Best and Worst Restaurants for Weight Loss

In an ideal world, most or all meals you eat while losing weight are cooked from home.

But life happens.

And I totally get it!

👉 So what are the best and worst restaurants while trying to lose weight?

👉 And what should you order?

Regardless of the specific place you go to…

Always have this in mind:

🔹 Pick whatever has the most whole food options

🔹 Pick whatever keeps you fullest for least calories

🔹 Pick whatever is cooked in oil the least

🔹 Pick whatever has the least temptations

(More on this in the examples)

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✅ Cava

In my opinion, one of the best destinations for weight loss, and totally customizable to what you want/like! Easily order a greens bowl + chicken + lentils + hummus + various veggies and get a clean meal for 500-700 calories and 30-40g protein that will keep you full for a while. And not many temptations there other than pita crisps and dressings!

✅ Chipotle

Again, very good options and customizable! Get a salad bowl + chicken + beans + fajita veggies + various veggies + salsa for 600-800 calories and 40-50g protein. Just watch out for the chips and queso!! :)

✅ Cracker Barrel

Get a homestyle meal here with various options of grilled chicken and fish, paired with rice or potatoes, and a salad or steamed veggies! Also a couple good breakfast options as well. Not many temptations if you skip the biscuits and cornbread!

✅ Texas Roadhouse | Longhorn Steakhouse | Outback Steakhouse

All of these restaurants offer great options for grilled chicken, steak, or seafood that you can pair with rice or a baked potato, and a salad or steamed veggies! A few more temptations here to be aware of: salads tend to be quite high calorie, and where do I even begin with the honey butter?!?! :)

✅ Panda Express | P.F. Changs

An under the radar pick for sure, but they actually have a decent weight loss option if you’re craving Chinese. You can order their grilled teriyaki chicken with super greens instead of rice, and have a bit cleaner meal. Still, likely cooked in a bit of oil and sauce, and plenty of temptations here, so be careful!

✅ Honorable Mentions: Applebee’s, Red Lobster, Bonefish Grill, Panera Bread

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Now, for the worst options:

❌ Burger King | Dairy Queen | KFC | Popeye’s | Sonic

Almost all fast food can go on this list, but I’m picking on these specifically because they legitimately have zero healthy options here - not even a salad or healthy grilled chicken option. Their only options are extremely high calorie, and the temptations are off the charts. Just don’t even consider these if you’re trying to lose weight.

❌ Starbucks

Sorry, coffee lovers. There’s just nothing helpful here. The only good option is an $82 black coffee. All the other coffees are straight sugar. The foods, while seeming “healthy” (egg whites, turkey bacon, etc), are so tiny and overpriced that they won’t keep you full and you’ll immediately be hungry again. Just go somewhere else!

❌ Chick-fil-a

I know this one’s gonna be controversial. But I stand on it: Chick-fil-a is not helpful for weight loss. Just because it’s chicken doesn’t mean it’s healthy. A Chick-fil-a sandwich meal is easily as many calories as a Big Mac meal. And the grilled nuggets and salads, while healthier, are so small that they don’t keep you full enough. Too many temptations, even for a Christian place. Sorry y’all :(

❌ Subway | Jersey Mike’s | Firehouse Subs

Another option that “seems healthy” but just isn’t very helpful. It’s a lot of bread, and even if you get a bread-less sub in a bowl, you might as well have gone to Cava or Chipotle. Deli meats are so high in sodium they usually leave you bloated and holding a lot of water weight, so just go somewhere else.

❌ Tropical Smoothie Cafe

Again, another place that seems healthy, but just isn’t very helpful. Yes, the smoothies have fruit, and the meal items promise some good options. But smoothies are a lot of simple sugar without a lot of sustenance. And the healthy meal options are fairly small too for the price. It’s a better option than some, but still not very helpful when looking at fullness.

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Hope this helps you make God-honoring choices for your weight loss while you’re eating out!!

Michael