How much protein do you need to lose weight?

How much protein should you eat per day to lose weight?

Aim for about 1.6–2.0 g of protein per kg of body weight per day while losing weight, with the higher end for people who lift weights regularly or are in a larger deficit. For a 70 kg person that is roughly 110–140 g a day.

This range is based on research, not hype. The ISSN position stand on protein and exercise recommends 1.4–2.0 g/kg a day for most exercising people and notes that higher intakes may help preserve lean mass during a calorie deficit. A large meta-analysis by Morton and colleagues found that gains from strength training levelled off around 1.6 g/kg a day, which makes it a sensible floor when you also want to keep muscle.

Should you use your current weight or goal weight?

Use your current weight if you are in or near a healthy weight range. If you carry a lot of extra body fat, use an adjusted body weight, which sits between your ideal and current weight, because fat tissue needs far less protein than muscle.

A common method takes your ideal body weight for your height and adds 40% of the difference between that and your current weight. For example, if your ideal weight is 60 kg and you weigh 100 kg, your adjusted weight is 60 + 0.4 × 40 = 76 kg, giving a target of about 137–152 g rather than 180–200 g. It is easier to hit, and still high enough to protect muscle.

Why does protein help with weight loss?

Protein helps weight loss in three practical ways: it helps you keep muscle while you lose fat, it is very filling for the calories it provides, and your body uses more energy digesting it than digesting carbohydrate or fat. None of these makes fat disappear on its own, but together they make a deficit easier to sustain.

Keeping muscle is the big one. When calories drop, the body can lose muscle as well as fat. Enough protein plus some strength training two or more days a week shifts more of the loss towards fat, which is what you actually want to see in the mirror and in how your clothes fit.

Which foods give the most protein for the fewest calories?

Lean animal proteins and strained dairy give the most protein per calorie, followed by tofu, tempeh and pulses. Building each meal around one of these makes your daily target far easier to reach without going over your calories.

Values below are typical per 100 g and vary by brand and preparation, so check labels where you can.

How should you spread protein across the day?

Split your daily protein into 3–4 meals with roughly 25–40 g each, rather than eating most of it at dinner. Even spacing makes the total easier to reach, keeps you fuller through the day and is the pattern the ISSN position stand describes as practical for most people.

For a 130 g target, that could look like the example below.

• Breakfast, about 35 g: 250 g skyr with berries and 20 g oats, plus one boiled egg.
• Lunch, about 40 g: 130 g cooked chicken breast, salad, 150 g cooked lentils or a wholegrain wrap.
• Snack, about 15 g: 150 g cottage cheese with cucumber, or a glass of milk and a handful of nuts.
• Dinner, about 40 g: 150 g cooked white fish or lean beef, potatoes and two portions of vegetables.

Can you eat too much protein?

For healthy adults, intakes in the 1.6–2.0 g/kg range are widely used and generally considered safe. Going much higher rarely adds benefit for fat loss and crowds out vegetables, wholegrains and other foods that bring fibre and micronutrients.

Some people should not raise protein without medical advice: anyone with chronic kidney disease, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and anyone whose doctor has given them a specific protein limit. If you take diabetes medication or have a history of eating disorders, any calorie deficit should be supervised.

How much protein do you need on a vegetarian diet?

Vegetarians need the same 1.6–2.0 g/kg target, though reaching it takes more planning because many plant proteins also bring carbohydrate and fat. Eggs, Greek yoghurt, skyr, cottage cheese, tofu, tempeh, edamame and lentils are your best building blocks.

Combine two sources per meal, such as eggs with Greek yoghurt at breakfast or tofu with lentils at dinner. A protein powder can fill a gap of 20–30 g, but whole foods should cover most of your target.

How do you set your protein and calorie targets together?

Start with calories, then protein, then fill the rest with carbohydrate and fat. Your calorie target decides how fast you lose weight; your protein target decides how much muscle you keep. A deficit of about 275–825 kcal below maintenance gives a weekly loss of roughly 0.25–0.75 kg for most people.

Use the calorie deficit calculator to find your maintenance and target calories, and the protein calculator to check your daily protein. If you want the work done for you, the high-protein meal plan turns those numbers into 14 days of weighed menus and shopping lists; build your meal plan to get it sized to your body and diet.

Frequently asked questions