Eating out / BBQ & Smokehouse

What I'd Order at a BBQ Joint to Lose Weight

BBQ is a meat plate. Keep it that way.

John Schaefer, fat loss coach for 27 years · Updated October 2026

Type your goal weight and every order below shows how much of your calories and protein it covers. Same math I use with clients: goal weight x 12 for calories, goal weight x 0.7 for protein.

What do I order?

Tell me where you're eating and your goal weight. I'll tell you exactly what to get, with the calories and protein.

Want me to email you your numbers? Your calories, protein, carbs and fats for your goal weight, plus this page so you have it at the table.

Answers are estimates from published nutrition data, not medical advice.

What I order

Half chicken

Lunch style

Pull the skin if you want to save 200 calories

650calories70gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 36% of your calories and 67% of your protein for the day.

Brisket plate with cornbread

Carb meal

Your carb meal

950calories60gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 53% of your calories and 57% of your protein for the day.

Lean brisket and smoked turkey

Lunch style

How I order it, the calories and the protein are in the Eating Out Playbook, along with 60 other chains and 25 kinds of restaurants.

See the Playbook ($7) →

The move: Ask for lean brisket and sauce on the side. The sauce is mostly sugar.

Skip these

Burnt ends800 cal
Mac and cheese500 cal
Two tablespoons of sweet sauce70 cal

Drinks: Sweet tea is about 150 calories a glass.

Estimates for a typical restaurant portion in the US. Treat them as a close guide.

How I fit any restaurant into the day

Protein firstEat the protein, then the vegetables and fats, then the carbs. You're satisfied before the bread matters.

One carb meal a dayBread, rice, pasta, potatoes, fries. Keep the big carb hit to one meal. On a night out, that's dinner.

Zoom out to the weekFat loss runs on your weekly average. One dinner out is easy to absorb when the rest of the week is steady.

The Eating Out Playbook

Every restaurant you go to, already figured out.

60 chains and 25 kinds of restaurants, including every bbq & smokehouse spot. Search the place you're going, pick an order, and see how it fits your goal weight before you sit down. Works on your phone, $7 one time.

Get the Playbook Free: my numbers

Quick answers

What is the healthiest thing to order at a BBQ Joint?

Half chicken: Pull the skin if you want to save 200 calories. Around 650 calories and 70g of protein.

What should I skip at a BBQ Joint when I'm losing weight?

Burnt ends (800 calories), Mac and cheese (500 calories), Two tablespoons of sweet sauce (70 calories).

What about drinks?

Sweet tea is about 150 calories a glass.