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How to hit your protein target when the medication took your appetite
Your exact number, a four-meal system, a food reference table, and three complete sample days. Eight pages, fully cited.
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What is inside
- Your daily target in g/kg, with a lookup table from 50 kg to 120 kg
- Why the evidence supports 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg, and where the 1.2 to 1.6 advisory range fits
- The four rules: eat by schedule, protein first, spread it across the day, drink it when you cannot chew it
- A per-meal breakdown at 0.4 g/kg, and the higher per-meal floor for adults over about 60
- A 13-food protein reference table compiled from USDA FoodData Central
- Three complete sample days, worked at 60 kg, 80 kg, and 100 kg
- Troubleshooting: early fullness, nausea during dose escalation, taste changes, and travel
What the evidence says
- Only about 43% of GLP-1 users met even a modest protein minimum in a cross-sectional study.
- GLP-1 medications reduce energy intake by roughly a quarter in controlled studies.
- A dose-response meta-analysis of 49 studies placed the fat-free-mass benefit breakpoint at about 1.6 g/kg per day.
Every substantive claim in this mini-guide is cited to peer-reviewed research or a registered clinical trial, with live links. Where the evidence is thin, mixed, or extrapolated from a different population, the guide says so instead of rounding up.
Frequently asked
How much protein should I eat on Ozempic or Wegovy?
Research on lean-mass retention during weight loss supports roughly 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day, well above the 0.8 g/kg RDA. A GLP-1-specific nutrition advisory issued by four medical societies recommends a more conservative 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg during active weight reduction. The guide includes a lookup table and three worked sample days.
Why is it so hard to eat enough protein on a GLP-1?
The medication reduces energy intake by roughly a quarter in controlled studies and quiets food-related thoughts, so protein is usually the first thing to fall. In one cross-sectional study, only about 43 percent of GLP-1 users met even a modest protein minimum. The fix is mechanical: eat on a schedule rather than waiting for hunger.
Do protein shakes work if I cannot eat solid food?
A shake delivers 20 to 30 grams of protein in a form that goes down on a low-appetite or nauseated day. In the protein supplementation meta-analysis, the protein source played a minor role while total daily intake was what mattered. Whey, casein, and plant proteins all support training gains.
Prefer to read the evidence first? How much protein do you actually need on a GLP-1? is our free, fully-cited explainer on the research behind this guide.
The Protein Playbook
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