In the past week, I fell on the ice not just once but twice! I now have a lump on the back of my head, a very sore rear end, and a left hand and wrist that has become black and blue. The good news was that I didn’t break any bones. Yeah! The bad news was that I was sidelined from getting much work accomplished because of the pain and the time spent at the doctor’s office.

The day this happened, I allowed myself to have a bowl of ice cream and indulge in some chocolate. Both were definitely over and above my calorie needs! Was that emotional eating? No I don’t think so. Here’s why…

Image via Wikipedia

The way I see it, true emotional eating is a kind of eating disorder that has very little to do with food. Food is simply the indulgence of choice to soothe all manner of other psychological issues. An emotional eater might habitually be unable to recognize feelings of satiety (having eaten enough), feel out of control or unable to stop eating, have obsessive thoughts about food, or regularly turn to food as a means of coping with life’s problems.

If you think emotional eating might be an issue for you, ask yourself how often you turn to food as a way to cheer yourself up. Occasionally indulging in eating treats and more calories than needed is perfectly normal! You just need to keep it in perspective. After all, a treat is no longer a treat or a special food if you indulge yourself on a regular basis.

The best way for you to gain a better understanding of your eating habits is to keep a food diary or journal. By keeping a food diary you can keep track of not only what you eat and how much but also how you were feeling just before eating. (To learn more about food diaries read: Keeping a Food Diary). A journal, on the other hand, would allow you to explore your thoughts and feelings in greater depth. (Journaling and Appetite)

Either way, keeping food diary notes or journal entries will help you better understand what circumstances trigger overeating, how often it happens, and whether or not it might be emotional eating. The added benefit is that dieters who keep food diaries are much more likely to succeed with weight loss (Food Diaries Best for Weight Loss Success).

True emotional eating can be a much bigger problem than you might think. According to a study in the Journal Obesity, emotional eaters not only have a harder time with weight loss than those who are not emotional eaters. In addition, when emotional eaters succeed with weight loss, they are less likely to keep the weight off.

In conclusion today, I have a heartfelt video message to share with you by a young woman who has struggled with weight loss. This woman may or may not be an emotional eater. Either way, she expresses (better than I could begin to describe) the importance of listening to your own inner voice and shutting out the negative or unhelpful comments and advice from others. This inner voice is the positive one that believes in your ability to lose weight and get healthier one small step at a time with healthy eating and living. That’s what this site is all about. I’m here to help!

Remember to watch those calories, and eat healthy food!

Is it possible to choose low calorie Mexican food in American-style Mexican restaurants? Not easily. Watching your calorie intake means steering clear of the oversized portions of fried foods smoothered with cheese and sour cream. Traditional Mexican food was nothing like this.

Traditional Mexican food featured high fiber complex carbohydrates with lots of vegetables and fresh flavor. Common foods included beans, corn, squash, tomatoes, avocado, peanuts, potatoes, and turkey. It wasn’t till the Spaniards arrived in the 1500s that wheat, pork, beef, and chicken were added to the traditional diet. The Spaniards were also responsible for introducing the concept of frying.

Even today, fried foods such as burritos, deep-fried tacos, and flautas are known in Mexico as “northern cuisine”. This refers to the region of Mexico that borders the United States.

No matter how healthy and lower calorie the original Mexican diet may have been it is difficult to find low calorie Mexican food in the United States. Most of the food served in American-style Mexican restaurants has been modified to suit American tastes.

What to keep in Mind

Traditional Mexican tortilla preparation called for steaming or grilling not frying. Whenever possible look for baked, grilled, and soft tortillas on the menu. Choose soft tacos, baked quesadillas, and salsa as a sauce or dip.

Salsa made with fresh tomatoes and other vegetables, whether a commercial variety or homemade, is almost always a low calorie choice. The tricky part is figuring out how to skip the chips that get served with the salsa. Your best bet may be to ask your server to not set any out on the table. But your eating partners won’t be happy with that!

Other words that may alert you to dishes to avoid include crispy, fried, and covered with cheese or sour cream. Watch out for large portion sizes, refried beans, and chimichangas. Desserts are often fried so choose instead to skip dessert or have a piece of fruit when you get home.

Some possible substitutions you might make include:

Chicken fajitas (marinated chicken grilled with onions, green peppers, lettuce, diced tomatoes with a soft corn tortilla) instead of quesadillas

Grilled shrimp instead of nachos

Chicken enchiladas with salsa instead of flautas, chimichangas, or burritos covered with cheese

Grilled fish or chicken instead of carnitas (fried beef or pork) or chorizo (sausage)

Decide what to order before you leave for the restaurant

Your best choice for keeping track of your calorie count when eating Mexican is to check menu choices online before you head out to eat. No matter what guidelines you may be given the calorie counts for any given menu item will vary considerably depending on the restaurant and method of preparation. One of my favorite calorie count sites for getting a quick overview of the calories in various restaurant meals is Calorie Lab. (For more calorie count sites see my previously posted article, Calorie Counts and Nutrients: Best Sites Online )

Finding low calorie meals is difficult. You might decide to pick a higher calorie meal that you will split with someone else or box up half to bring home before you even start eating.

Here’s a few lower calorie Mexican restaurant choices I found with a quick search:

The Acapulco Restaurant y Cantina offers a Halibut Filet with Salsa Tomatillo (a light and flaky grilled Alaskan halibut filet) served with fresh vegetables and rice for 420 calories.

Baja Fresh Mexican Grill has a “Bare Burrito” (charbroiled chicken, grilled peppers, chilies and onions, fresh chopped cilantro, Pico de Gallo and salsa served on rice with fresh black or pinto beans) for 640 calories. Split with someone else or choose to save ½ to 1/3 to take home.

Daddios Italian and Mexican Take & Bake has a Chicken Mexican Salad (salad mix, chicken or beef, tomatoes, black olives, onions, cheese, tortilla chips) for 392 calories (one small salad).

Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill found mostly in California seems to offer a variety of Corn Tortillas and Tacos with fish and chicken for less than 350 calories each.

Making Mexican at Home

A great way to satisfy your desire for Mexican food without all the calories is to make it yourself at home! I found an informative YouTube video on how to prepare the ingredients for low calorie chicken fajitas in quantity. Enjoy!

For more information on watching your calorie count when eating out you may want to read some of my other articles.

1.Easy Ways to Cut Calories with Restaurant Meals

2. A Low Calorie Restaurant Food Guide

3. Low Calorie Chinese Meals: Restaurant or Takeout

4. Low Calorie Italian Food: What to Choose at an Italian Restaurant

As always, have a great week, watch those calories, and stay healthy!