The cold hard truth about Chipotle Burrito Bowls

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jzmagic
jzmagic Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Was having lunch with a colleague at Chipotle when he ordered a Burrito Bowl. He told me how its healthy and low on calories, what he ordered was something like 600-700 calories based on the calculator. I told him he needs to double the calorie count at the minimum to get a more accurate estimate of his calories, and he couldn't believe it. This is not the first time I've had this conversation with Chipotle eaters, and they all seem to not understand that Chipotle servers severely overportion their servings which can double the calorie count. Don't believe me? Order some food and weigh it in and compare it to your summation of the weight and calories on their calculator. In fact, someone else has already done that, but it was comparing it to the burrito with equivalent toppings. Guess what? The burrito bowl weighed 70% more than a burrito with the same contents, which means 70% more calories than the equivalent order for a burrito.

Check out this video for the experiment:
http://www.businessinsider.com/more-food-in-chipotle-burrito-bowl-2013-2

Of course you can always try if you have a kitchen scale, and you'll realize the truth.
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Replies

  • Mindarin
    Mindarin Posts: 93 Member
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    If that's your lunch, it's not bad! It's yummy, fills you up, and depending on what you choose, CAN be healthy. Assuming all your meals are 600 calories, that's only 1800 cals a day. I lose weight at 2000!

    But, you ARE right that it's important not to underestimate. He probably had other things to eat too.
  • MyMalfunction7
    MyMalfunction7 Posts: 61 Member
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    This is the same for drinks at a bar or a burger at McDonald's - bartenders/employees will often give you extra liquor/condiments, throwing off the calorie count, and feel they're doing you a favor. Eating out is always a really rough estimate, even if they do provide caloric information.
  • jzmagic
    jzmagic Posts: 2 Member
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    If that's your lunch, it's not bad! It's yummy, fills you up, and depending on what you choose, CAN be healthy. Assuming all your meals are 600 calories, that's only 1800 cals a day. I lose weight at 2000!

    But, you ARE right that it's important not to underestimate. He probably had other things to eat too.

    His bowl was ridiculously packed, and he didn't ask for extra servings either. When you pick it up you can feel the weight of all that food. If you refrain from eating half of the contents, you'll be closer to Chipotle's calculated caloric content. But I think its just ridiculous that he actually believed his bowl was sub 700 calories.
  • KameHameHaaaa
    KameHameHaaaa Posts: 837 Member
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    The same can be said for pretty much any restaurant, fast food place, bar etc. I really wouldn't be overly worried about it. On days when I decide to have something like chipotle I just cut my other cals down a bit to make up for it. As you can see by my ticker, it has not hindered the weight loss :]
  • syrenblade
    syrenblade Posts: 3
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    I had one of these for lunch today. My secret? I did the math before hand, asked for half the cheese, guac on the side--and then proceeded to only eat half of it to keep the meal below 500 based on the nutrition calculator. I get the other half for lunch tomorrow. Two meals for the price of one, no less.
  • NotAnotherLogin
    NotAnotherLogin Posts: 8 Member
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    In general, restaurant proportions are grossly oversized. If you REALLY want to save cals, cook at home. Invite a few friends over and have a party. Even better if the friends like to cook. :)
  • lngbrd
    lngbrd Posts: 279 Member
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    OP you're a Buzz Killington! just kidding haha, I'm still going to eat the occasional Burrito bowl.
  • VelveteenArabian
    VelveteenArabian Posts: 758 Member
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    Was having lunch with a colleague at Chipotle when he ordered a Burrito Bowl. He told me how its healthy and low on calories, what he ordered was something like 600-700 calories based on the calculator. I told him he needs to double the calorie count at the minimum to get a more accurate estimate of his calories, and he couldn't believe it. This is not the first time I've had this conversation with Chipotle eaters, and they all seem to not understand that Chipotle servers severely overportion their servings which can double the calorie count. Don't believe me? Order some food and weigh it in and compare it to your summation of the weight and calories on their calculator. In fact, someone else has already done that, but it was comparing it to the burrito with equivalent toppings. Guess what? The burrito bowl weighed 70% more than a burrito with the same contents, which means 70% more calories than the equivalent order for a burrito.

    Check out this video for the experiment:
    http://www.businessinsider.com/more-food-in-chipotle-burrito-bowl-2013-2

    Of course you can always try if you have a kitchen scale, and you'll realize the truth.




    Wait.

    The burrito bowl had 70% more stuff in it? Was it the same price? Why would anyone be sad over this??
  • Brolympus
    Brolympus Posts: 360 Member
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    I couldn't believe how much stuff like french fries or other kinds of "sides" with your dinner racked up calorie counts when I first started tracking food eating out. And EVERYBODY gives you fries as a side. Like everywhere you go. You have to specifically ask to sub in a different side. No wonder everybody is getting obese. Restaurants don't care about giving you a healthy meal, they just want you to think it tastes amazing and come back again to give them more money -_-
  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
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    The cold hard truth about every fast food or restaurant meal, ever. Don't like it? Don't go.

    You even run into it with homemade recipes as well: let's say you're making something delicious and healthy, like cheesy zucchini quinoa burgers. You mix everything together, you portion it out into 12 patties with for the sake of argument a food scale -- some burgers will still have more calories than the others.

    Shocking.

    Completely unexpected.

    Wait, wait... common sense.





    Also, if a restaurants gonna give me more food, I'm really not all that upset. I just eat until I'm full, and stick the rest away for later and estimate a calorie count as best as possible. Being off (even by 500-600 calories) from time to time isn't going to completely hinder weight loss.
  • DiabolicalColossus
    DiabolicalColossus Posts: 219 Member
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    Restaurants don't care about giving you a healthy meal, they just want you to think it tastes amazing and come back again to give them more money -_-

    It's not a restaurant's job to "give you a healthy meal".

    It's your job as an adult to choose what fits into your eating plan.

    Restaurants exist to provide food in exchange for money.

    That's all.

    Welcome to capitalism.
  • RunsOnEspresso
    RunsOnEspresso Posts: 3,218 Member
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    I think it depends on the Chipotle or the worker. I've had some that want to give me less than a scoop of stuff and some the give a heaping, overflowing spoon.
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    I offer my services to eat half.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    Cold hard truth: They're delicious.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
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    I offer my services to eat half.
    in to be serviced.
  • Christineclendaniel
    Christineclendaniel Posts: 367 Member
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    Mmmmmm....Chipotle. This is exactly what I ate today. I get the guacamole and sour cream on the side so that I can choose how much goes on. I get extra fajita veggies and mild salsa and I only eat half of the bowl (whodidntante, you can have the other half). Honestly, I treat it like a treat and I over estimate how much of it I ate to add some additional calories. I also do not eat back my exercise calories.

    I would hope most people are smart enough to figure out on there own that all bowls arent going to be the exact same weight or amounts.
  • NRBreit
    NRBreit Posts: 319 Member
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    The burrito bowl how I order it is about 850 cals. Chipotle - Chicken Burrito Bowl - Double Chicken, Brown Rice, Pinto Beans, Medium Salsa, Corn Salsa, Cheese. I don't get any gaucamole or sour cream and I think that 850 cal estimate is pretty close. The standard meat serving is about 3-4 oz. max. With double meat I think it's pretty filling. Chipotle has an online calculator so you can estimate before you go. At my locations, they definitely are not over-generous except for maybe the rice.
  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
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    Lmao. You made me remember the lady on MFP who takes her food scale with her every time she goes to Chipotle.

    I'm not going to sit there taking my burrito apart, weighing everything, then putting it back together. Lmao no thanks.

    If you're going to be that obsessive about things then you might as well just stay home and cook your own food.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    rofl. Some maroon actually does that?!
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    The cold hard truth about every fast food or restaurant meal, ever. Don't like it? Don't go.

    You even run into it with homemade recipes as well: let's say you're making something delicious and healthy, like cheesy zucchini quinoa burgers. You mix everything together, you portion it out into 12 patties with for the sake of argument a food scale -- some burgers will still have more calories than the others.

    Shocking.

    Completely unexpected.

    Wait, wait... common sense.





    Also, if a restaurants gonna give me more food, I'm really not all that upset. I just eat until I'm full, and stick the rest away for later and estimate a calorie count as best as possible. Being off (even by 500-600 calories) from time to time isn't going to completely hinder weight loss.
    Very, very few restaurants give you 70% more food than their specs. 20% at a sit-down place, maybe. Counter service is pretty regimented.

    How do you 'estimate a calorie count as best as possible' when the stated calories are understated by 70%? Or do you just double all restaurant calories since this is so common?

    BTW, what they're loading you up on is rice, which is dirt cheap, so it's hardly some freebie, that $10 bowl.

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