# Critique my proposed Chipotle diet **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 29, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096 "2005-09-29T21:10:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/1 "2005-09-29T21:10:20Z")
I’ve decided to combine my love of/lust for Chipotle burritos with my goal of losing a few pounds. What about eating something like a bowl of cereal for breakfast, mixed fruit for lunch, and a burrito for dinner. Not an excess of fat or calories for the day, seems like a good balance of nutrition. Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/2 "2005-09-29T21:14:03Z")
Have you actually looked at how much fat is in a Chipotle burrito? Frankly, I wouldn’t recommend anyone eat them more than once or twice a week. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/3 "2005-09-29T21:35:13Z")
If you eat like that morning and lunchtime- you may have a hard time just eating one Chipotle burrito at night. Plus you are eating your largest meal right before you go to bed- not a good strategy on the metabolism timeline. If you did do something like that, I’d have the burrito either for breakfast or lunch, not dinner. And depends on whats in the burrito as far as how fatty it is- is this a fried burrito? ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/4 "2005-09-29T21:39:32Z")
> [@Chipotlefan.com](#): > > Nutrition Facts > Serving Size: 1 Burrito > Amount Per Serving > Calories 1029 Calories from Fat 411 > Total Fat 46g > Saturated Fat 18g > Cholesterol 166mg > Sodium 2111mg > Total Carbohydrate 97g > Dietary Fiber 2g > Sugars 3g > Protein 51g > Vitamin A 77% > Vitamin C 4% > Calcium 50% > Iron 22% My burrito has 46g of fat, and 1029 calories. How about \yours\? Yes, I know there is a scandalous amount of sodium, but I eat a lot of it anyway, so I wouldnt have much of a net gain there. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/5 "2005-09-29T21:41:38Z")
> [@Smokinjbc](#): > > If you eat like that morning and lunchtime- you may have a hard time just eating one Chipotle burrito at night. Plus you are eating your largest meal right before you go to bed- not a good strategy on the metabolism timeline. If you did do something like that, I’d have the burrito either for breakfast or lunch, not dinner. > > And depends on whats in the burrito as far as how fatty it is- is this a fried burrito? Well, it would still be 4-5 hours before I go to sleep (night owl), but I agree that lunchtime would probably be better. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/6 "2005-09-29T21:42:39Z")
Go here for a look at nutrition [http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=nutrition\_calculator](http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=nutrition_calculator) As for your menu, I think this would be a good diet if you could stick to it. Sticking to this would be pretty difficult since you’re getting more than 60% for your calories at one sitting. A decent strategy might be to have Chipotle for lunch (go with the Burrito Bol if you want to save a little fat and cals) and perhaps only eat half, and supplement that meal with fruit or veggies. Eat the second half a little later in the day (though not after say 9PM) with a fruit dessert. In any case, it’d take some serious will power to maintain your proposed diet for an extended period of time. Perhaps you could get by for 2 weeks or so, but then it’d get tough. ---
**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/7 "2005-09-29T21:45:30Z")
Eating virtually the same thing every day is not good nutrition, even though it won’t kill you. To be healthy, you should ideally eat as many different foods from each of the food groups as possible, and have way more vegetables and complex carbs than your diet plan contains. If you add those things, you don’t have to starve to lose weight. Since it sounds like you crave the spice, I’m sure it’s possible to find ways to add spice to your diet and still eat nutritiously. It will just require that you not be lazy (no offense intended). ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/8 "2005-09-29T21:51:17Z")
Wow. That one burrito has my total allowed calories for the day. The last time I ate at Chipotle was as one of my “last meals” before gastric bypass surgery. I got food poisoning and spent many hours in the bathroom, heaving from both ends. I’m sure I lost a few pounds that night. And since that day, I’ve lost 110+ pounds. So the Chipotle diet worked for me! Even if I could eat there, I can’t eat there ever again. That night was just too painful. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/9 "2005-09-29T21:56:06Z")
\*46g of fat? 18g saturated? For one meal?\* I apologise. My gallstone started yelling at me for even reading that. In all seriousness, though, how many fat grams in a day is recommended for men (especially when trying to lose weight)? How many fat grams is in the cereal? Will you be having milk with the cereal? Fat free or 2%? Factor all of that in, too. It can add up much quicker than you think. What happens if you find that cereal and fruit just doesn’t hold you over (regardless of where you position those meals in your schedule), and you decide a little “snack” won’t hurt? What kind of snack would you (honestly) reach for? What kind of fat is in that? I’m not saying it absolutely would never ever work. I honestly don’t know if it would or wouldn’t. If you love chipotle sauce and burritos, maybe try making them yourself, with healthier options? I discovered I could still have burritos if I made them homemade. Be a label reader. Get some low-fat soft tortillas, maybe some lean ground turkey, fat free cheese, fat free sour cream, salsa? Make your own chipotle sauce using non-fat plain yogurt and no fat mayo? Anyway, I wish you luck. I only ask all of these questions because I’ve tried to do that “if I just eat this and this and this one thing I love each day, I should lose weight with no problem!” before. It hasn’t worked for _me_, which isn’t to say it won’t work for you. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/10 "2005-09-29T22:16:43Z")
> [@YaWanna](#): > > Since it sounds like you crave the spice, I’m sure it’s possible to find ways to add spice to your diet and still eat nutritiously. It will just require that you not be lazy (no offense intended). I can’t resist the cilantro. Really. ☹ Superman had kryptonite, I have… cilantro. As far as reaching for snacks goes, I can usually resist if I don’t buy the snacks and have them in my apartment in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/11 "2005-09-29T22:24:33Z")
**Anastasaeon** and the others have a point, that is a LOT of fat. I played around with the ingredients there, and came up with something that has less fat, and calories, and is a bit healthier. (Leaving out the sodium content, but if you don’t have soda that day it would even out too.) 13" Flour Tortilla Black Beans Fajita Vegetables Tomato Cheese Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Burrito Amount Per Serving Calories 705 Calories from Fat 239 % DV\* Total Fat 27g ``` Saturated Fat 9g ``` Cholesterol 30mg Sodium 2558mg Total Carbohydrate 89g ``` Dietary Fiber 4g Sugars 7g ``` Protein 27g Vitamin A 44% Vitamin C 105% Calcium 44% Iron 24% My burrito has 27g of fat, and 705 calories. How about [yours](http://www.chipotlefan.com)? You could probably eat one of these with some fruit or a low fat dessert and be ok every once in a while as a treat. (Because of the amount of salt in it, and the amount of fat.) I wouldn’t only eat the burritos though, you need more variety in your diet. Maybe make homemade from low fat ingredients once or twice a week though? ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/12 "2005-09-29T22:29:38Z")
Meant to add, if you leave out the fajita vegetables it brings the stats down to: Calories **605** Calories from Fat 169 % DV\* \*\*Total Fat 19g \*\* ``` Saturated Fat 8g ``` Cholesterol 30mg Sodium 1918mg Total Carbohydrate 83g ``` Dietary Fiber 3g Sugars 4g ``` Protein 26g Vitamin A 38% Vitamin C 35% Calcium 42% Iron 22% You could have some healthy, low fat sides with that. Black beans, mozzerella\* and tomato actually taste very good together, and the beans are filling. \*Using mozzerella cheese might bring the fat content down too, I’m not certain. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/13 "2005-09-29T22:35:09Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > I can’t resist the cilantro. Really. ☹ > > Superman had kryptonite, I have… cilantro. > > As far as reaching for snacks goes, I can usually resist if I don’t buy the snacks and have them in my apartment in the first place. Well, cilantro’s fat free. And cheap. Make cilantro-rice (with even a little butter, you’ll be better off than that burrito), mix some torn cilantro with a salad and drizzle a little lime juice on it for dressing. Cilantro in fat-free “refried beans”. I just made this fantastic [corn and black bean salad](http://www.recipezaar.com/138158) in less than 5 minutes, for under $3, and the whole huge darn thing (I’m still eating it a week later) has less calories than two burritos. It’s got cilantro-y goodness. (I used a bag of frozen corn, defrosted, instead of the corn on the cob.) Cilantro is the least of the evils of Chipoltle, and one of the easiest to incorporate into healthy options. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/14 "2005-09-29T22:42:45Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > Meant to add, if you leave out the fajita vegetables it brings the stats down to: > > Calories **605** Calories from Fat 169 > > % DV\* > > \*\*Total Fat 19g \*\* > > ``` > Saturated Fat 8g > > ``` > > Cholesterol 30mg > > Sodium 1918mg > > Total Carbohydrate 83g > > ``` > Dietary Fiber 3g > > Sugars 4g > > ``` > > Protein 26g > > Vitamin A 38% > > Vitamin C 35% > > Calcium 42% > > Iron 22% > > You could have some healthy, low fat sides with that. Black beans, mozzerella\* and tomato actually taste very good together, and the beans are filling. > > \*Using mozzerella cheese might bring the fat content down too, I’m not certain. Um, you forgot the meat…really. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/15 "2005-09-29T22:52:15Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Um, you forgot the meat…really. Hey, I said I was trying to come up with a low fat burrito using the ingredients from that site. It’s not uncommon to have bean burritos you know. 😉 I’d probably have chicken or maybe the barbacoa if I was feeling adventurous, but there are no Chipotle restaurants nearby so I haven’t yet. Black beans, cheese and tomatos are a really good combination though, and reasonably healthy. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/16 "2005-09-29T22:53:32Z")
My burrito has 28g of fat, and 934 calories. I’m not a big fan of guacamole or sour cream. ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/17 "2005-09-29T23:18:30Z")
When I was losing weight, I found a Chipotle Burrito every week after my hockey games to really hit the spot. I used to get the chicken fajita burrito with the medium salsa. I would also ask for less rice and more lettuce. Oh and the big step, no sour cream or cheese. I don’t know if it was the food or the exercise or both together, but I haven’t found the right combination since I moved away from Chipotle… ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/18 "2005-09-29T23:47:59Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > Hey, I said I was trying to come up with a low fat burrito using the ingredients from that site. It’s not uncommon to have bean burritos you know. 😉 . But who would _want_ to??? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Violaceous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Miss\_Violaceous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Violaceous)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/19 "2005-09-30T02:59:22Z")
I think it really depends on the type of eater you are. I know you’re supposed to eat more frequent small meals and all that crap. I feel deprived unless I can eat some big meals, though, so I tend to do what you’re planning and eat tiny meals and then a big one to make me happy. Probably better off having it earlier in the day, though, I agree. Maybe you could get a burrito for lunch and cut it in half, if you want your burrito but also need moderate-sized meals? It isn’t great nutritionally, but I’ve done worse and lived. 😛 I usually only pay attention to my nutrition when what I eat makes me feel like crap. Try eating whole grains and fresh vegetables one day, and ramen the next day, and you’ll see what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096/20 "2005-09-30T03:14:00Z")
> [@Smokinjbc](#): > > Plus you are eating your largest meal right before you go to bed- not a good strategy on the metabolism timeline. This is a widely believed, yet false piece of weight-loss folklore. If you maintain a healthy low calorie diet, it doesn’t make any difference what time of day you consume the calories. [Eating late at night does not make you fat, according to a study.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3263249.stm) > [@](#): > > However, perhaps unexpectedly the researchers found no link between when the animals ate and how much weight they put on. > > “Time and again, we’ve been told that eating late at night should be avoided because it will cause weight gain,” said Dr Cameron. > > "However, there isn’t a lot of research to back up this commonly held belief, which may in fact be somewhat of an urban myth. > > "In conducting this study, we noted the times that animals ate. Some of the monkeys ate most of their food during the evening and night-time hours. > > “However, weight gain and the time of day that the animals were feeding had no correlation whatsoever.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critique-my-proposed-chipotle-diet/324096.md?page=2)