Going out to eat

bethannien
bethannien Posts: 556 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My husbands birthday was last week and his dad is taking us to dinner this weekend to celebrate. He's taking us to a Mexican restaurant with no calorie information on the website.

So my question is, do any of you have tips for what to eat to at least try to stay within about 600 calories?

Replies

  • CincyNeid
    CincyNeid Posts: 1,249 Member
    Tacos and Fajitas
  • dwill094
    dwill094 Posts: 2 Member
    Option 1: Eat a bigger salad before you go and then have whatever you want
    Option 2: Stick to an order of fajitas and maybe a smaller side
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    edited July 2016
    Shots of tequila! :)
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
    Soup, ceviche, fish tacos. Salads. And/or just go for a couple hour bike ride or a long run (or longer walk) and you will have more wiggle room. And/or just be okay with eating at maintenance for a day because it is a celebration.
  • Will_Run_for_Food
    Will_Run_for_Food Posts: 561 Member
    Eat some fruit or veggies before you go and have an appetizer-sized quesadilla.
  • vixtris
    vixtris Posts: 688 Member
    edited July 2016
    if they have anything without bread/pasta (including taco shells) or starchy foods like potatoes, mainly meat as the entree, and lots of veggies, then your probably close to your allowance.
  • Keladelphia
    Keladelphia Posts: 820 Member
    My go to's were already listed. I either get fajitas and skip the tortillas/cheese/sour cream (but I always eat the delicious black beans that come with it :) ) or I get a couple of steak tacos. The tacos are generally just steak, some cilantro, lime and a tortilla.
  • rccsinger
    rccsinger Posts: 1,090 Member
    CincyNeid wrote: »
    Tacos and Fajitas

    You can also use corn torillas instead of flour with fajitas to save on calories. . .Don Pablo's would "fire" the fajitas with water instead of oil. . .ask your server
  • vikinglander
    vikinglander Posts: 1,547 Member
    Taco salad and hold the chips...and margaritas!!!
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited July 2016
    My tip is to fast that day (BCAAs, Coffee, Water) and eat whatever you want when you're there. At the end of the day you can only do so much damage in one meal and even if you happen to eat at maintenance, you can go right back to normal the next day.

    edit: AND, i think it's not fun to go to a restaurant and struggle to eat something that's not really what you want.
  • Soccermavrick
    Soccermavrick Posts: 405 Member
    Pull up basic Mexican dishes (generic, since your restaurant does not list calories,) that you normally like, just to give yourself a ballpark of what will be what. That way you can make a semi-educated decision. Then avoid the alcohol, and watch your portions. Besides that just stay really good leading up to, and afterwards. You are allowed a cheat day, as long as it is within reason.
  • texasleahgirl
    texasleahgirl Posts: 96 Member
    I work for a Mexican restaurant chain. To get an idea of calorie counts for standard items such as enchiladas and tacos check out calorie counts for a major chain such as On the Border. All cooking methods and portion sizes will be different from restaurant to restaurant of course, but this will give you a rough idea. The company I work for, TaMolly's (we are a regional chain in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana) has calorie counts listed and I choose items such as Grilled Pollo Salad, Chicken Fajitas with Corn tortillas and Shrimp Fajitas and black beans. Stay away from items with cheese sprinkled on top, quesos and/or sour cream sauces and refried beans. Fresh guacamole is delicious and nutritious, but high in calories if you are trying to stay under 660 cals.
    Even though the restaurant you are visiting does not have their nutrition info posted, don't worry too much---keep in mind all chef prepared food at a restaurant is an estimate and even posted calorie counts are just a range because it is impossible to serve uniform portion sizes each and every time. It won't be exact anyway, so just enjoy being treated to dinner and use your best guess.
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
    For 600 calories, I would probably order 2 soft corn tortilla chicken tacos with lettuce and tomato (200 calories each?) and a side of beans (3/4 cup is about 200).
  • bethannien
    bethannien Posts: 556 Member
    Thanks everybody! I feel like I am going in more prepared which always helps me avoid the deep fried chimis and ooey gooey nachos.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If I know I'm going out for a larger meal I usually just eat a bit smaller during the day and sometimes even skip a meal. I don't eat out that often so when I do, I want to enjoy myself and eat what I want to eat. Sometimes I just say eff it...it's just a day and pretty irrelevant to the bigger picture.
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
    Fajitas, shrimp cocktail, ceviche, chicken soup...
  • B4Rachael
    B4Rachael Posts: 155 Member
    Chicken and Avocado Tostada

Categories