What I'd Order at Panda Express to Lose Weight

Ask for mixed veggies as your side instead of chow mein or fried rice, and pick the grilled chicken to keep protein high.

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 Panda Express orders

Two grilled entrees plus greens

Lunch style

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken, Black Pepper Angus Steak, Mixed Veggies side

570calories61gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 32% of your calories and 58% of your protein for the day.

Teriyaki chicken and rice

Carb meal

Teriyaki Chicken plus Steamed White Rice

720calories48gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 40% of your calories and 46% of your protein for the day.

Chicken, ginger fish, greens

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 Panda Express: 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 Panda Express. 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 Panda Express?

Two grilled entrees plus greens: Grilled Teriyaki Chicken, Black Pepper Angus Steak, Mixed Veggies side. It comes to about 570 calories and 61g of protein.

How many calories should I eat at Panda Express 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 two grilled entrees plus greens is 32% of that day with 58% of the protein. Type your own goal weight on this page to see your numbers.

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

The ones that stack calories with little protein: Chow Mein side (510 calories), Beijing Beef (470 calories).

Can I eat Panda Express 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 Panda Express fits fine. Ask for mixed veggies as your side instead of chow mein or fried rice, and pick the grilled chicken to keep protein high.