What I'd Order at IHOP to Lose Weight

Pick a steak, tilapia or pot roast entree, then choose the side by which meal it is: greens at lunch, potatoes at the dinner carb meal.

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

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.

My IHOP orders

Sirloin Steak Tips with House Salad

Lunch style

Steak tips entree plus house salad (entree values exclude sides)

640calories45gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 36% of your calories and 43% of your protein for the day.

T-Bone Steak with French Fries

Carb meal

10 oz T-bone plus a side of fries

613calories54gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 34% of your calories and 51% of your protein for the day.

Chopped Chicken Salad with Grilled Chicken

Lunch style

How I order it, the calories and the protein are in the Eating Out Playbook, along with 59 other chains and 25 kinds of restaurants.

See the Playbook ($7) →

The rule at IHOP: the lunch style order is built on protein, fat and fiber. The carb meal is the one you have when this is your dinner, or the one meal of the day you're spending your carbs on.

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 IHOP. 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 best high protein order at IHOP?

Sirloin Steak Tips with House Salad: Steak tips entree plus house salad (entree values exclude sides). It comes to about 640 calories and 45g of protein.

How many calories should I eat at IHOP to lose weight?

It depends on your goal weight. I use goal weight x 12 for daily calories, so a 150 lb goal is 1,800 calories a day and a lunch around 500 to 800 of them. The sirloin steak tips with house salad is 36% of that day with 43% of the protein. Type your own goal weight on this page to see your numbers.

What should I avoid at IHOP if I'm trying to lose weight?

The ones that stack calories with little protein: Country Fried Steak & Eggs (1,263 calories), Classic Chicken Sandwich (840 calories).

Can I eat IHOP and still lose fat?

Yes. I've never told a client to stop eating out. Build the order around protein, keep the carbs for one meal a day, and IHOP fits fine. Pick a steak, tilapia or pot roast entree, then choose the side by which meal it is: greens at lunch, potatoes at the dinner carb meal.