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Eating out / Gas Station & Convenience

What I'd Order at a Gas Station to Lose Weight

Road trips, airports, the shop attached to the pump. The protein is in the cooler, not the snack aisle.

John SchaeferJohn 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

Premade protein shake plus beef jerky

Lunch style
A 26g protein shake from the cooler plus a bag of jerky. Fits in a cup holder
350calories50gprotein
For a 150 lb goal: 19% of your calories and 48% of your protein for the day.

Cottage cheese plus sunflower seeds

Lunch style
Single-serve cottage cheese from the cooler, a handful of seeds for the road
350calories30gprotein
For a 150 lb goal: 19% of your calories and 29% of your protein for the day.

Protein bar or cookie plus string cheese

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: Walk to the cooler first: shakes, cottage cheese, string cheese, hard-boiled eggs, jerky. Decide there, then check out. The snack aisle is for people without a plan.

Skip these

Drinks: Water, coffee, zero sugar energy drinks and diet soda are all fine. The 32 oz fountain soda is 300 calories you will not remember drinking.

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 gas station & convenience 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 PlaybookFree: my numbers
John Schaefer

Quick answers

What is the healthiest thing to order at a Gas Station?

Premade protein shake plus beef jerky: A 26g protein shake from the cooler plus a bag of jerky. Fits in a cup holder. Around 350 calories and 50g of protein.

What should I skip at a Gas Station when I'm losing weight?

Two roller-grill hot dogs with buns (600 calories), King size candy bar (440 calories), Bag of chips plus a 32 oz fountain soda (800 calories).

What about drinks?

Water, coffee, zero sugar energy drinks and diet soda are all fine. The 32 oz fountain soda is 300 calories you will not remember drinking.

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