How much protein should you eat on a GLP-1?
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Updated October 2026
From Jeff
Protein is the one I got wrong for longest, and I should have known better. I played college basketball. I have a degree in exercise science and nutrition. I have been able to recite protein targets since I was nineteen.
None of that helped, because the problem was never that I didn't know the number. Two years into a GLP-1 medication, the problem was that I could not make myself eat it. Chicken, eggs, the things I'd eaten my whole life — I'd look at them and feel full before I started. Lunch became a few bites. Dinner was whatever was easiest, and some nights that was nothing at all.
What I noticed first wasn't a number on a tracker. It was muscle I'd carried since I was nineteen, going. That is a strange thing to watch happen to your own arms while you have a degree on the wall telling you exactly why it is happening.
So the honest version of this article is that the target below is the easy part. Hitting it on a small appetite is the hard part, and most of what follows is about that. Protein is the first of five priorities in our guide to what to eat when you're eating less.
Short answer: at least the adult RDA of 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight a day, and for many people on a GLP-1 medication more: a 2025 joint advisory from four US medical societies notes that 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg a day has been proposed while body weight is coming down.1 For a 75 kg (165 lb) adult that is 60 g at minimum and 90 to 120 g at the higher range.
Protein is the first of five priorities in our guide to what to eat when you're eating less. This page covers the number and how to reach it with a small appetite.
The numbers, and where they come from
| Figure | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended Dietary Allowance, adults | 0.8 g/kg/day | National Academies2 |
| Proposed during active reduction in body weight | 1.2–1.6 g/kg/day | Joint advisory1 |
| Floor: do not fall below | 0.4–0.5 g/kg/day | Joint advisory1 |
| Ceiling: avoid for long periods | 2 g/kg/day or more | Joint advisory1 |
What that means by body weight
| Body weight | RDA (0.8 g/kg) | 1.2–1.6 g/kg |
|---|---|---|
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 48 g | 72–96 g |
| 75 kg (165 lb) | 60 g | 90–120 g |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 72 g | 108–144 g |
| 105 kg (231 lb) | 84 g | 126–168 g |
An important caveat. The advisory says it is unclear whether these targets should be based on actual body weight, an adjusted weight, or lean mass, and that using actual weight "can significantly overestimate protein requirements" for people with a higher body weight.1 It mentions 1.5 g per kg of lean body mass as a more accurate basis where body composition is known.1 If the right-hand column looks impossible, it may simply be too high for you. A registered dietitian can set a realistic figure.
Why every source gives you a different number
Search this question and you will get five answers. They are not all wrong; they are mostly answering slightly different questions, and the differences are worth understanding before you pick one.
| Figure you'll see | Where it comes from | What it's actually saying |
|---|---|---|
| 0.8 g/kg/day | Adult RDA2 | The minimum to avoid deficiency in a healthy adult at stable weight. A floor, not a target. |
| 1.0–1.5 g/kg/day | Commentary in JAMA Internal Medicine4 | A clinical range for people losing weight on these medications. |
| 1.2–1.6 g/kg/day | 2025 joint advisory1 | Proposed while body weight is actively coming down. |
| 60 g/day minimum, 20–40 g per meal | Review literature | The same idea expressed as a flat number for people who find g/kg unusable. |
| 80–120 g/day | Pharmacy and clinic guides | A practical range that happens to suit a mid-size adult. Not weight-adjusted. |
The spread comes almost entirely from one unresolved question: per kilogram of what? Actual body weight, ideal body weight, an adjusted figure, or lean mass. For someone at 75 kg the choice barely matters. At 130 kg it is the difference between 104 g and 170 g a day, and the advisory is explicit that using actual weight "can significantly overestimate protein requirements" at higher body weights.1
If you want one number to start with and you do not know your body composition: take 1.2 g per kg of a realistic target weight rather than your current one, and treat it as a direction rather than a rule. Then get it checked.
Why protein matters more when you eat less
The body does not keep a reserve of protein. When intake falls, muscle supplies the difference. In the STEP 1 trial of semaglutide, 38% of the average reduction in body weight was lean mass.1 Protein, together with strength training, is the advisory's answer. We cover the training half in how to not lose muscle on a GLP-1.
Muscle is the shortfall people notice first, but it is not the only tissue built from protein. Hair is keratin, and shedding a few months into a fast change is common enough to have its own literature: GLP-1 medications and hair shedding.
Reaching the number with a small appetite
Split the target across three or four eating times, and eat the protein first. For a 90 g target that is 22 to 30 g each time.
| Food | Portion | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, cooked | 85 g (3 oz) | about 26 g |
| Canned tuna | 85 g (3 oz) | about 20 g |
| Greek yogurt, plain | 170 g (6 oz) | about 17 g |
| Cottage cheese | half a cup | about 12 g |
| Eggs | 2 | about 12 g |
| Firm tofu | half a cup | about 10 g |
| Lentils, cooked | half a cup | about 9 g |
| Milk or soy milk | 1 cup | 7–8 g |
Typical values from USDA FoodData Central.3
A day that reaches about 90 g: Greek yogurt at breakfast (17 g), tuna and lentils at lunch (29 g), cottage cheese mid-afternoon (12 g), chicken at dinner (26 g), a glass of milk (8 g). The full plate around it is in what to eat on a GLP-1.
On days when solid food is unappealing, liquids and soft foods carry protein well: milk, yogurt, smoothies, soup with beans. More ideas in what to eat on a GLP-1 when you're not hungry.
What if you can't hit the target?
This is the question the number-focused articles skip, and it is the one most people on a GLP-1 actually have. Three things are worth knowing.
Some protein beats the right protein. If 120 g is not happening, 90 g is meaningfully better than 60 g, and 60 g is meaningfully better than 35 g. There is no threshold below which effort stops counting.
Training matters at least as much as the number. Protein gives the body the material; resistance training gives it the reason to keep the muscle. If you can only change one thing this month and your protein is already not terrible, add two short strength sessions rather than chasing another 20 g.
The pace of weight change is its own lever. Very fast loss costs more lean mass than gradual loss. If you are losing quickly and cannot eat, that is a legitimate thing to raise with your prescriber — it may be a dose conversation rather than a diet one.
What if you go off a protein you used to eat?
Food aversions are common on these medications, and they are often specific: chicken becomes impossible while eggs are fine, or meat generally goes while dairy stays. This is not fussiness and arguing with it rarely works.
What works better is substituting within the same protein load rather than trying to push through. If meat is out, dairy, eggs, fish, tofu, lentils and soy milk between them cover the same ground. If everything solid is out, liquids are not a lesser option — a glass of milk is 8 g whether or not you feel like chewing. Aversions also tend to move around, so a food that is impossible this month is often fine in two.
Do you need protein powder?
Not necessarily. Powders and ready-to-drink shakes are a convenience when food will not get you there; the advisory notes that some people meet their target with high-protein shakes, bars and other fortified products.1 Check the label for the protein per serving and for added sugar. Protein-first eating is also the core of what the GLP-1 diet is.
We are working on this gap ourselves. Nourish, a small protein mini-meal, is in development and has a waitlist. It is not available yet, and our current product, Replenish, contains no protein.
What I did
- Moved protein to the meal where appetite still worked. For me that was the morning. Trying to eat 30 g of protein at 8pm was a losing fight; at 8am it was manageable.
- Ate the protein on the plate first, before anything else. On a small appetite, whatever you eat first is what you actually finish.
- Kept a liquid backup. On the days solid food was impossible, milk, Greek yogurt and a soup with beans in it still went down.
- Weighed the food, briefly. Not forever — about two weeks. I was badly overestimating, and I would not have believed that without seeing it.
- Added resistance work twice a week. The protein number does much less on its own than it does with something asking the muscle to stay.
My experience, not medical advice, and not a typical result. If you have kidney disease, the number your nephrologist gives you overrides everything on this page.
Who should be careful with high protein
People with chronic kidney disease are often advised to limit protein. If that applies to you, your nephrologist's number overrides anything here.
Frequently asked questions
How much protein should I eat on a GLP-1?
At least 0.8 g per kg of body weight a day. A 2025 joint advisory notes that 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg has been proposed while body weight is coming down, and that using actual weight can overestimate needs at higher body weights.
How much protein per meal on a GLP-1?
Divide your daily target by the number of times you eat. For 90 g a day across four eating times, that is about 22 g each.
Can you eat too much protein?
The joint advisory says prolonged intake at or above 2 g per kg a day should be avoided, and people with kidney disease may need to limit protein further.
How much protein per kg on a GLP-1?
The 2025 joint advisory cites 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg/day as proposed during active weight reduction, with a floor of 0.4 to 0.5 g/kg and a ceiling of 2 g/kg for prolonged intake.1 A JAMA Internal Medicine commentary gives 1.0 to 1.5 g/kg.4 The disagreement is mostly about which body weight the number is multiplied by.
Can I get enough protein on a plant-based diet with a small appetite?
It is harder but not unusual. Plant proteins are less dense per bite, so volume becomes the constraint exactly when volume is the problem. Soy is the most useful lever because it is both complete and relatively concentrated: tofu, tempeh, edamame and soy milk. Lentils and beans add up across the day, and pea or soy protein powder closes the rest. The target does not change; the number of eating occasions usually has to.
Does age change the number?
Older adults are generally advised toward the higher end rather than the lower, because the muscle-building response to a given amount of protein weakens with age and because losing muscle later in life is harder to reverse. If you are over 65 and on a GLP-1, this is worth raising specifically with your clinician rather than using a general adult figure.
Should I use actual or ideal body weight?
The honest answer is that it is unresolved. The advisory itself says it is unclear whether targets should be based on actual weight, an adjusted weight or lean mass, and suggests 1.5 g per kg of lean body mass where body composition is known.1 Where it matters most — at higher body weights — using actual weight produces a target most people cannot eat.
Is protein or strength training more important for keeping muscle?
They are not interchangeable and the evidence does not support ranking one far above the other, but resistance training is the input most people on a GLP-1 are missing entirely, while almost everyone is at least eating some protein. In practice, adding training to adequate protein changes more than adding protein to no training.
Sources
- Mozaffarian D, et al. Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: a joint advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society. Obesity. 2025;33(8):1475–1503. Full text
- Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. National Academies Press; 2005. nap.nationalacademies.org
- US Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- Prado CM, et al. Nutritional considerations for patients receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists. JAMA Intern Med. 2026. jamanetwork.com