Mexican Restaurant: Educate me on calories please!!

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  • BlondeQtTexas
    BlondeQtTexas Posts: 97 Member
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    I'm not trying to advise you to break your diet, but I had Mexican food almost once a week and still managed to lose 32 lbs in 3 months.

    I think one cheat day a week is fine. My usual Mexican meal is 1 chile relleno, 1 bean tostada and one beef burrito with lots of green chile.
  • sewedo1
    sewedo1 Posts: 200 Member
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    I often order vegetarian fajitas and don't eat the shells. If served with rice and beans, I'll eat just a bite or two of each.
  • shelbyfrootcake
    shelbyfrootcake Posts: 965 Member
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    Sometimes, I think the best thing you can do is just have an "aw, screw it" night and get what you'll enjoy. As long as you're eating in your goal range for all your other meals, one big meal isn't going to undo it.

    Say, for instance, you're typically eating at 500 calories below maintenance to lose one pound a week. Now say that the meal and drinks you absolutely love will put you 1000 calories over your daily goal. So instead of having a 3500 calorie weekly deficit, you'll end up with a 2500 calorie deficit for the week. Instead of losing one pound that week, you may lose 0.7 pounds. You're still losing.... you're just losing about 5 ounces less than you would have if you stayed under your calorie goal.

    Personally? A fun night out with the girls (which probably doesn't happen all that often) is well worth five ounces to me.

    Same here.

    Amen
  • Eve23
    Eve23 Posts: 2,352 Member
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    Love mexican food as well we eat it alot. You have planned for it so I wouldn't be to strict with yourself, enjoy yourself. Be a little leary of the cream sauces, you can ask for sour cream on the side if you like, or ask for avocado instead of cheese or less cheese. Fajitas are a great choice. Taco are great too but easy enough to make at home. In my opinion if you are going out you want something you don't always get. Try a pork carnitas or something similiar. Oh my so so good.

    Hope you have a great evening!!!
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
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    When i go out for mexican food (and i'm behaving) I order things off the a la carte menu. Rice and beans alone can add up to 800 cals. Also REALLY watch your chip intake....what i do is count out 15 big chips and only eat those, but break them into smaller pieces so i feel like im eating more.

    I will usually get a chili relleno and a grilled chicken soft taco or a fish taco. You can opt for a fajita dish, or the restaraunt i go to has a shrimp, chicken and carne asada salad that i use the salsa as salad dressing.
  • HollywoodDJ
    HollywoodDJ Posts: 296
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    Anything cooked in foil or mentions tequila is negative calories.

    HAHAHAHAHAHA.....I think I love you~ LOL!
  • stuntpilot51
    stuntpilot51 Posts: 53 Member
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    I will be eating Mexican tonight in about an hour, I really don't care what I eat but it will most likely be Carne Asada with a side of mexican potatoes.
    I will also have my three margarita's or maybe 4 and call it a night and then register some bogus number on my food diary.
    I figure I'll make up for it sometime next week.
    Plus my Fitbit is telling me I have 1700 calories to eat yet today, all is well.:bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • Marcy31
    Marcy31 Posts: 53
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    So I think Fajitas are your best bet Mexican food cooked at home can be super low calories but in restaurants you have no clue what they use so I feel like if you have that you will be OK stay away from rice because they first brown it in oil and they use a lot trust me I know also ask if their beans are home made or in a can because yup we use ton of oil to re-fried them. If you don't want to then just enjoy like most of them said you don't do it every day your OK :wink: sometimes I make my Mexican food and a huge dinner is llike 600 calories or 350 if you have normal size lol :drinker:
  • KatFierce
    KatFierce Posts: 252 Member
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    I get fajitas or whatever taco type thing I want and ask for 1/2 the amount of shells they usually give, and a bowl of lettuce on the side. I put 1/2 my entree into a to-go box. I put 1/2 the fillings I want to eat into the lettuce and the other 1/2 in the shells. That way I get to have my fajita/taco/whatever and am reducing the carbs, adn excess cals. Also if you love sour cream ( like I do) mix 1 spoonfull sour cream with 2 spoons of salsa. Itll stretch the sourcream and youll barely notice a difference(works with guac too). My girls and I go out about twice a month for mexican and this always helps me but Im usually up for 2 days after due to salt and beer or ritas
  • tmos512
    tmos512 Posts: 119 Member
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    I get fajitas or whatever taco type thing I want and ask for 1/2 the amount of shells they usually give, and a bowl of lettuce on the side. I put 1/2 my entree into a to-go box. I put 1/2 the fillings I want to eat into the lettuce and the other 1/2 in the shells. That way I get to have my fajita/taco/whatever and am reducing the carbs, adn excess cals. Also if you love sour cream ( like I do) mix 1 spoonfull sour cream with 2 spoons of salsa. Itll stretch the sourcream and youll barely notice a difference(works with guac too). My girls and I go out about twice a month for mexican and this always helps me but Im usually up for 2 days after due to salt and beer or ritas

    ^^^^^^^^^
    SMART!
  • kellybean14
    kellybean14 Posts: 237 Member
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    ceviche eaten with a spoon, not chips.
  • sl1ngsh0t
    sl1ngsh0t Posts: 326 Member
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    Soup is nice you just have to watch the sodium. Salads work too even with the taco shell. Ala carte tacos are nice too. Watch snacking on those "free" things, the chips and salsa, beans, whatever they give you before the meal. I find eating out is more about portion control than anything. Meals at those restaurants can be huge so that is why I don't order them.

    ^ This. and I love Mexican food also, for the record. It's all about moderation and taking stuff home instead of eating it all at once.
  • crzyone
    crzyone Posts: 872 Member
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    I have discovered that many restaraunts have "guiltless" menu items that are not on the regular menu. I have, also, found that if you ask them if you could have something that are quite accomadating to help please you. (Not fast food places but real restaraunts.)

    Ask them to make you a salad of veggies with chicken fajita chicken on it, if they don't have some kind of chicken salad on the menu. I eat a salad and grilled chicken and then splurge on some chips and salsa.

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