About the Chipotle Diet

The Chipotle diet began as an experiment by a man named Eric to see if he could lose weight by eating twice a day at Chipotle Mexican Grill. According to the website Chipotless, Eric lost over 100 lbs. with this method. He started blogging during the study, and fans of the site posted stories about their success as they tried the same program. The diet has no clinical or expert backing, so before you try it, talk to your doctor to ensure it is safe for you.

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill is the brainchild of chef Steve Ells. The first restaurant opened in Denver, Colorado in 1993. The chain prides itself on using meat from animals raised antibiotic-free. In 2006, Chipotle went public and Ells has become a spokesman for antibiotic-free ranching. In 2009, Chipotle Mexican Restaurant owner Steve Ells testified before Congress regarding the use of antibiotics for livestock.

Chipotle Diet

The Chipotle Diet is not a real program, but more a blog site that promotes eating at this restaurant as a way to lose weight. The site focuses on the experience of one man who lost weight eating two Burrito Bols from Chipotle Mexican Grill each day. The site states that eating regularly at Chipotle provides a natural, healthy low-carb diet. Eric used a book written by Jack Challem called "Syndrome X" to verify that eating food from this restaurant was a powerful way to cut calories and reduce carbohydrates.

Diet Basics

The system consists of two burrito, or fajita, bols from Chipotle Mexican Grill a day. The website lists the ingredients in a bol as peppers, onions, salsa, green salsa, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and lettuce. The meat option can be either steak or chicken. This website also lists a breakfast menu that consists of coffee and one egg. The daily calorie count on this plan is approximately 1,480, with just 29 carbohydrate calories. MyFitnessPal lists the total carbs in one Chipotle Burrito Bol as 49 g.

Expert Insight

This is not a medically-sanctioned or clinically-proven way to lose weight. If you take the website at face value, it has apparently worked for a few people, but there are problems with this approach. Men should not reduce daily calories below 1,500 for safe weight loss. The Chipotle diet dips slightly below that number. Another problem would be the salt content. A Chicken Burrito Bol for Chipotle Mexican Grill has 1,600 g of sodium. Those on a salt-restricted diet should talk to their doctors before trying this method.

Long-lasting, healthy weight loss comes from reducing calories and exercising. This program could work, but you may gain the weight back once you stop eating at the restaurant each day.