Eating out / Middle Eastern

What I'd Order at a Middle Eastern Restaurant to Lose Weight

Order the mixed grill and a salad. That's a meal I'd eat any day of the week.

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

Mixed grill kebab plate

Lunch style

Fattoush or tabbouleh instead of rice

750calories65gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 42% of your calories and 62% of your protein for the day.

Kebab plate with rice

Carb meal

Your carb meal

950calories60gprotein

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

Chicken shawarma plate

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: Garlic sauce is mostly oil. A spoonful is plenty.

Skip these

Falafel plate with pita950 cal
Hummus and pita for one650 cal
Rice pilaf400 cal

Drinks: Arak is about 70 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 middle eastern 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 Middle Eastern Restaurant?

Mixed grill kebab plate: Fattoush or tabbouleh instead of rice. Around 750 calories and 65g of protein.

What should I skip at a Middle Eastern Restaurant when I'm losing weight?

Falafel plate with pita (950 calories), Hummus and pita for one (650 calories), Rice pilaf (400 calories).

What about drinks?

Arak is about 70 calories a shot.