Eating out / Colombian & Venezuelan

What I'd Order at a Colombian & Venezuelan Restaurant to Lose Weight

In Miami you're never far from an arepa. Keep it to one and build the plate around the meat.

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

Carne asada or pollo a la plancha

Lunch style

Salad and a small arepa

700calories55gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 39% of your calories and 52% of your protein for the day.

Bandeja paisa, shared

Carb meal

Your carb meal, split it, it's huge

1,000calories50gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 56% of your calories and 48% of your protein for the day.

Reina pepiada arepa

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: Empanadas are an appetizer, not a meal. One, not four.

Skip these

Bandeja paisa for one1,600 cal
Four fried empanadas1,000 cal
Patacones500 cal

Drinks: Aguardiente is about 80 calories a shot.

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 colombian & venezuelan 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 Colombian & Venezuelan Restaurant?

Carne asada or pollo a la plancha: Salad and a small arepa. Around 700 calories and 55g of protein.

What should I skip at a Colombian & Venezuelan Restaurant when I'm losing weight?

Bandeja paisa for one (1,600 calories), Four fried empanadas (1,000 calories), Patacones (500 calories).

What about drinks?

Aguardiente is about 80 calories a shot.