Are Gyros Healthy? (5 Tips For Weight Loss) 

If you’re a fan of Greek cuisine, and love eating Gyros but aren’t sure if this dish is healthy or good for your waistline, this article is right for you. Find out what Gyros are and see whether, or not you can lose weight and stay in shape, eating this popular and delicious Greek dish.

Gyros are a Greek dish that consists of roasted meat served in pita bread, with tomato, onions, and Tzatziki. Gyros is a distant relative to the Turkish Doner Kebab and was introduced to Athens by immigrants from Anatolia and the Middle East. 

Although Gyros are quite delicious, are they actually healthy?

Gyros are relatively healthy if made with lamb, as it is high in protein. However, due to its higher fat content, it is recommended to consume a Gyro in moderation. 

Here are five steps that explain what Gyros are, the calorie amount in one serving, as well as how to stay fit and healthy while eating this classic Greek dish. 

1. What Goes into Making Gyros?

2. How Many Calories Are in One Serving of Gyros?

3. Understand How Many Calories You Need to Consume in a Day

4. How to Make a Healthier Version of Gyros at Home

5. How to Stay in Shape and Build Muscle

Now that we know our three steps, let’s get into the details that will help you stay in shape while enjoying some delicious Gyros.

Tip 1. What Goes into Making Gyros?

Gyros are a delicious Greek street food that also found popularity here in the states, especially in Chicago and New York City. 

Traditionally, Gyros - introduced to Athens during World War II - were made with lamb, but the Greek version actually contains pork. Chicken is also widely common in many countries. Gyros available in the states are usually made with minced beef, mixed with lamb. 

The mass-produced meat in the states is seasoned, and stacked on a spit which is then delivered to restaurants all over the country. It is sliced very thinly and served on a pita with lettuce, raw onions, tomatoes, sometimes fries and topped with Tzatziki. 

Now that we know what goes into making Gyros the traditional way, let’s take a look at the nutrition facts and see how many calories are in one serving of Gyros.

Tip 2. How Many Calories Are in One Serving of Gyros?

Whether you live a sedentary lifestyle or an active lifestyle, it’s important to understand how many calories you need to consume daily. Keep in mind that weight loss is really the concept of calories in vs. calories out.

Let’s take a look at the nutrition facts. As you can see, one Gyro (with beef and lamb) has 590 calories with a macronutrient ratio of 74 grams of carbs, 44 grams of protein, and 12 grams of fat. 

Staying healthy and fit is all about calorie or energy balance, which means that you can still eat your fats and carbs, and stay in shape. 

One serving of Gyros is pretty high in calories and carbs but can still be incorporated into your daily calorie intake, as long as you are working out and don’t overeat. One Gyro is also high in proteins, with whopping 12 grams, and is low in fat, with only 12 grams.

If you burn more calories than you consume, then you will find yourself in a “caloric deficit” which is the only way fat loss can occur.  

It’s important to first go over your daily caloric needs, and figure out how many calories you need in a day. The next step is to figure out how much of each macronutrient you should be consuming. 

A good rule of thumb for dieting is keeping a nice balance of macronutrients. A great ratio is sticking to 30% carbs, 40% protein, and 30% fats. 

The key aspect is to understand how many calories you need to eat in a day and to make sure not to overeat on your total accounted calories for the day. 

You don’t want all of your calories simply coming from carbs or fats, you want there to be a balance coming from carbs, protein, and fats.

Now that we know a little bit more about the nutrition facts of one Gyro, let’s take a look at how many calories you need to consume daily to stay in shape.

Tip 3. Understand How Many Calories You Need to Consume in a Day

Great health and fitness are all about calorie or energy balance, which means that you can still eat your fats and carbs, and stay in shape. 

You can easily overeat on unhealthy, processed foods that are high in fats and carbs, especially when something is as delicious as Gyros. Overeating is usually the quickest way to get out of shape. 

If you burn more calories than you consume, then you will find yourself in a “caloric deficit” which is the only way fat loss can occur. 

To stay healthy and in shape, we need to first go over your daily caloric needs and figure out how many calories you need in a day, as well as figure out how much of each macronutrient you should be consuming.

There are a few factors that determine your daily calorie intake. Such as weight management, weight loss, or weight gain. Other factors that play a big role, are your gender and your height. 

So, how do you know how many calories you should be eating in a day?

The answer is through trial and error and finding a calorie range that allows you to lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week. 

However, a good place to start is to multiply your body weight by 12 or to use an online TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculator.

Your TDEE relies heavily on how active you are and how much movement you see in your day.

Within your TDEE lies a subsection, which is called TEPA (Thermic Effect of Physical Activity) which accounts for 15-30% of your entire day’s worth of calories.

This means, you are in control of 15-30% of how much you can eat, which is a huge portion of calories.

The key here is to find foods that keep you full longer and still deliver a balanced amount of macronutrients. 

If you’re someone who loves to eat a lot while staying fit, then being active is the key to a balanced lifestyle that allows you to eat whatever you like, such as Gyros, and stay in shape. 

Once you know your calorie intake based on your weight and height, you can then decide how much you want to decrease it. If you want to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, we suggest you start with 100 calories less than what you are currently consuming and see if you notice a difference within a week.

If you don’t see any changes in your weight, decrease your calorie intake by another 100 calories and see how that works. 

However, it is suggested, to not decrease the calorie intake below 1,200 per day for women, or below 1,500 calories per day for men.

So, just calculate whatever calorie range you find, and split up your calories by following those macro guidelines. 

Now that we know how many calories to consume daily, let’s take a look at how to make a healthier version at home.

Tip 4. How to Make a Healthier Version of Gyros at Home

If you are concerned about the calorie amount from a restaurant-made Gyro, you can easily make Gyros at home. 

This will bring the calories down to 343 kcals per Gyro sandwich, with a macronutrient ratio of 6 grams of carbs, 30 grams of protein, and 22 grams of fat.

Don’t panic. Fat is actually important, as the body needs healthy fats to function properly and to absorb nutrients. As well as to produce hormones. 

The real enemy is inactivity and staying sedentary while eating more than you need to. 

In this homemade recipe, you combine the ground lamb and ground beef, garlic, spices, and onion together, and mix them in a food processor. Once you have a paste-like consistency, you transfer the meat mixture into a baking dish, such as a loaf form, and bake it. 

After cooling, you can cut it into thin slices, and pan-fry those until crispy, and serve them in a grilled pita with the usual condiments. You can use low-fat Greek yogurt for the Tzatziki sauce.

If you are a vegan, you can make Gyros using tempeh or satan, as well as using a plant-based yogurt alternative to make the Tzatziki sauce. 

Now that we know how to make a healthier version of Gyros at home, let’s take a look at how you can increase your activity level.

Tip 5. How to Stay in Shape and Build Muscle

After you’ve figured out how many calories you need to consume daily, you need to make sure that you exercise regularly and increase your activity level.

Therefore it is important you utilize your calories efficiently throughout your day. 

The best way to do this is to build muscle and to also move more throughout your day. 

Building muscle allows you to burn calories at rest, which means you can eat more and still lose fat.

This is really the goal of working out and is what keeps you healthy as your metabolism increases.

The fastest and most efficient way to build muscle is to learn how to do some resistance training.

As stated in Tip #3, you need to be able to burn calories throughout your day in order to put yourself at a caloric deficit. 

Although working out and building muscle takes priority, having a consistent cardio schedule can help with expediting the fat loss process as it raises the energy expended throughout your week.

The fastest and most efficient way to build muscle is to learn how to do some resistance training.

You can also do a combination of resistance training and LISS (Low-Intensity Steady State) cardio or HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) cardio, to improve your heart health and maximize fat burn. 

LISS is cardio that comes from walking or a brisk walk, you should be able to have a conversation while still building up a sweat.

HIIT cardio is intervals of a very high-intensity movement, such as sprints, battle ropes, or kickboxing movements aiming to quickly raise the heart rate.

The benefit of HIIT is allowing yourself to burn calories in a shorter amount of time. 

We recommend having 80% of cardio coming from LISS while 20% comes from HIIT for optimal fat loss throughout the week. 

LISS is a much more reliable source of consistent movement and does not require rest as it does not shock the Central Nervous System the way HIIT can.

You need to use weights and build muscle by doing a variety of workouts that isolate each muscle group specifically. 

Although it can be intimidating to get in shape, as it will be hard to learn and might be discouraging at the beginning, it’s definitely worth it in the long run for both your health and fitness. 

All you need are a set of dumbbells, such as these adjustable dumbbells, and a reliable treadmill such as the Bluefin Fitness Treadmill that tracks your calories and you’re on your way to controlling the number of calories you burn. 

Regarding working out with dumbbells, it’s important not to add too much weight too soon because that could result in injury if you are unfamiliar with the correct body positions. It is better to start small and then increase the weight level. 

Here is a workout plan we’ve created for men and women, where you can get started if you are new to a resistance training regimen.

MEN:

Day One: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Abs (Push Day) : 

• Cable Crunches: 4 sets 15 reps 

• Triceps Rope Push Down: 3 sets 15 reps

• Lateral Raises: 3 sets 15 reps

• Shoulder Press: 3 sets 10 reps

• Dumbbell Press: 4 sets 12 reps

• Bench Press: 3 sets 10 reps

Day Two (Legs & Abs):

• Weighted Toe Touches: 4 sets 25 reps

• Weighted Sit-Ups: 4 sets 25 reps

• Jumping Squats With Resistance Bands: 5 sets 20 reps

• Glute Bridges With Weight: 4 sets 20 reps

• Stiff Leg Deadlift (Romanian Deadlift): 4 sets 15 reps

• Weighted Walking Lunges: 2 sets 20 steps

• Goblet Squats: 4 sets 20 reps

Day Three: Back & Biceps (Pull Day):

• Hammer Curls: 3 sets 10 reps

• Bicep Curls: 3 sets 10 reps

• Seated Cable Rows: 4 sets 15 reps

• Dumbbell Rows: 4 sets 10 reps (Each Side)

• Lat Pulldowns: 4 sets 12 reps

• Assisted Pull-Ups: 3 sets 10 reps

WOMEN

Day One (Full Upper):

• Weighted Crunches: 3x35 

• Lateral Raises: 4x15

• Lat Pulldowns: 4x12

• Knee Push-Ups: 4x20

• Seated Shoulder Press: 4x20 

• Dumbbell Row: 3x10

• Dumbbell Fly: 3x10

Day Two (Back/Hamstrings/Biceps):

• Hammer Curls: 3x10

• Bicep Curls: 3x10

• Hamstring Curl: 4x15

• Stiff Leg Deadlift: 4x15

• Cable Row: 4x15

• Lat Pulldowns: 4x12

• Assisted Pull-Ups: 3x10

Day Three (Legs/Butt/Abs): 

• Leg Lifts: 3x35

• Weighted Crunches: 3x35 

• Jump Squats: 4x20

• Glute Kickbacks: 4x20 each leg

• Glute Bridge: 4x20

• Goblet Squats: 4x20

• Squats: 5x5

We recommend working out at least three times per week in the beginning, since the resting days in between are important to build muscle. 

Building muscle will happen relatively fast if you are new to working out, so this is great news for anyone looking to get in shape.

That’s why it’s important to increase your activity level at least 3 - 4 times a week if your goal is to get lean. 

Fats and carbs are the two macronutrients that will be more likely to be stored as energy. 

Therefore, you don’t want all of your calories simply coming from carbs or fats, you want there to be a balance coming from carbs, protein, and fats.

Make sure to stick with it for a long time and understand that fitness is a lifelong journey that takes time to cultivate.

Working out allows you to be more flexible in your diet and lifestyle, which is so important if you want to sustain a lean body and stay healthy. 

This is why we need to control the number of calories we get from carbs and fats in order to utilize the energy we gained through movement and workouts.

The tip here is to live active and go out and seek a workout regimen. 

We provided you one above in this article but, if that’s too much hard work, simply go outside for a walk 3 - 4 times a week and you’ll be good to go.

So, next time you’re wondering how you can lose some weight, remember that you need to build some muscle and track your calories to your specified amount. 

THERE IT IS!

In this article, we discussed what a Gyro sandwich is, if it’s healthy, and how many calories it contains.

The key to healthy eating is balance and moderation. Our five tips will help you stay fit while eating Gyros. 

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