Best thing to eat at a Mexican restaurant??

Alishamarie48879
Alishamarie48879 Posts: 92 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm back on track finally. We are going to a Mexican restaurant for dinner tonight....they have no nutrition facts for their menu. Any advice on what I should order??
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Replies

  • 1Cor1510
    1Cor1510 Posts: 413 Member
    I usually order fajitas. You can pick and choose what you want to put on it.
  • robert5891
    robert5891 Posts: 29
    Anything that is grilled is a good bet and avoid all the typical tex mex crap that is covered and drenched in sauces, cheese, and sour cream.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
    I usually get chicken fajitas. I eat one tortilla, the chicken, and the beans. I eat some of the rice and try not to have more than a couple of chips.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    Well, I order what I want to eat that day. But if you're speaking of calorie control, then a chicken/steak salad. The killer in every Mexican restaurant for just about anyone.............................munching on chips and salsa while waiting for your order to come.

    A.C.E. Certified Group Fitness and Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Gingerkid05
    Gingerkid05 Posts: 60 Member
    I like getting the shrimp cocktail and count out the number of tortilla chips i can have and put them on the plate in front of me. When the plate is empty, I'm done with chips and just wait for my shrimp cocktail.
    I find the hardest part of getting mexican to be not order/going easy on the margaritas.
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    Order whatever you will really enjoy. Box half of it up as soon as the plate gets to the table. Have a second meal out of it later.

    Work on developing coping mechanisms for the long term. Because you're always going to go out to eat, or be faced with snacks in the breakroom, or be at a dinner party where you can't control the fare.

    :flowerforyou:
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    I always get chicken fajitas. No tortilla or beans or rice.
  • TriLifter
    TriLifter Posts: 1,283 Member
    The killer in every Mexican restaurant for just about anyone.............................munching on chips and salsa while waiting for your order to come.

    A.C.E. Certified Group Fitness and Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Ugh, don't I know that!

    I'm a big fan of fajitas (shrimp, chicken, steak, whatever) and double beans, no rice. I don't eat the tortillas and load up on the guac, pico, lettuce, and grilled veggies.
  • lilredhead314
    lilredhead314 Posts: 52 Member
    I eat tacos ALL. THE. TIME. Mexican food is fairly healthy as long as you don't get anything fried and stay away from the massive flour tortillas. Guacamole is crazy awesome, full of healthy fat. Corn tortillas are a whole grain food, about 100 calories for two of them! The amount of filling in each taco isn't much, and if you're topping them with healthy fat from the guac you dont need to load up on dairy (sour cream & cheese). Of course a little splurge isn't going to hurt.
  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
    Whatever you want :flowerforyou:

    Just eat half of the entree and save the rest for tomorrow's lunch!

    And try to go easy on the bottomless chips :P
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    Tacos or fajitas for me.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Cheese enchiladas and queso. Lots of guac and sour cream.

    Mmmmmm ...
  • jigsawxyouth
    jigsawxyouth Posts: 308 Member
    everything! (I'm a total *kitten* for Mexican food)

    but really- anything grilled, easy on the cheese/sour cream/tortillas you should be good...
  • mojohowitz
    mojohowitz Posts: 900 Member
    Fajitas for me. I avoid the rice and sour cream and queso sauce. However, the salt will mess up the numebrs for a few days.

    ..or you could enjoy it this one time.
  • streamgirl
    streamgirl Posts: 207 Member
    Fajitas with corn tortillas. They have half as many calories as flour. Or fish tacos can be good and pretty low on the calories.
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  • janiceclark08
    janiceclark08 Posts: 1,341 Member
    I usually get chicken fajitas. I eat one tortilla, the chicken, and the beans. I eat some of the rice and try not to have more than a couple of chips.
    This sounds like you get a little bit of everything, plus take half home , or the steak fajita plate. Also chicken taco salad (no shell) with salsa for dressing and alittle ff dressing.
  • nehushtan
    nehushtan Posts: 566 Member
    Speaking from deep in the heart of Texas here! The standard "chips and salsa" they bring to the table first will really knock you off track pretty quickly if you don't have a strategy. Mine is to count the number of chips I eat. to remain mindful and to know how much to record. Salsa is cheap, but not cheese dip or guacamole, so you have to count the amount with those also.

    I noticed a long time ago that once the main dishes arrive, folks tend to ignore the chips. So a good trick, if you can get the rest of your party to agree to it, is to ask the wait staff to NOT bring out the chips & salsa until the rest of the meal is in front of you.

    <edit>
    oooh! one more thing -- if you get fajitas ask them for extra grilled onions and peppers... that's where the flavor is anyway and it will fill you up & it's super-dooper cheap in calories! That can be used to replace the volume lost when you avoid the rice and beans.

    My kids dragged me to Chipotle last night and I had a 'bowl' with grilled chicken, guacamole, salsa, lettuce, a tiny bit each of rice and beans and cheese and sour cream, and a TON of grilled onions and peppers. Less than 600 calories.
  • AlyssaJoJo
    AlyssaJoJo Posts: 449 Member
    I eat the chips.
    I eat the tortillias.
    I eat the beans and rice...

    If I'm not eating those then why am I even out at a Mexican place to begin with?

    The place we go to doesn't give you free refills of chips so that's nice. Because once the basket is gone it's gone. I normally eat half of them. And I'm ok with that. I get what I want - and I normally eat half of that too. I DO FIND that Steak Quesidillas are pretty calorie friendly and I really love them. I just eat til I'm full. I eat what I want, but don't over do it. I find THAT'S the hardest part when going out to eat. Eating til your food is gone vs just eating til your full. If I eat til I'm full my calories always fall in place and the best part, I get to eat it again the next day ^_^
  • spiralated
    spiralated Posts: 150 Member
    I'm a big fan of fajitas (shrimp, chicken, steak, whatever) and double beans, no rice. I don't eat the tortillas and load up on the guac, pico, lettuce, and grilled veggies.

    This! I love getting a tasty protein and loading up on the fresh salsas, guac and beans.
  • jopalis
    jopalis Posts: 238 Member
    i usually eat the chicken fajitas and either eat just one tortilla or take my own light ones... Eat the beans and rice (1/2 C)if you have it in your calorie budget
  • jasonmh630
    jasonmh630 Posts: 2,850 Member
    Fajitas are usually a good bet... Also, we have a place down here that serves a quesadilla fajita. It's a quesadilla that's got a "smear" of beans on it, then loaded with fajita steak/chicken/both and veggies with some queso fresco sprinkled on top, folded over, then grilled. Comes with a mexican salad too, with some guac and a little sour cream.
  • Cardio4Cupcakes
    Cardio4Cupcakes Posts: 289 Member
    I usually get steak fajitas without tortillas, and white queso cheese on top.

    White queso is the best queso.
  • Cliffslosinit
    Cliffslosinit Posts: 5,044 Member
    Eat what you really like.
    This one day won't destroy everything.
    Remember this ....tomorrow is another day.
    Just keep moving forward.
  • spade117
    spade117 Posts: 2,466 Member
    One of everything.
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
    Real margaritas. And maybe some food.
  • Alishamarie48879
    Alishamarie48879 Posts: 92 Member
    Thanks for all the advice! The only reason I am really stressing, is I am finally back on track and starting to lose again after reaching my goal, then gaining 25lbs back. And I gained them back by not planning and caring what I ate anymore.

    Great tips here! :)
  • Shropshire1959
    Shropshire1959 Posts: 982 Member


    Just eat half of the entree and save the rest for tomorrow's lunch!


    just half of the starter and then all of the main?
  • bigsistruck
    bigsistruck Posts: 125 Member
    I agree chicken fajitas are the safest, especially for me because I hate vegetables so I end up just eating chicken in a tortilla lol.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I eat the chips.
    I eat the tortillias.
    I eat the beans and rice...

    If I'm not eating those then why am I even out at a Mexican place to begin with?

    The place we go to doesn't give you free refills of chips so that's nice. Because once the basket is gone it's gone. I normally eat half of them. And I'm ok with that. I get what I want - and I normally eat half of that too. I DO FIND that Steak Quesidillas are pretty calorie friendly and I really love them. I just eat til I'm full. I eat what I want, but don't over do it. I find THAT'S the hardest part when going out to eat. Eating til your food is gone vs just eating til your full. If I eat til I'm full my calories always fall in place and the best part, I get to eat it again the next day ^_^

    That's good advice except for people like me who never get full unless I just eat way way too much.

    Anyway, I typically get two tacos with beans on the side. Probably 800ish calories total.

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