The Shake Shack Burger That Beats The ShackBurger
One item on the Shake Shack board carries more protein than fat. It costs nothing extra and it is not the sandwich with the name on it. Coach Brian walks the menu number by number and hands you the order that works on a fat loss day.
Shake Shack builds a good burger and the famous one is not the best order on the board. A chocolate shake here carries the calories of two plain hamburgers and a third of the protein. Episode 155 walks the menu item by item and names the order worth placing.
A Family Connection To The First Shack
Coach Brian's wife was on the opening team of the original Shake Shack in Madison Square Park in 2004. That is the reason this chain landed on the restaurant tour at all.
Shake Shack is the eleventh stop in the series. It is the second burger counter in a row after Wendy's.
Two Numbers Decide Everything Here
Brian works off calories and protein at every one of these counters. Those two numbers tell you what a sandwich costs you and what it gives back.
Fat and sodium matter on this menu more than most. Both run high here and both are easy to miss while you are reading the board.
The Menu, Item By Item
Every figure below is the one Brian states on the recording.
Chocolate Shake
750 calories with about 16 grams of protein and 45 grams of fat.
The protein comes from the dairy. The rest of it is fat and sugar.
This is the biggest single number on the board and it is a drink. Two plain hamburgers cost about the same and hand you 50 grams of protein instead of 16.
On a 2,000 calorie day the shake takes 37.5 percent of everything you get. On a fat loss target it moves closer to half the day.
Split it with someone or order the smallest size on offer.
Regular Fries
470 calories with 6 grams of protein.
This is the lowest protein return on the menu. Potatoes carry little protein and the fryer adds the calories.
The word fries is close to automatic when you order a combo. Ask yourself whether you want them before the answer is out of your mouth.
Shroom Burger
510 calories with 18 grams of protein and 27 grams of fat.
A portobello mushroom sounds like the light pick here. Shake Shack fills it with cheese and then breads and fries the whole thing.
A couple of raw mushrooms run about 30 calories. The sandwich built around them runs over 500.
Read the full description whenever an item carries a healthy sounding name. Brian built a whole episode on that habit at episode 74.
Single SmokeShack
600 calories with 36 grams of protein and 38 grams of fat.
More than half of those calories come from fat. Any time the fat number sits close to the protein number, the balance is working against you.
Sodium is the real headline at 1,800 milligrams. The federal limit for adults is less than 2,300 milligrams a day. The ideal limit drops to 1,500 milligrams for men with high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease or a heart condition.
One sandwich clears that lower limit on its own. If your doctor has you watching sodium or blood pressure, this is not your order.
Single ShackBurger
500 calories with 29 grams of protein and 30 grams of fat. Sodium is 1,200 milligrams.
This is the signature order and the one most men reach for. Fat and protein sit at almost the same number again.
The bacon, cherry peppers, cheese and shack sauce carry that sodium. They are also why it tastes the way it does.
Chicken Shack
550 calories with 33 grams of protein and 31 grams of fat.
Chicken reads as the lighter pick at any counter. This one is breaded and fried, so the fat lands right beside the beef.
You get more protein than a ShackBurger and more calories with it. That is not a trade worth making.
Double Hamburger
560 calories with 44 grams of protein and 30 grams of fat.
This is the winner. It is the only item on the board carrying more protein than fat.
It is also not the most exciting thing at Shake Shack. That is the cost of the numbers working.
The Trap Sitting Next To The Winner
The double ShackBurger looks like the same order with more on it. It runs 760 calories with 51 grams of protein and 48 grams of fat.
Moving from the plain double to that one buys you 7 grams of protein and costs you 18 grams of fat. The plain double is the better buy every time.
The same pattern runs down the singles. A single hamburger is 370 calories with 25 grams of protein. A single cheeseburger is 440 with 29 grams. The cheese is the whole difference at roughly 70 calories.
Three Meals You Can Order
The Famous One
A single ShackBurger with regular fries and a chocolate shake. That runs 1,720 calories with 51 grams of protein and 97 grams of fat. It also carries a full day of sodium.
The protein is fine. Everything else on that tray is the problem.
The Light One
A single hamburger with water. 370 calories and 25 grams of protein.
Boring and it checks the box. It may not hold you as long as you want it to.
The High Protein One
A double hamburger with water or a zero calorie drink. 560 calories and 44 grams of protein.
This is the one Brian puts most of the men he coaches on at this counter.
If you are there for the fun of it, order the single ShackBurger instead. Take a couple of fries off someone else's tray and a sip of the shake.
You still walk out with no fiber and a lot of sodium. Know that going in.
Cutting The Bun
A regular bun runs about 120 calories and about 30 grams of carbs. Ask for the burger wrapped in lettuce and that comes off the order.
Some locations carry a gluten free bun as well. The lettuce wrap is the one that moves the numbers.
A double ShackBurger wrapped in lettuce is the version to order if you want the signature build. You keep the flavor and drop the bread.
The Rule At Any Burger Counter
Read the numbers before you order. Look for the highest protein and the lowest fat on the board.
At Shake Shack that is the double hamburger. At some of the other stops on this tour it is a single cheeseburger.
Brian runs this through the AIM standard. Am I moving toward my health goals or away from them? Ask it before the order goes in.
Where This Matters
One stop at Shake Shack changes nothing over a year. Order what you want and fit it into the day around it.
The pattern is what moves the scale. That 1,720 calorie tray every week is a different problem from the same tray twice a year.
This menu holds both ends of the range. One burger gives you 44 grams of protein for 560 calories. One drink gives you 16 grams for 750.
Take This Further
Brian keeps a free Eating On The Go Guide covering Shake Shack 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.
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More From Driven For Health
The previous stop in this series was Wendy's: What To Order At Wendy's For Fat Loss (Men Over 40). Shake Shack makes the eleventh restaurant on the tour.
The label reading habit behind every one of these breakdowns is How Men Need To Read Nutrition Labels To Lose Fat. The tour itself grew out of How Men Lose Weight While Eating On The Go.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best thing to order at Shake Shack for fat loss?
The double hamburger at 560 calories with 44 grams of protein and 30 grams of fat. It is the only item on the board carrying more protein than fat.
How many calories are in a Shake Shack chocolate shake?
750 calories with about 16 grams of protein and 45 grams of fat. That is roughly the calories of two plain hamburgers, which would hand you 50 grams of protein instead.
Is the Shroom Burger a healthy choice at Shake Shack?
It runs 510 calories with 18 grams of protein and 27 grams of fat. The mushroom is filled with cheese and then breaded and fried, so it lands near the beef burgers.
How much sodium is in a Shake Shack SmokeShack?
1,800 milligrams in the single. The federal limit for adults is less than 2,300 milligrams a day, and the ideal limit is 1,500 for men with high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease or a heart condition.
Should you order the ShackBurger or the plain hamburger?
The single ShackBurger is 500 calories with 29 grams of protein. The plain hamburger is 370 calories with 25 grams. Order the ShackBurger for the flavor and the plain one for the numbers.
What is the difference between the double hamburger and the double ShackBurger?
The double hamburger is 560 calories with 44 grams of protein and 30 grams of fat. The double ShackBurger is 760 calories with 51 grams of protein and 48 grams of fat. You gain 7 grams of protein and 18 grams of fat.
Does a lettuce wrap help at Shake Shack?
A regular bun runs about 120 calories and about 30 grams of carbs. Asking for lettuce instead of the bun takes that off the order.
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.
