What To Order At Panda Express For Fat Loss (Men Over 40)
Orange chicken makes up more than a third of everything Panda Express sells, and the two worst items on the board are the sides that go underneath it. Episode 153 ranks nine real orders from worst to best and names the plate worth building. It covers the side dish carrying 100 grams of carbs, the entree with the worst protein-to-fat ratio on the menu, and the stack that gets you 66 grams of protein.
Orange chicken makes up more than a third of everything Panda Express sells. The two worst items on the board are both sides, and almost everyone orders one of them without thinking about it. Episode 153 ranks nine real orders and names the plate worth building.
The Dish That Built The Chain
Brian opens on the item everybody orders. Chef Andy Kao built orange chicken sweeter and less spicy than a traditional preparation, aimed at an American palate, and it worked.
Orange chicken is about 510 calories. The fried rice almost everyone puts under it is 620. That is the tray before a drink or an egg roll touches it.
Order that combination once a week for a year and it stacks up. Brian puts the cost at roughly 17 pounds of fat if everything else stays the same.
That last condition is carrying a lot of weight. Bodyweight responds to a change in intake slowly, and the modelling work on this puts the half time at around a year. A weekly habit this size is worth real weight over time. It does not land 17 pounds on you inside the first year.
This menu has more range in it than any stop in the series so far. One combination runs 1,200 calories and up before a drink. Another lands at 350. What you say at the counter is the whole difference.
Nine Real Orders, Ranked One to Ten
Brian ranks these worst to best. Every figure below is the one he states on the recording.
Fried Rice
620 calories with 13 grams of protein and 19 grams of fat. Sodium is 1,000 milligrams and carbs are 100.
This is a side dish carrying 100 grams of carbs. Brian's estimate is that a single side covers 60 to 70 percent of the carbs most men need in a day.
He calls it the side that eats like a second entree and never gets ordered like one.
Chow Mein
600 calories with 15 grams of protein and 23 grams of fat. Another 1,000 milligrams of sodium, and 94 grams of carbs.
Brian scores it three out of ten. Noodles sound lighter than rice and land about 20 calories apart from it.
Both are calorie-dense and both arrive in large portions.
Honey Walnut Shrimp
430 calories with 13 grams of protein and 28 grams of fat. Sodium is 700 milligrams.
Brian scores it four out of ten and calls the protein-to-fat ratio one of the worst on the menu. Shrimp carries almost no fat on its own, so the frying is doing all of it.
Getting enough shrimp on the plate to fix that ratio turns it into a $15 order.
Beijing Beef
470 calories with 14 grams of protein and 27 grams of fat.
Brian scores it five out of ten. His own daily fat target in a fat loss phase is 50 to 60 grams, so one entree here takes close to half of it.
The beef and the sauce are carrying this dish. The protein is not.
Orange Chicken
510 calories with 16 grams of protein and 24 grams of fat.
Brian scores it six out of ten. This is the crowd favorite and the protein is low for what it costs you.
Breading and frying are where the calories go. Adding more of the dish adds more carbs and fat rather than more protein.
Kung Pao Chicken
320 calories with 17 grams of protein and 21 grams of fat. Sodium is 1,000 milligrams.
The calories are coming down and the protein is climbing. Chicken carries less fat than beef and that is what moves this up the list.
Sodium does not move. Brian's explanation is that salt and preservatives are what let food travel across the country and taste the same at every counter.
Mushroom Chicken
13 grams of protein with 14 grams of fat.
Protein and fat are close to level here for the first time on the list. That is the pattern worth watching as the ranking climbs.
String Bean Chicken Breast
210 calories with 12 grams of protein and 12 grams of fat. Sodium is low for this menu.
Brian says you could order two of these and build a reasonable meal out of them. He would still leave the rice and the noodles off the tray.
Black Pepper Sirloin Steak And Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
The steak carries about 19 grams of protein with 6 grams of fat. That is the lowest fat number on the whole menu.
The grilled teriyaki chicken carries 33 grams of protein and adds 95 more calories.
Gram for gram the steak wins. Both are real orders and both beat everything above them.
Your Order, Written Down
Panda Express calls its vegetable side "Super Greens". Put one of the two winners on top of the greens and leave the rice and the noodles off the tray.
Black pepper sirloin steak with the greens lands at roughly 310 calories for 28 grams of protein. That is the order.
If you want more than that, the bigger plate is one side and three entrees. Stack black pepper sirloin on the greens with no rice and it lands near 670 calories with 66 grams of protein.
Most men never order it that way. It has been on the menu the whole time.
What Changed In 2025
Brian's account of the orange chicken is worth knowing before you order it. The sauce used to be made in each kitchen, and in 2025 it started arriving pre-made.
Customers and staff noticed. The complaints he describes are a stickier sauce and a drier piece of chicken.
Panda Express's answer, as he relays it, is that the original recipe is still at the heart of the dish and the change was about consistency from one location to the next.
The trade is real either way. A chain moving this much food needs the same dish at every counter.
The Fast Five
What is the single best order here? Black pepper sirloin steak on the greens. Roughly 310 calories for 28 grams of protein.
What is the worst thing on the tray? Fried rice at 620 calories. Chow mein is next at 600, and both are sides rather than entrees.
How popular is orange chicken? Brian puts it at more than a third of everything the chain sells, which is why the company standardized how it gets made.
What is the real protein stack? The bigger plate, one side and three entrees. Black pepper sirloin on the greens with no rice lands near 670 calories with 66 grams of protein.
Does the shrimp count as a lean seafood order? Not as it comes. 430 calories with 13 grams of protein and 28 grams of fat, and the frying is where that fat comes from.
Where This Matters
A single stop changes nothing over a year. The weekly version is what moves the scale.
The gap between the two ends of this menu is wider than at any stop in the series so far. One combination runs 1,200 calories and up. Another runs 350. Both come from the same counter.
Reading the board is the whole skill, and at this restaurant the side is where most of the reading happens.
Why Men Start This
Every man has his own reason and the general ones repeat. Getting his energy back. Being the man his family counts on.
Brian recorded two of those stories the same week as this episode. Joe came through the program and held onto what he built. Pablo did it while running a career, finishing postgraduate study and traveling repeatedly.
Both of their episodes land later in the run.
Take This Further
Brian keeps a free Eating On The Go Guide covering Panda Express and the rest of this series. Download it at go.brianparana.com/eatingonthegoguide.
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
More From Driven For Health
The previous stop in this series was the late-night drive-thru: What To Order At Taco Bell For Fat Loss (Men Over 40). Panda Express is the ninth restaurant on the tour and the first Chinese American chain in it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best thing to order at Panda Express for fat loss?
The black pepper sirloin steak with the greens side. That plate lands at roughly 310 calories for 28 grams of protein, and the steak carries the lowest fat number on the menu at 6 grams.
What is the worst thing to order at Panda Express?
Fried rice at 620 calories. It carries 100 grams of carbs, 19 grams of fat and 1,000 milligrams of sodium. Chow mein is close behind at 600 calories.
How many calories are in orange chicken with fried rice?
Orange chicken is about 510 calories and the fried rice under it is 620. That is the tray before a drink or an egg roll.
Is orange chicken bad for fat loss?
It runs 510 calories with 16 grams of protein and 24 grams of fat. Brian scores it six out of ten. The breading and the frying are where the calories go.
What is the highest protein order at Panda Express?
The bigger plate, one side and three entrees. Black pepper sirloin stacked on the greens with no rice lands near 670 calories with 66 grams of protein.
Should you order the honey walnut shrimp?
It runs 430 calories with 13 grams of protein and 28 grams of fat. Brian calls that one of the worst protein-to-fat ratios on the menu, since shrimp carries almost no fat and the frying adds all of it.
What changed about Panda Express orange chicken in 2025?
Brian's account is that the sauce moved from being made in each kitchen to arriving pre-made, and that customers and staff described a stickier sauce and a drier piece of chicken. The company's answer, as he relays it, is that the original recipe is still at the heart of the dish.
What is the Call To Rise program?
The Call To Rise is a 100-day fat loss challenge built on 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.
What To Order At Sports Bars For Fat Loss
YouTube 