What To Order At Chinese Takeout For Fat Loss
The takeout menu has sixty items on it and you only need three of them to go right. Coach Brian walks through the three decisions that control a Chinese takeout meal. You will get real numbers on five dishes and the exact wording to use at the counter.
The takeout menu has sixty items on it. You only need to get three decisions right. This episode covers those three decisions and gives you real numbers on the dishes you will find at almost any Chinese restaurant.
Sixty Items And Three Decisions
The menu is laminated and enormous. It sits by the register and it has not changed in years.
Most men skip every decision on it. They order what they got last time and they go home.
Three choices control the whole meal.
Pick an entree built on protein and vegetables. Control the sauce. Control the rice.
Get those three right and the rest of the menu stops mattering.
What The Order Costs
My family loves Chinese takeout. Our standard order runs $80 to $85.
That is two chicken and broccoli with sauce on the side. A quart of white rice. A quart of shrimp fried rice and a quart of pork fried rice. Six egg rolls. Wonton soup some nights.
I can cook chicken and broccoli and rice at home for under $10 for the whole family. That gap is why I order it less often than I used to.
The food is not the problem. The default order is the problem.
Decision One: Protein And Vegetables
Choose an entree built around protein and vegetables instead of one that is breaded and deep fried.
This single swap does more for the calorie count than anything else on the menu.
Fried food multiplies the numbers. Steamed food does not. That is the whole pattern.
You can still order something fried. An egg roll fits inside a normal day if you plan for it. Order the fried entree and you are working with a much bigger number.
Decision Two: Sauce On The Side
The sodium lives in the sauce.
Leave it to the kitchen and they will pour it over everything and let it soak in. Ask for it on the side and you decide how much lands on your plate.
This is the request that costs you nothing and changes the most.
Decision Three: Rice Ordered Separate
Order the rice separate from the entree. Same for lo mein noodles.
In a fat loss phase most men do best with about one cup of starchy carbohydrate at a meal. Two cups can work if you move the carbohydrates around elsewhere in the day.
Carbohydrates are energy. Eat more of them when you move more.
White rice keeps well. Order an extra quart on purpose and you have carbohydrates ready for later meals instead of eating them all tonight.
The Quart Container
A quart container holds about four cups of food.
A cup of cooked rice runs about 200 calories and 40 grams of carbohydrate. A full quart is therefore around 160 grams of carbohydrate.
That is a lot of running to earn.
Portion the rice onto your plate from the container. Do not eat out of the quart.
Five Orders That Already Work
These five appear on almost any neighborhood Chinese restaurant menu and they already fit the pattern.
- Steamed chicken with mixed vegetables
- Steamed shrimp with mixed vegetables
- Chicken and broccoli with light sauce on the side
- Moo Goo Gai Pan with light sauce on the side
- Beef and broccoli with sauce on the side
Any of these can be a real meal without a special request.
Many Chinese restaurants also serve a lunch portion of the same dish. That is portion control you can order off the menu with no conversation at all.
What Five Common Dishes Cost You
These are approximations. Portions differ from one restaurant to the next and a full order is not the same as a cup.
Moo Goo Gai Pan runs about 200 to 300 calories a cup with 15 to 25 grams of protein. It arrives with chicken and a lot of vegetables already in it. This is the strongest default on the list.
Kung Pao Chicken brings more protein and costs more to get it. One order runs about 700 to 800 calories with roughly 55 to 60 grams of protein and 40 to 45 grams of fat. The peanuts carry most of the fat and the sauce carries most of the sodium.
Egg rolls add up fast for something you finish in a few bites. Figure 225 to 250 calories each with about 11 grams of fat. Two of them approach 500 calories before any food reaches your plate.
Chicken Chow Mein carries about 41 grams of protein at roughly 500 calories. That sits inside the 30 to 45 gram range where a meal does the most for lean mass.
General Tso's Chicken is the one to understand before you order it. Nine pieces run close to 500 calories with about 20 grams of protein and about 25 grams of fat. Most of that fat comes from the breading and the frying, and the sauce carries sugar on top of it.
The Sodium Number Worth Knowing
Kung Pao Chicken can carry somewhere around 2,000 to 2,500 milligrams of sodium in a single order.
The guideline for adults and teens over 14 is less than 2,300 milligrams for a whole day. For men with high blood pressure or diabetes or kidney disease or a heart condition the ideal limit is 1,500 milligrams.
If you carry one of those conditions then one dish can pass your entire day.
Sauce on the side is how you take that number back.
Appetizers That Do Not Cost Much
Steamed vegetable dumplings run about 50 calories each. A steamed chicken dumpling runs about 75. A cup of egg drop soup runs about 75.
These fill you up before the entree arrives and they barely move the total.
A fortune cookie is about 30 calories. Finish the meal with one.
The crispy fried appetizers are where an appetizer stops being cheap. Those belong in the same category as the egg roll.
Brown Rice Or White Rice
Brown rice carries more fiber than white rice.
That does not mean you have to swear off white rice. It does mean the choice is not a coin flip. Large cohort studies link higher white rice intake with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, and the risk climbs with each daily serving.
Portion size still decides most of this. A measured cup of white rice beats an unmeasured pile of brown rice.
If you already have type 2 diabetes or you are heading toward it then brown rice is the better default.
Where General Tso's Chicken Came From
The dish did not start out the way it arrives now.
A chef named Peng Chang-kuei created the original in Taiwan in the 1950s. By his own account it was hotter and saltier and less sweet than the version sold in American food courts.
The American version picked up a sweeter sauce and a crispier batter. Peng saw photographs of it later in his career and thought it had gone wrong.
The calories followed the sugar and the batter.
Ordering For The Family
Our order is not perfect and it does not need to be.
The fried rice adds calories. The chicken and broccoli with white rice on the side and one egg roll is a reasonable plate inside it.
We serve family style and eat together and put a movie on. That part matters more than the macros.
There is always food left over. Portion the leftovers into the meals you have left rather than eating them straight from the container.
Pair a leftover with a leaner protein and a pile of vegetables. The carbohydrates are already there so you do not need to add more.
When The Kitchen Will Not Customize
Some kitchens do not take special requests. That is fine.
Order something steamed. Chicken and shrimp are the easiest two to find.
Then look at the photographs on the menu. Pick the dish showing the most vegetables and the least noodle or rice.
You can make a good choice without asking anyone for anything.
After The Meal
Sodium runs high across most of this menu. Drink more water than usual for the rest of the day.
Walk afterward. Get your heart rate up and let your body settle the sodium out.
Eat slowly while you are at the table. Put the serving spoon down between bites.
Men Who Have Done This
Jamie came through the 100 days and lost 38 pounds. His episode is 140.
Nate ate ice cream almost every day and still came through the program with his blood sugar moving in the right direction. That is episode 137.
Mike walked his daughter down the aisle at the end of his 100 days and handed her off to his new son-in-law. He was proud of how he looked doing it.
None of them did anything you cannot do.
Action Steps
- Pick an entree built on protein and vegetables rather than breading.
- Ask for the sauce on the side every time.
- Order the rice separate and portion about one cup onto your plate.
- Start with steamed dumplings or egg drop soup rather than an egg roll.
- Order the lunch portion when it is available.
- Drink extra water and take a walk after a high sodium meal.
- Send questions to brian@brianparana.com.
More From Driven For Health
- Episode 157 covers what to eat at the airport.
- Episode 156 covers what to order at a gas station.
- Episode 145 opened the what-to-order series with Chipotle.
- Episode 140 features Jamie and his 38 pounds.
Get The Guide
I built a whole system around eating away from home. It covers gas stations and airports and fast food and sit-down restaurants in one place.
Grab the Eating On-The-Go Guide at go.brianparana.com/eatingonthego. It has a table of contents and it is built to be read fast.
The Call To Rise
The Call To Rise is a 100-day Fat Loss Challenge designed for driven men ready to get back to a healthy body, boost their energy, and lead as a powerful man.
If you are struggling with some form of chronic illness such as high blood pressure, cholesterol or even Type 2 Diabetes - this program is designed for you too.
Through a proven system of strength training, personalized nutrition, and real accountability, most men lose 20 plus pounds and rebuild the confidence that comes with it and even improve chronic illness issues. It's more than a fitness program, it's a body transformation experience with a Brotherhood of like-minded men committed to showing up, leveling up, and leading in a body they are excited about.
This is your wake-up call to rise.
www.thecalltorise.com
Frequently Asked Questions
What should you order at a Chinese restaurant to lose fat?
Order an entree built on protein and vegetables with the sauce on the side and the rice ordered separate. Steamed chicken with mixed vegetables is the most reliable version of that order.
How many calories are in Chinese takeout?
It depends entirely on the dish. Moo Goo Gai Pan runs about 200 to 300 calories a cup while Kung Pao Chicken can run 700 to 800 calories for one order.
Why does asking for sauce on the side matter so much?
Most of the sodium in a Chinese dish sits in the sauce rather than the protein. Ordering it on the side lets you decide how much reaches your plate.
How much rice should you eat with Chinese takeout?
About one cup of cooked rice works for most men in a fat loss phase. A quart container holds roughly four cups, so portion it onto a plate rather than eating from the container.
Is brown rice better than white rice?
Brown rice carries more fiber and large cohort studies link higher white rice intake with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Portion size still matters most, and brown rice is the better default for men managing blood sugar.
What are the healthiest Chinese takeout appetizers?
Steamed vegetable dumplings run about 50 calories each and a cup of egg drop soup runs about 75. Both fill you up without moving the total much.
What should you order if the restaurant will not customize?
Ask for a steamed chicken or shrimp dish that already comes with vegetables. Most menus carry one without any substitution needed.
What is the Call To Rise program?
The Call To Rise is a 100-day fat loss challenge built around strength training, personalized nutrition and real accountability. Most men lose 20 plus pounds and rebuild the confidence that comes with it.
CEO l Head Body Tranformer
Brian Parana is a men’s health coach with 23+ years of experience helping busy professionals improve their body, energy, and day-to-day habits while still leading at work and at home. His coaching is built around practical nutrition, training, sleep, and accountability, with a plan tailored to the person in front of him.
Over the years, Brian has helped thousands of clients through his work as a personal trainer, CrossFit gym owner, and online coach. He has also coached an Olympic silver medalist, a 2-time Olympian, and a CrossFit World Champion.
Brian is the host of the Driven For Health Podcast, where he shares real-world strategies for men who want to feel strong again and stay consistent without making health a second job.
He’s also the creator of The Call To Rise, a 100-day fat loss experience for driven men who want to drop 20–30 pounds, boost energy, and rebuild confidence through strength training, personalized nutrition, and high-accountability coaching. Many men join because their blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar is heading the wrong direction, and they want a clear plan that fits real life.
Brian is married to his high school sweetheart, Amber, and they have four kids. Their family has traveled to all 50 states and 4 continents, with a goal to reach all seven.
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