How much protein to eat on GLP-1 treatment, and why

Why protein matters more now

All weight loss takes some lean mass with it, not just fat. Lean mass isn’t only muscle: it includes water, organs and bone. This happens with any way of losing weight, not just with GLP-1 treatment: in the studies of semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), the share of lean mass in the weight lost was similar to other ways of losing weight.

What changes on treatment is appetite. With less hunger, meals get smaller, and protein is the first thing left behind. That’s when muscle loss matters most.

How much per day

The joint advisory on nutrition in GLP-1 treatment, from four American nutrition and obesity societies, starts from the general recommendation of 0.8 g per kilogram per day. For the weight-loss phase, it notes that higher targets have been proposed: 1.2 to 1.6 g per kilogram per day, or 80 to 120 g per day in absolute terms.

The same advisory points out that it isn’t yet known which weight to use in that calculation, and that it’s best not to spend long periods at 2 g per kilogram per day or more. That’s why each person’s goal is decided with their care team.

How to get there with a small appetite

More than the daily total, it helps to spread protein across your meals.

• Start your meal with the protein. If your appetite runs out halfway through the plate, the protein won’t be what’s left behind.
• Have protein at every meal, including breakfast and snacks.
• Choose what’s easy to eat in small amounts: eggs, plain or Greek yogurt, cheese, milk.
• Mix animal and plant sources: chicken, fish, lean meat, tofu, beans, lentils, chickpeas.

The other pillar: strength training

Protein is the building material; strength training is the signal that tells your body to keep muscle. The World Health Organization recommends muscle-strengthening activity at least twice a week, and the GLP-1 advisory suggests three times, along with at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week.