How Much Protein Do You Need on a GLP-1, and How to Get Enough

Most people losing weight on a GLP-1 should aim for about 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kilogram of body weight a day, eaten as roughly 25 to 30 g at each meal. If you have a lot of weight to lose, that formula can hand you a number nobody could eat on a small appetite, and there's a better way to set it, below. Then comes the harder part: actually eating it once the medication has taken your appetite away.

Your target at a glance

Body weight	Protein a day	Per meal, over 4 small meals
60 kg (132 lb)	72–96 g	18–24 g
70 kg (154 lb)	84–112 g	21–28 g
80 kg (176 lb)	96–128 g	24–32 g
90 kg (198 lb)	108–144 g	27–36 g

Start at the lower end of your range. Hitting 1.2 g per kg consistently does far more for you than reaching 1.6 twice and giving up.

If you have a lot of weight to lose

The per-kg formula scales badly at the top. At 120 kg (265 lb) it gives 144 to 192 g a day, which is hard to eat on a normal appetite, let alone one a GLP-1 has shrunk.

The 2025 joint advisory from four US obesity and nutrition societies addresses this directly: basing protein on current weight "can significantly overestimate" needs in people with obesity. It suggests a fixed target of 80 to 120 g a day as a practical alternative that's easier to stick to while still covering your needs.

So if your whole range comes out above 120 g, which happens once you weigh more than about 100 kg (220 lb), use 80 to 120 g instead. The calculator flags this for you. Aim towards the top of it if you're tall or training, and ask a dietitian if you want it tailored.

Why the standard advice isn't enough right now

The official reference intake is about 0.8 g per kg a day, with European values landing in the same place. That figure is designed to prevent deficiency in healthy adults. It was never meant for someone losing weight quickly.

Quick weight loss takes muscle with it, not just fat. In the STEP 1 body-composition substudy, people on semaglutide lost 15% of their body weight over 68 weeks: fat mass fell by 19.3%, but lean mass still fell by 9.7%. Fat went faster, so body composition improved, but the muscle loss was real. An expert review of the trial data put it more starkly: people lost 10% or more of their muscle mass over 68 to 72 weeks, roughly what 20 years of ageing would take.

That's why the target is higher while you're losing weight. Intakes of about 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg a day are linked with keeping more lean mass during a calorie deficit. More on the problem itself is in the guide to muscle loss on a GLP-1.

Protein alone won't protect your muscle

This is the part most protein advice skips. The same advisory is blunt: more protein on its own "is likely inadequate" to preserve muscle without resistance training. Protein supplies the building material; lifting something heavy is what tells your body to keep the muscle it has.

You don't need a gym habit. Two or three sessions a week of anything that makes your muscles work against resistance, at home or with weights, changes the outcome. The guide to training on a GLP-1 covers how to fit it around a small appetite.

More isn't better

Past a point, extra protein adds nothing. Across 49 trials and 1,863 people doing resistance training, protein above about 1.6 g per kg a day produced no further gains in lean mass. The advisory also recommends avoiding more than 2 g per kg a day for long periods.

The floor matters as much as the ceiling. On your worst days, try not to let it slip below about half a gram per kg; the advisory warns that intakes below 0.4 to 0.5 g per kg can lead to muscle loss and weakness.

Spread it across the day

Your muscles use protein best in moderate doses spread through the day. A review of the per-meal research recommends about 0.4 g per kg at each of at least four meals to reach 1.6 g per kg a day. For a 75 kg person, that's four servings of about 30 g.

On a GLP-1, four smaller eating occasions are also simply easier than three big ones. Think three small meals and one protein snack, rather than trying to force a 45 g dinner.

How to get enough when you're not hungry

Knowing your number is the easy part. These are the tactics that work when appetite is low.

Eat the protein first. Start each meal with the protein on your plate, before the potatoes, rice or bread. If you fill up early, what's left behind is the part that mattered least. The 2025 advisory recommends exactly this.

Choose protein that doesn't take up much room. Some foods pack far more protein into a small portion than others:

• 200 g (¾ cup) 0% Greek yogurt or skyr: about 20 g
• 1 tin of tuna in water, drained (about 110 g): about 28 g
• 120 g (4 oz) cooked chicken breast: about 37 g
• 150 g (5 oz) firm tofu: about 24 g
• 100 g (½ cup) low-fat cottage cheese: about 12 g
• 2 large eggs: about 12 g

The high-protein foods list has the full picture.

Make every snack a protein snack. Swapping crackers or fruit for a yogurt pot, a boiled egg or a small tin of tuna can add 20 to 40 g across a day without adding a single meal.

Drink it when you can't chew it. On bad days, liquid protein goes down when a plate won't: 250 ml of milk has about 9 g, and a scoop of whey about 19 g. Keep shakes to 20 to 25 g and sip them slowly; the protein shakes guide explains why a big one can make fullness worse.

Add protein to what you already eat. Make porridge with milk instead of water, stir Greek yogurt into sauces and soups, or blend cottage cheese into something you'd eat anyway.

Plan around your dose. Appetite is usually lowest in the day or two after your injection. Keep those days for the easiest options: yogurt, smoothies, soups, eggs. The guide to eating on injection day has more.

Track it for one week. Not forever. Most people are surprised how far short they fall, and a week of numbers shows you exactly which meal to fix.

Recipes that do the work for you

A few on the site that make the target easier:

• High-Protein Greek Yogurt Bowl: 26 g, no cooking
• Ozempic Eggs: 30 g, ready in under 10 minutes
• Cottage Cheese Ice Cream: 32 g, cold and easy on a bad day
• Protein French Toast: 35 g, for when you want something sweet

Or browse all the recipes, every one built around protein first.

When to take extra care

• Kidney disease. Don't increase your protein without talking to your doctor first.
• Over 65. The PROT-AGE group recommends at least 1.0 to 1.2 g per kg a day for older adults, and more for those who are active or unwell, with about 25 to 30 g at each meal. Muscle is harder to rebuild with age, so it's worth protecting early.
• Vegetarian or vegan. Entirely doable, but it takes more planning; see how to get enough protein on a plant-based diet.

This is general nutrition information, not medical advice. Your dietitian or doctor can set a target that fits your health, especially if you have a medical condition.