Eating out with friends

amcclellan73 · October 2013

Next week will be one of my dear friends birthday.
The group is meeting at a local Mexican restaurant.
None of my friends are on any kind of diet and would not under stand my
new health choices.
I have not idea what to eat when I go..
I don't want to blow my whole day on this one meal.
Its not my birthday its hers.

Please help...
:grumble:

twistedbutterfly · October 2013

I've had simular situations when invited to lunch with my boyfriend's family. If possible (it sounds like you know where you are going), look up a calorie count in advance. If said restaurant doesn't have any nutritional information available, you should at least be able to estimate the menu items by comparing them to other places and hopefully look at the menu ahead online. Things like the guacamole salad (I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian so that makes it a bit tricky) tend to be lower calorie. Of course grilled is better than fried and while it's tough have only a couple chips, or better yet, refrain entirely. Again, I find planning exactally what I am going to eat in advance and sticking to it very helpful in such situations.

Katla49 · October 2013

Mexican restaurants are challenging because the food is often very high calorie. I do have a couple of suggestions.

1. See if you can get a copy of the menu in advance. Run some sample calorie counts for things you like and settle on something that is manageable.

2. Order a to-go box with your meal and put half of your food into it before you start to eat. Then you'll have a lower calorie experience and a treat for another day.

dullestknife · October 2013

1/2 order of chicken fajitas, skip the tortilla
charro beans instead of refried

vjm7981 · October 2013

Mexican food is absolutely my favorite food EVER. I could eat it all day, everyday. :laugh: My recommendation is doing something like Fajitas. This is what I normally do when I go to a Mexican restaurant. This way you can make it how you like. Regardless it's not going to be the healthiest thing in the world but it's going to be far better than some of the other options.

apexgtp · October 2013

I'm sure they've got some type of chicken soft tacos or a chicken taco salad. Sometime's it's easier to make it a cheat meal just to not hear them ask you about your eating habits. You also do NOT need to eat the whole thing if you feel you're cheating too much.

JanieJack · October 2013

I love Mexican... and it loves my hips!!

My friends love Mexican so here's my tips:

1. Get everything on the side, guac, salsa, cheese, etc
2. Watch out for the tortillas. The tortilla they use at Chipotle is 290 calories, 9 g of fat. I'm sure that's normal for other restaurants too
3. Resist the chips/salsa for the same reason
4. I like to get meals like fajitas or skirt steak that come with veggies and I sometimes use the tortilla, sometimes don’t. I don't eat the beans and rice and often ask if I can sub those out for a little salad
5. Relax and have a good time- don't stress over 1 event (I'm convinced that stress increases weight even if you're eating right and exercising).

Hope that helps!

lysslax · October 2013

Chicken enchiladas are one of the healthiest options at a Mexican restaurant (so long as they're not covered in cheese).
Corn tortillas are better for you than flour tortillas, so wherever you can make that swap it is definitely a good one.
Choose black beans over refried to save a bit of fat and calories.
Take a handful of chips (if you can't resist) and only eat what is on your plate, don't go back for more.
Drink lots of water!!

Good luck!

conniemaxwell5 · October 2013

There are lots of options for eating out. A lot of restaurants now offer 'healthy' choices but you still have to be careful because 'healthy' doesn't always mean low calorie. Some safe bets at a Mexican restaurant:

Black bean soup
Chicken fajitas - just eat the meat and veggies
Chicken tacos on soft corn tortillas - no sour cream
Order black beans as a side instead of refried
Skip the rice
Order anything on the menu but ask for no cheese or sour cream and only eat about 1/2 of the portion given to you

You can also just choose to indulge and make up for it in exercise.

mhouston2011 · October 2013

I think the most important thing is to enjoy your time with friends and don't isolate yourself from them over a food choice. One dinner will not mess up the rest of what you are working so hard for. Like alot of others said, do some fajitas...shrimp, chicken, steak..you can't go wrong there. Guacamole is healthy fat...salsa to flavor the fajitas. Enjoy your friends!

lessofme43 · October 2013

I try very hard to just enjoy the celebration, without alerting others to the fact that I'm 'fretting' over calories. Accept the fact that being Mexican food, you have a real challenge to eat low-cal. Perhaps someone would be happy to share a meal, or as mentioned already set aside half of your order for the doggie bag to treat someone else at home or enjoy again tomorrow. Don't let it get to you if someone gets on you for restraining yourself foodwise; if you can focus on having a fun time that doesn't revolve around the food they probably won't notice anyway. Enjoy!

mmazelev · October 2013

1/2 order of chicken fajitas, skip the tortilla
charro beans instead of refried

Great suggestion! As a vegan, I get this all the time with portobello mushroom substituted for the chicken. Without the tortilla (or even with a couple if you prepare for it) should be great!

DONT *kitten* with those chips tho!! Crazy amount of calories!

amcclellan73 · October 2013

I love those chips.........lol

Eating out with friends

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