What I'd Order at an Italian Restaurant to Lose Weight

Italian is my favorite night out. The trick is deciding which carb you want before the bread lands.

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

Grilled branzino or salmon

Lunch style

Vegetables or arugula salad on the side, lemon and olive oil

550calories48gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 31% of your calories and 46% of your protein for the day.

Half-order pasta after a protein starter

Carb meal

Carpaccio or grilled calamari first, then a half portion of pasta

850calories45gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 47% of your calories and 43% of your protein for the day.

Chicken piccata or paillard

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: Pick one: bread, pasta or dessert. Order the protein as the main event and let the carb be the side.

Skip these

Bread basket with olive oil450 cal
Fettuccine alfredo or carbonara1,300 cal
Fried calamari for the table900 cal

Drinks: A glass of dry red is about 125 calories. A bottle is your carb hit for the night, so skip the pasta if the wine is the plan.

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 italian 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 an Italian Restaurant?

Grilled branzino or salmon: Vegetables or arugula salad on the side, lemon and olive oil. Around 550 calories and 48g of protein.

What should I skip at an Italian Restaurant when I'm losing weight?

Bread basket with olive oil (450 calories), Fettuccine alfredo or carbonara (1,300 calories), Fried calamari for the table (900 calories).

What about drinks?

A glass of dry red is about 125 calories. A bottle is your carb hit for the night, so skip the pasta if the wine is the plan.