by Laura Reynolds

Created on: September 26, 2008   Last Updated: October 06, 2008

You are on a diet, and your friends want you to meet them for dinner at the most fantastic Mexican food restaurant in town. What do you do? Go for it and throw your dieting rules out the window? Or do you decline the offer to go home and eat your salad, only to feel left out of the fun? Neither! Yes, you can have a Mexican meal AND stay on your diet. Follow this simple set of guidelines, and you'll not only be on your way to your skinny jeans, but you'll also enjoy the fun of your friends.

To Chip or Not to Chip? Now there is a question.
If you have amazing willpower (and some of you do), go ahead and leave the chips on the table and don't touch them. Otherwise, tell the waiter not to bring any there is simply too much temptation to overindulge on those crispy bites. Now, in a group setting there is not this luxury, unless everyone in your party is on a diet. Instead, sit somewhere where it is hard to reach the chip basket. You would be terribly embarrassed if you knocked your friend out trying to get that chip, wouldn't you? Concentrate on the conversation around you. If your party goes on about the food, change the subject to something other that food. Inevitably, there is someone else in your group that would like to stay away from the chips too.

Enchilada Plate or Fajita Plate. Decisions, decisions
For your entre, you should go with the fajitas over the enchiladas. Fajitas are grilled meat and you can control what goes in each one. Plus, many restaurants now offer corn or whole wheat tortillas, which are filled with fiber and less calories than traditional flour tortillas. Fajitas are a fantastic concept. You control what goes into it? Wow. Enchiladas are filled with grease, fat and sodium. Usually, with these plates a side of beans is part of the meal. This is bad news for dieters. A healthy fajita: grilled chicken, a few onions, and some salsa. Perfection.

I Want A Side of This and a Side of That. No!
With so many options, it's hard to get a handle on what sides are good and what are bad. You can eat salsa, but not queso, as it is laden with fat and calories. Yes, you can enjoy guacamole, but only in small amounts. Although it does contain the good kinds of fat, it also is high in calories and fat. Watch out for it. Also, try to eat your fajitas without extra cheese or sour cream. You might be surprised that you won't even miss it.

Grande Margarita, Please? Please?
No Grande Margaritas if you are dieting. I'm sorry! One large frozen margarita can contain upwards of 700 calories. In ONE drink! If you must have a margarita, opt for a small one on the rocks. You will have only 200 calories (roughly). Just remember that these are calories in drinks only. Keep your alcohol intake in check, and you will keep your diet on the right track.

Staying on a diet doesn't mean you have to starve yourself, and it doesn't mean you have to stay at home and miss out on fun activities. Planning ahead makes life easier when you go out to dinner. Remember also that the reason you went out was for the socializing, too. The more you gab, the less you eat!

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