Eating out / Burgers & American / True Food Kitchen

What I'd Order at True Food Kitchen to Lose Weight

I add a chicken or salmon add-on to a salad and ask for the dressing on the side, because the dressing is where the calories hide.

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 True Food Kitchen orders

Grilled Sustainable Salmon

Lunch style

640calories37gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 36% of your calories and 35% of your protein for the day.

Chicken Parmesan

Carb meal

As served, chicken first, pasta last

820calories47gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 46% of your calories and 45% of your protein for the day.

Chinese Chicken Salad, no dressing

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 True Food Kitchen: 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.

Skip these at True Food Kitchen

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich1,090 cal
Mediterranean Hummus930 cal

Numbers from True Food Kitchen's published nutrition data via truefoodkitchen.com. Menus change, so check before you order.

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 True Food Kitchen. 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 True Food Kitchen?

Grilled Sustainable Salmon: . It comes to about 640 calories and 37g of protein.

How many calories should I eat at True Food Kitchen 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 grilled sustainable salmon is 36% of that day with 35% of the protein. Type your own goal weight on this page to see your numbers.

What should I avoid at True Food Kitchen if I'm trying to lose weight?

The ones that stack calories with little protein: Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (1,090 calories), Mediterranean Hummus (930 calories).

Can I eat True Food Kitchen 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 True Food Kitchen fits fine. I add a chicken or salmon add-on to a salad and ask for the dressing on the side, because the dressing is where the calories hide.