoy it!! One day is not going to kill you if you go over calories so don't stress. Just do an extra work out, or tighten up your calories later in the week.
  • HypersonicFitNess
    HypersonicFitNess Posts: 1,219 Member
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    Order chicken fajitas and skip the tortillas.
    Ask for black beans on the side if they have them (some do not)

    If you want a margarita...go for a frozen one; these are way lower in calories b/c they're mostly ice, but you can still "have"
    Do NOT have a mojito; they're very laden with sugar

    If the restaurant has a website...look at the menu online and try to find the lowest fat, cal, full of veg food you can.
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
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    don'y, LMOA. Sorry had to.

    Mexican is hard to do low cal. Just don';t eat as much and make sure you workout.
  • alimarie53
    alimarie53 Posts: 102 Member
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    When I need to be good I get a taco salad. No sour cream! Extra veggies!
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
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    Fish tacos if they aren't fried and on corn tortillas! Delicious!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Salsa has very few calories - it's my favorite junk food. 22 taco chips is something like 150 calories, so that's definitely doable.

    Almost all Mexican restaurants have a big salad served in a fried taco shell bowl. Ask them to put the dressing on the side and don't eat the bowl.

    Drink water, tea, or coffee for no calories from drinks.

    Order a chicken burrito and only eat half - take the rest home for a buddy or eat it for dinner. Tell them to put all the toppings on the side. They will. You're not the only one counting calories. If you are feeling really spartan, open it up and live the tortilla and just eat the inside.

    A small bowl of chile won't kill you either. Again, tell them no cheese or sour cream.

    Have fun! I love Mexican food.
  • agoofynut
    agoofynut Posts: 101 Member
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    I don't eat the chips. At all. But if you love the chips and feel they are worth the calories, then count out a few and stick to that serving. I almost always order fajitas, but I only eat the meat/grilled veggie part. I skip the tortillas and plate that comes with the cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    I LOVE Mexican food. Personally I would have a buritto smothered in cheese and sour cream. I would log the calories honestly and would head to the swimming pool and swim for 2 hours / do a water aerobic class until I had burnt the calories.

    I'm right there with ya, but I don't really swim well, so I'd do a different workout and just build it in to my day. You can also skip the massive amounts of cheese and sour cream...
  • MJKaufman18
    MJKaufman18 Posts: 2 Member
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    I often order a grilled chicken tostada minus the hard shell and substitute black beans for refried beans so it's lettuce on the bottom with everything else on top - I eat the sour cream/guac sparingly. Another trick is to order two soft tacos (grilled chicken or fish are better choices), and instead of the rice and beans on the side, ask to substitute salad or steamed veggies. For me, I try to avoid the chips altogether because once I get started, I find it hard to stop. Good luck!
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
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    Don't go to far from a bathroom.
  • Brdrclymom
    Brdrclymom Posts: 13
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    I work for a Mexican restaurant! The first thing my diet doctor says was "No more work food!". I do find it difficult to pass it up, but we have a grilled chicken salad, and the fajitas are a great idea!! But I do stay away from the Margaritas (although ours are the best in town!). When I got to my 50 lbs lost, I celebrated with a cheese enchilada! Gotta treat yourself sometime!!
  • coolraul07
    coolraul07 Posts: 1,606 Member
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    LOTS of good advice so far that I won't repeat. The only thing I haven't noticed so far is PLENTY OF WATER! At previous job, we went to local Mexican restaurant so often they knew our orders by heart (impressive considering their capacity of ~80 people and were often full during lunch). I'd start with 2 glasses of water, the 2nd with no ice to refill the first. I'd glug the ice water BEFORE eating chips and finish the 'refill' while eating some chips. Once the main course arrived, I'd put half in a to-go box and they'd refill both glasses. These were tall glasses so I estimate that I drank ~48-64oz during lunch. Kept me away from chips refill and ordering dessert!
  • Queen_JessieA
    Queen_JessieA Posts: 1,059 Member
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    Carne asada is wonderful (I don't even use the tortillas!!) as are fajitas. They have wonderful soups, too :) Unfortunately, chips and salsa get me.
  • WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr
    WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr Posts: 2,150 Member
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    Check the menu ahead of time, my "go to" items are the fajitas (no tortilla- mainly because I'm gluten free and many places don't offer soft corn tortillas) or I go to the a la carte menu and order two items off this menu, usually a taco and an enchilada. I'll sit at the very end of the table (since they tend to put the baskets of chips towards the middle) so I can stay away or take a couple to munch on then pass the basket back out of my reach

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