Eating out at Chillis! Help please...

I'm going to Chilliis for dinner, but I looked at their online menu and everything is like 1,000 cals... what do I do?! I promised my sister I would go with her and some others but I am very scared I will over dose on cals tonight! help!

Chilli's has a wonderful Guiltless menu. I've had the guiltless grilled salmon, and it was great (:

The Firecracker Tilapia isn't on the Guitless menu, but it's not too bad calorie wise and tastes delicious.

And I really like the guiltless chicken pita sandwich

ooh i'm going to chilli's tonight also. Whenever I've gone before I usually save up my calories for the day and get the classic sirloin steak which has 540 calories, and then i just get steamed broccolli as the side which has 80 calories (they offer you 2 sides so 160 if you get 2) it also comes with garlic toast so if you get the toast it's 200 calories but you can also ask for no toast.

I was just there last weekend.  I decided to have the tilapia/shrimp combo with the steamed veggies, and instead of the potatoes I asked for a side salad.  It really wasn't horrible on the calorie scale considering all the food I got and it was delicious!!  

the best thing on there is the chicken caesar pita. and instead of fries, get the steamed veggies. only about 600 calories and tastes like love. eat it up. i get it every time.

I second the pita sandwich!!!!! It is soooooooooo yummy!

Last time I was there I got the Chicken Tortilla Soup, which was only 270 calories for one bowl. And I thought it was filling and good! So that may be something to try. If you want a little extra with it, ask for a side of veggies (steamed veggies with Parmesan cheese is 80 calories, and steamed broccoli is also 80 calories), rice (160 calories) or the house salad (140 calories; low-fat vinaigrette dressing is 40 calories extra). So you definitely have options!

I second the firecracker tilapia and make sure you ask the waitress what their vegetables are for the day!  The last time I went to Chilis she just shoved fries at us, not even giving us a chance to order the steamed vegetables.

There's tons of stuff on their menu - the easiest thing to do is just look at the back of the menu and check out the Guiltless Grill.

My favorite is the guiltless grill salmon with black beans and steamed veggies. Pretty much everything will put you over on sodium though.

Order what you want; eat ONE THIRD OF IT - bring the rest HOME...enjoy the next day or two.

I never scrimp when I go out - I just ask for a PEOPLE BAG....

I love their Guiltless Chicken Platter.  It comes with a nice size piece of chicken on rice, with steamed veggies (which has just a pinch of parmesan cheese and is supper yummy and I am not a big vegetable person) and an ear of corn.  THe plate is so big I can usually get pretty full on half of it and take the other half home for dinner the next night.

The Guiltless Black Bean Burger is good too! Just leave off the bun and order steamed vegetables and unbuttered corn on the cob!

Lots of veggies, and not many calories at all!

My husband works at Chili's.  The Bean burgers are my FAVORITE!  Bottom bun only with extra veggies (lettuce, tomato, onion.)  They are a bit high in sodium, but each bean burger contains 20grams of FIBER...so as a special, every-once-in-awhile dinner out, they really eve themselves out!

I'll play devil's advocate, order what you want!  There is nothing worse than going out to a restaurant and not getting something you want to enjoy.  If you don't go out that often splurge! Just don't eat everything, there's usually enough food on those plates for 2-3 meals.  I just separate it when I get the plate and dig in.  Often my sister and I go to a restaurant and order one entree on two plates, they are usually happy to do it!

I agress with losgan ... order what you like, and ask for your takeout box WITH your meal.  Put half of the main course in the box and put it aside before you even start eating.  (If you order steamed veggies, you can leave all of those on your plate, of course.) This way, you get to control your calories and also get the visual satisfaction of "finishing" a delicious meal.  But the only way to make sure that what you get IS delicious and enjoyable is to eat what you like! 

Have fun on your evening out!

Some Good Options to Chose From: 

- Steamed Seasonal Veggies (without cheese)

- Guiltless Salmon & Chicken

- Southwestern Veggie Soup

- Dinner House Salad (Ask for shrimp on top)

- Mesquite Chicken Salad (ask for dressing on the side, no crutons, cheese or tortilla strips)

- Grilled Carribean Salad (ask for dressing on the side, no crutons, cheese, fried, breaded, etc stuff)

- Steamed Broccoli

- Sauteed Mushrooms, peppers & onions (ask for olive oil NOT butter)

- Spicy Garlic & Lime Shrimp

- Chicken Fajitas (NO EXTRAS & NO WRAPS)

- Fire Cracker Tilipia

 

i had a similar problem when my friend wanted a dinner party at red lobster.

i don't know how many people you're going with, but why don't you split a meal with a friend?

i split a meal at red lobster and we were stuffed! meals at any resturant have over a 1000 cals because they're so large.

appetizers are meals sizes too, plus you can share that with the rest of the guests.

another tip if you got the willpower: eat half of your meal and take the rest home. 

guiltless black bean burger... but ask for a whole wheat bun instead of the butter-slathered big mouth one and hold the low-fat ranch (ew... on a burger?) and the meal WITH broccoli&parm. cheese will only be at 350 cal & 5g fat! So good!