Chicken Fajita Taco Salad -- how to calculate calories?

BrandNewLaura
BrandNewLaura Posts: 1,650 Member
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
We are going out tomorrow night for Mexican again, and I am trying to plan what I will have. This is what I have chosen:

*Fajita Taco Salad – 8.59
A crisp flour tortilla shell filled with stir-fried chicken or steak, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes. Served with beans, lettuce, grated cheese and sour cream. Or Shrimp – 10.25

This restaurant doesn't have nutrition info, so I found this nutrition info for a similar salad at another restaurant. The below info includes shell, sour cream, guacamole, chicken, lettuce, cheese, and pico de gallo. Now, how could I calculate how many calories I will eat if I forego the shell, cheese, and sour cream and opt for extra extra salsa instead? Any ideas? I have no idea how many calories those items would be or how to subtract them out? Any help would be appreciated!

Amount per Serving
Calories 965 Calories from Fat 603
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 67g 103%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 47g 16%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Protein 48g 96%
Est. Percent of Calories from:
Fat 62.5% Carbs 19.5%
Protein 19.9%

Replies

  • BrandNewLaura
    BrandNewLaura Posts: 1,650 Member
    We are going out tomorrow night for Mexican again, and I am trying to plan what I will have. This is what I have chosen:

    *Fajita Taco Salad – 8.59
    A crisp flour tortilla shell filled with stir-fried chicken or steak, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes. Served with beans, lettuce, grated cheese and sour cream. Or Shrimp – 10.25

    This restaurant doesn't have nutrition info, so I found this nutrition info for a similar salad at another restaurant. The below info includes shell, sour cream, guacamole, chicken, lettuce, cheese, and pico de gallo. Now, how could I calculate how many calories I will eat if I forego the shell, cheese, and sour cream and opt for extra extra salsa instead? Any ideas? I have no idea how many calories those items would be or how to subtract them out? Any help would be appreciated!

    Amount per Serving
    Calories 965 Calories from Fat 603
    % Daily Value *
    Total Fat 67g 103%
    Saturated Fat 0g 0%
    Sodium 0mg 0%
    Total Carbohydrate 47g 16%
    Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
    Protein 48g 96%
    Est. Percent of Calories from:
    Fat 62.5% Carbs 19.5%
    Protein 19.9%
  • metco89
    metco89 Posts: 578 Member
    i am not sure exactly how u would do that but possibly if u look up the servings and calories for the omitted ingredients and then duduct them it would give u an idea of the calories at least. (i think) I am glad u are looking for options cause when i read the nutrional value of the salad as printed it scared me :laugh: :laugh: The amount of fat really hit me cause i am on a low fat diet and i keep my fat grams under 30-35 per day. this was recommended by my doctor. I will be posting my weight on the 14th, it will be my first time to weigh since i started on MFP so we will see. wish me luck and enjoy your dinner out. wish i could be of more help
  • chelsey787
    chelsey787 Posts: 261
    that choice looks great (without the cheese, sour cream, and shell of course! :happy: )

    one more tip... usually "stir fried" means lots of oil or butter. ask the chef to make the chicken/pepper/onions without that and you'll save a lot more fat!!!
  • BrandNewLaura
    BrandNewLaura Posts: 1,650 Member
    i am not sure exactly how u would do that but possibly if u look up the servings and calories for the omitted ingredients and then duduct them it would give u an idea of the calories at least. (i think) I am glad u are looking for options cause when i read the nutrional value of the salad as printed it scared me :laugh: :laugh: The amount of fat really hit me cause i am on a low fat diet and i keep my fat grams under 30-35 per day. this was recommended by my doctor. I will be posting my weight on the 14th, it will be my first time to weigh since i started on MFP so we will see. wish me luck and enjoy your dinner out. wish i could be of more help

    Okay so far I have it down to 685 calories, 51 g fat, 18 g carbs, and 44 g protein just by subtracting the tortilla shell. It will be hard to resist eating it, but I just have to keep in mind that it'd take at least an hour of one of my walking DVDs to burn it off...so that makes it not worth it to me.

    Okay I subtracted the cheese and sour cream (I was pretty conservative, guestimating 2 tablespoons of sour cream and 1 oz of cheese -- they probably would use much more) and this is what I came up with...

    520 calories
    37 g fat
    17 g carbs
    36 g protein

    Does that sound about right?
  • chelsey787
    chelsey787 Posts: 261
    i think thats pretty darn good! lol

    just stay away from those delicious chips and salsa ::sigh:: life is ROUGH! haha
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    Ask them to not put it in the shell. I always used to plan on not eating it, and then I would eat some of it, or sometimes all of it. They should be able to just put the salad in a regular bowl for you, and that way the shell isn't wasted for them.:flowerforyou:
  • tyncaitysmom
    tyncaitysmom Posts: 8
    Viviakay that is a good idea. I will remember to ask for them to not put the taco salad in a bowl, because it would be tempting for me to eat the bowl too. I love taco salads, but knew I would not be able to resist the shell! Thanks for the tip.
  • BrandNewLaura
    BrandNewLaura Posts: 1,650 Member
    Well I am back from dinner and I was pretty good...I had the taco salad as planned...asked the waitress to have the cook leave off the sour cream and cheese and cook the chicken and vegetables without any oil or butter. The beans in the salad were refried, which I didn't know about beforehand (thought they'd be regular black beans) but I still think it was good and not too terrible calorie wise. I didn't know what to do about the chips and salsa (I was hungry and knew I couldn't resist them) so I brought along mini animal crackers to munch on...that way I'd know exactly how many calories I was consuming pre-meal. I decided that I didn't want to have something sweet before my meal though, so I took about 8 tortilla chips, broke them into about 6 pieces each and ate them slowly with lots of salsa on them so they had lots of yummy flavor. I ate my salad, with water to drink, and it was very good.

    I did have a small part of the shell though (which I wasn't planning to do) but I left almost all of it on my plate. I noticed myself picking at the shell and the leftover tortilla chips that were still on the table, so I popped a piece of gum in my mouth to signal to my brain that dinner was over. I was so good and stayed in my calories...

    until...

    the dessert menu caught my eye. My mom and I got dessert to share, and while I planned to only have three bites, I ended up having much more than I intended. I noticed myself mindlessly eating the fried ice cream and sopapillas, so I dipped my dessert spoon in the salsa, thus making it unable to be used in the ice cream again...then I had another piece of gum and was satisfied...

    It's so different to be at a restaurant and to make yourself stop eating before you are stuffed...it's a whole new revelation for me, but I know it's going to be worth it in the end!
  • onwardfatgirl
    onwardfatgirl Posts: 53
    Have you checked out Dotti's Weight Loss Zone (http://www.dwlz.) - she does WW points and calorie counts for many restaurants. She often breaks things down by separate items (i.e. sour cream, cheese, etc.) - I check for a restaurant before going out to eat.
  • BrandNewLaura
    BrandNewLaura Posts: 1,650 Member
    Awesome site...thanks!
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