Summer is right around the corner, which means we’ll all be sipping margaritas and stuffing our faces with chips and queso before we know it.
The question is: Is it possible to eat at your favorite Mexican restaurant and still stay on track with your physique or fat loss goals?
Well, it’s definitely possible, but I’m not going to sugarcoat the truth.
If you think you can order the jumbo peach margarita, smash two baskets of tortilla chips drenched in queso, and then move on to demolish the Franzia Special (which is a plate of rice and chicken soaked in even more queso) as a part of an effective fat loss plan, you just might be dreaming.
In fact, I would argue that eating at a Mexican restaurant while trying to lose body fat is kind of like trying to play soccer in a mine field. But don’t let that scare you away.
It can be done, but how?
Let’s cut to the chase.
The chicken fajitas are probably your best bet - especially if you’re willing to omit a high fat option from the side plate like sour cream. If you’re really tight on calories, you could even pass on a carbohydrate source (or two) like Mexican rice, beans, or the tortillas.
In my personal opinion, this is the way to go for a host of reasons. But really, the “power” in chicken fajitas is simply the fact that they’re a low calorie, high protein option that is likely to leave you feeling full without food baby bloat and an intense bout of caloric regret a few hours later.
Now, if you just crash-landed on this blog wanting the quick answer of ordering the chicken fajitas, there you have it. But, if you’re interested in knowing the why behind it, I highly encourage you to keep reading.
The reasons might be eyeopening.
Why the Chicken Fajitas Might Be Your Saving Grace for Fat Loss
We’ll get back to the specificity of the chicken fajitas later, but I want to start from ground zero when it comes to thinking about the entire dining experience at most Mexican joints.
The whole experience is set up for your fat loss failure, and here’s why:
1. The calories start accumulating in chip and dip fashion from the moment you walk in the door.
As soon as you sit down, you’re presented with a lovely basket of Mexican chips. Chips seem harmless, right? Totally! Except they aren’t harmless.
Some chips can have up to 150 calories and 7g of fat per seven-chip portion size. Oof, that’s literally a gram of fat per chip.
I don't know about you, but I can think back on plenty of occasions when I smashed at least a full basket myself - not to mention the queso. And I’m fairly certain there were more than seven chips.
Oh, and then there’s the queso, which is another high fat add-on. Remember, each gram of fat has 9 calories, so the chips and queso duo can be a calorically catastrophic start to your dinner out if you’re not careful.
Let me show you an example.
As you’ll see below, the non-large serving of chips and white queso from Chipotle packs a brutal 780 calories and 43g of fat. If you’re not familiar with calorie and fat talk, that’s quite a bit of both.
If you order the large chips and large queso, it jumps up to 1290 calories and 75g of fat. That’s more fat than I personally eat in an entire day as a six-foot, 185-pound male.
My approach? I skip the chips altogether because I know that once I get going I just won’t stop.
If, however, you’re set on eating the chips, consider opting for the salsa since salsa usually only has around 10 calories per two tablespoon serving, which is much more fat loss friendly than her Cousin Queso.
You can even see that demonstrated in the Chipotle graphics above.
Some of you might be wondering, “But, how does this relate back to the chicken fajitas?”
Well, it’s simple. The chicken fajitas are probably going to be the lowest calorie (yet still high in protein) option on the menu. Keeping your entree low calorie gives you the best chance of walking out having eaten between 500-800 calories instead of 2,000+ in a lot of cases.
2. Margaritas and beer can be caloric explosions.
What do you get to drink at a Mexican place? The margaritas! Or maybe a beer if that’s more your style.
The problem with margaritas is that they are absolute sugar bombs. Now, I’m not against sugar for sugar’s sake, but I am skeptical of blowing 500-1,000 calories on a peach flavored drink before my actual entree even arrives. They might look light and dainty, but calorically they sure aren’t.
Fortunately, beer isn’t nearly as calorically dense if you stick to light varieties. Most light beers have around 100 calories, but a local IPA or heavier beer can carry up to 240 calories or more per can. Drink if you want to, but be wary of the caloric cost.
My approach? I drink water. Boring? Maybe, but water is the most obvious beverage option for anyone with a fat loss goal, and my fat loss goal matters more to me personally than a little salt and lemon on my tongue. I’ll just chomp on the ice cubes for fun.
3. Portion sizes at most Mexican places are out of control, which means the calories are out of control.
So we’ve conquered the chips and the drinks and now it’s time to order the “real” food.
If you haven’t noticed, most menus at Mexican restaurants are essentially unnecessarily long lists of about a thousand different shapes and combinations of the same basic foods: beans, rice, meats, lettuce, pico, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and tortillas.
And the portion sizes are typically huge.
Now, it’s not that beans and rice and tortillas and guacamole are inherently terrible for you, it’s just that when you eat anything in enormous portions you’re going to accumulate quite a few calories. And unfortunately, excess calories beyond what your body needs to maintain your current bodyweight are what lead to unwanted fat gain.
Practically speaking, one small to medium-sized tortilla is probably around 75-150 calories. Two would be 150-300, and three would be 225-450. Do that same math with additional servings of everything on your plate, and the calories continue to pile up.
So, the tip here is this: If you don’t want to waste food by limiting your portion sizes, just order a lower calorie option to begin with.
If you’re not excited about the chicken fajitas, consider a fish taco option with the dressing brought on the side.
4. The sour cream and guacamole in particular can wreck your daily caloric intake.
Ideally, at this point you still haven’t ordered (unless you’ve already committed to the chicken fajitas), so it’s the perfect time to discuss sour cream and guacamole briefly - two frequent add-ons to plenty of Mexican dishes you’ll be perusing on the menu.
Sour cream is basically pure fat. Guacamole is basically pure fat.
To be clear, I’m not against fat by any means, but when you eat a lot of fat (even nutrient-dense fats), the calories skyrocket because a gram of fat contains more calories than a gram of carbohydrates or a gram of protein. In some sense, you get a better bang for your caloric buck when you opt for carbohydrates or proteins instead.
For example, two tablespoons of sour cream tend to pack around 5g of fat while two ounces of guac are about 100 calories and 9g of fat.
But again, when is the last time you stuck to that portion size?
Be careful with ordering dishes that you know will be bombed with sour cream or guac.
5. You’re probably getting duped by cooking oils and you don’t even realize it.
Oils are one of those things people rarely consider because they doesn’t come burbling and gurgling in a side cup when they bring out the rest of your entree.
Basically, we can’t really see it so we don’t really think about it. Invisible calories shouldn’t count, right?
Unfortunately, oil is extremely calorically dense, and most cooks of popular restaurants care way more about you liking the food, paying for that food happily, and coming back a few days later than they do your waistline. Their job depends on the satisfaction of your palate - not the crispness of your abdominal crevices.
In fact, just one tablespoon of olive oil has about 140 calories and 14g of fat, and you know the cooks aren’t back there measuring things meticulously for you so you can pop it into MyFitnessPal later.
So, what happens? A lot of your meats and veggies are going to be soaked in high fat oils, which can very easily sabotage your caloric target for the day.
Don’t get duped by oils.
The Takeaway
So, the takeaway here is this: Chicken fajitas are low in calories, high in protein, and you can easily omit a few of the add-ons if they’re typically served with a side plate of beans, rice, pico, and sour cream, which make them a wonderful pick while dieting for fat loss.
Thanks for reading! If you feel like this blog was helpful, we would love it if you sent it to someone you know who might benefit from it as well! You (and your friends) don’t have to be sidelined from your fat loss endeavors because of one uninformed night out to your favorite Mexican place.
And, of course, we encourage you to take the time to flip through some of our other recent posts for additional content.
Finally, if this is your first time interacting with evidence-based fat loss and you’re thinking, “Wow, I didn’t know fat loss was actually that simple”, we do have coaching slots open for the summer months and it’s not too late to apply. Josh and I really can guide you into a non-fad diet journey toward a leaner, more muscular version of yourself.
You just have to be brave enough to send the first email. Seriously, you’ll thank yourself later. Just do it.
Happy summer shredding, everyone.
-Andrew
