15 Restaurant Dishes You Should Never Order If You're Trying To Lose Weight

Dining out at your favorite chain restaurant can be a comforting treat, offering a break from cooking with the added appeal of familiar flavors. While these dishes can be a nice indulgence, many come with a hefty calorie count that can derail weight loss efforts. From hidden sugars and heavy sauces to oversized portions, some menu items pack far more calories than you'd expect.

Knowing the most calorie-laden restaurant meals can help you make smarter choices that support your weight loss goals without giving up the joy of eating out. To help you make smarter choices while still enjoying the experience of dining out, we've ranked 15 of the highest-calorie dishes from popular chain restaurants, going from bad to the absolute worst.

Whether you're aiming to lose weight, maintain a balanced diet, or just stay informed, these calorie-laden options are worth skipping or, better yet, swapping for healthier alternatives such as The Best Low-Calorie Dinners at 15 Major Restaurant Chains.

IHOP Country Fried Steak & Eggs with Sausage Gravy

While it's the lowest calorie item on our list, IHOP's Country Fried Steak & Eggs with Sausage Gravy still contains close to a day's worth of calories for many people trying to lose weight. With a mix of steak, fried eggs, hashbrowns, and sausage gravy, you're getting a meal laden with sodium, fat, and calories that can counteract your best intentions to lose weight and make you feel sluggish at the same time. Plus, the sodium content is nearly 50% higher than most people should have in an entire day, which can also make you hold onto water weight.

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TGI Fridays Cajun Shrimp and Chicken Pasta

This meal sounds enticing if you're craving a spicy kick, but TGI Fridays' Cajun Shrimp and Chicken Pasta is undoubtedly a meal to skip if weight loss is your goal. While it contains a generous 72 grams of protein, it is almost 1,400 calories, which can quickly derail a calorie-controlled diet. The sodium content is more than a day's worth, and it is heavy in saturated fat, the type of fat that can lead to high cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease.

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Bonefish Grill Half-Pound Beef Burger with French Fries

Bonefish's Half-Pound Beef Burger with fries is one of the unhealthiest Bonefish Grill items on the menu, delivering 1,410 calories. While the nutrition info includes the meal with fries, it does not include any additional condiments, such as mayo or bacon, which can tack on a few hundred calories. It also contains more than a day's worth of fat, especially for someone on a low-calorie weight-loss diet.

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Denny's Double Bacon Avocado Cheeseburger

This Double Bacon Avocado Cheeseburger from Denny's contains a whopping 1,420 calories, which doesn't even include any sides. If you add fries or even a side salad, you're looking at tackling an additional few hundred calories easily. This meal includes two high-fat beef burgers, cheddar cheese, bacon, avocado, and a brioche bun—all calorie-rich items, so it's no shock that it's one to stay away from.

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Longhorn Steakhouse Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Half-Rack Baby Back Ribs

If you're going to a steakhouse, you may think that chicken would be a lower-calorie alternative to steak. However, combo meals like this LongHorn Steakhouse dish tend to rack up calories quickly since they typically include a larger portion to fit in multiple menu items. This meal racks up at nearly 1,500 calories, a whopping 92 grams of fat, and 17 grams of sugar. You'd be better off getting a steak or their salmon instead.

The Best Longhorn Steakhouse Order for Weight Loss

Outback Steakhouse Queensland Chicken & Shrimp Pasta

This meal, made with fettuccine noodles, Alfredo sauce, buttery chicken, and shrimp, is one of Outback Steakhouse's highest-calorie options. It contains a generous 82 grams of protein that can get you full, but the calorie count of 1,510 is still way over what would be considered weight-loss-friendly. If you're not feeling steak at Outback and are really craving pasta, consider splitting this dish with one or two friends to naturally reduce the number of calories you take in.

Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd's Pie

Cracker Barrel is known for its rich and indulgent comfort meals with a Southern flair. Their Hashbrown Casserole Shepherd's Pie is one of the highest-calorie items on their menu, packing in over 1,500 calories. With ingredients like sour cream, melted cheese, and buttermilk biscuits, it's no wonder this dish is a no-go for weight management.

The Best Cracker Barrel Order for Weight Loss

Olive Garden Tour of Italy

Olive Garden's Tour of Italy is among the chain's most indulgent menu items, combining three rich, cheesy classics: Chicken Parmigiana, Lasagna, and Fettuccine Alfredo. This combo meal delivers nearly 100 grams of fat—about half of which comes from saturated fat—and packs over 3,000 milligrams of sodium. With such a hefty nutritional profile, it's a dish to avoid if you're trying to stay on track with weight loss goals.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

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Ruby Tuesday Rib Eye, Ribs, and Crispy Shrimp Combo

While the Rib Eye, Ribs, and Crispy Shrimp Combo may appeal to those who can't choose just one protein, it's one of the unhealthiest options on Ruby Tuesday's menu. This dish tops the sodium charts, delivering nearly double the daily recommended limit. If you're unsure what to order, opt for something simpler, like a grilled shrimp or chicken dish, and steer clear of anything labeled "crispy." You can always switch up your protein choice on your next visit!

The Healthiest Ruby Tuesday Orders

Chili's Bacon Rancher

If you're looking for a healthier menu option at Chili's, you can quickly cross their Bacon Rancher off your list. It contains 1,690 calories just from the double burger, which does not even include fries. With 123 grams of fat and 49 grams of saturated fat, it's one of the highest fat items on our list and is certainly not heart-healthy. If you're craving a burger, opt for just a single burger and skip the fatty add-ons like cheese, bacon, and mayo to cut hundreds of calories.

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Red Lobster Crunch-fried Flounder Sandwich

While it seems simple and innocent, the Crunch-Fried Flounder Sandwich at Red Lobster is one of their worst options for your waistline. With a massive calorie count of 1,770, fat content of 100 grams, and almost double the recommended sodium limit, we suggest skipping over this one at your next visit.

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Maggiano's Italy Eggplant Parmesan

If you're a fan of Italian cuisine, you may want to steer clear of Maggiano's Italy Eggplant Parmesan, the highest-calorie meal on their menu. It contains over 2,000 calories, more than the average American should consume in an entire day who wants to maintain their weight, let alone lose it. It's also very high in fat and sodium, which can make you feel heavy, bloated, and sluggish. It has one redeeming quality—it's rich in fiber, which can make you full, but there are plenty of healthier ways to get it in than this calorie-packed meal.

The Best & Worst Menu Items at Maggiano's, According to a Dietitian

Cheesecake Factory Bruléed French Toast with Bacon

The Bruléed French Toast at Cheesecake Factory is one of the worst choices on their menu, as it contains over 2,100 calories and an astronomically high amount of fat and saturated fat. At 182 grams of fat, it tops our list for the highest-fat chain restaurant menu item. It is also loaded with sugar, which can lead to blood sugar spikes and crashes that can make you feel more hungry, even if you consumed a lot of calories.

Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Chicken Tots

While naturally the sound of tater tots tossed with anything sounds amazing, the Buffalo Chicken Tots from Buffalo Wild Wings is one of the worst options you can order there. They also contain 6 grams of trans fat, the worst kind of fat in which no amount is considered good for you. It also contains a whopping 7,360 milligrams of sodium, an amount rarely seen in a single meal, and is more than triple the daily recommendation.

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Cheesecake Factory Chicken Katsu

The Cheesecake Factory makes a second appearance on our list with its Chicken Katsu ranking as one of the highest-calorie chain restaurant menu items. While it contains simple ingredients like a crispy chicken breast, steamed white rice, and veggies, it racks up over 2,500 calories between the batter, butter added, and spicy miso sauce. It also contains 201 grams of carbs and 40 grams of sugar, excessively high amounts, especially if you have diabetes or need to monitor your blood sugar.

The next time you venture over to Cheesecake Factory, opt for their Skinnylicious® Small Plates and Appetizers, which all contain 590 calories or less.