What I'd Order at a Steakhouse to Lose Weight

The steakhouse is the easiest restaurant in America to lose fat in. Order the steak, pick your sides on purpose.

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

8 oz filet

Lunch style

Asparagus or sauteed spinach, sauce on the side

600calories60gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 33% of your calories and 57% of your protein for the day.

Filet plus plain baked potato

Carb meal

Your carb meal: butter and sour cream on the side, you control it

900calories64gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 50% of your calories and 61% of your protein for the day.

12 oz ribeye

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: Share the sides. Order one potato dish and one green for the table, not one of each per person.

Skip these

Bread and whipped butter400 cal
Creamed spinach450 cal
Loaded baked potato650 cal

Drinks: An old fashioned is about 180 calories. A martini is about 200. Pick one and nurse it.

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 steakhouse 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 Steakhouse?

8 oz filet: Asparagus or sauteed spinach, sauce on the side. Around 600 calories and 60g of protein.

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

Bread and whipped butter (400 calories), Creamed spinach (450 calories), Loaded baked potato (650 calories).

What about drinks?

An old fashioned is about 180 calories. A martini is about 200. Pick one and nurse it.