What I'd Order at a Thai Restaurant to Lose Weight

Thai food has big flavor without needing big portions of noodles. Go for the salads and grills.

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

Larb gai (minced chicken salad)

Lunch style

Lime, herbs, chili, extra lettuce cups

400calories38gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 22% of your calories and 36% of your protein for the day.

Green curry with chicken and rice

Carb meal

Your carb meal, half the rice

950calories40gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 53% of your calories and 38% of your protein for the day.

Chicken satay plus tom yum soup

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: Ask for extra protein and extra vegetables in any stir fry. They'll happily do it.

Skip these

Pad thai1,100 cal
Pad see ew1,000 cal
Thai iced tea350 cal

Drinks: Singha is about 150 calories a bottle.

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 thai 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 Thai Restaurant?

Larb gai (minced chicken salad): Lime, herbs, chili, extra lettuce cups. Around 400 calories and 38g of protein.

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

Pad thai (1,100 calories), Pad see ew (1,000 calories), Thai iced tea (350 calories).

What about drinks?

Singha is about 150 calories a bottle.