Protein calculator for weight loss and GLP-1 medicines
Find your daily protein target in grams a day and per meal, with Indian food examples for veg, egg and non-veg plates. Most adults losing weight need about 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg of body weight. On semaglutide or tirzepatide? Switch on GLP-1 mode.
By Dt. Trishala Goswami, MSc Clinical Nutritionist, Diabetes Educator, Certified Nutrigenomics Specialist · Last updated October 2026
Protein Calculator
Your daily protein target for weight loss, in grams per day and per meal, with Indian food examples. Switch on GLP-1 mode if you take semaglutide or tirzepatide.
This tool is general education for adults, not a diagnosis or a prescription. It is not for pregnancy, breastfeeding, under-18s or anyone told to limit protein. Discuss your target with your doctor, and work with a qualified clinical nutritionist to act on it.
How much protein you need, and why
| Who | Protein target |
|---|---|
| Adults not trying to lose weight | 0.8 g per kg a day (0.83 g/kg for Indian adults) |
| Losing weight | 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg a day |
| Losing weight with a BMI of 30 or more | A fixed 80 to 120 g a day, or 1.5 g per kg of fat-free mass |
| Adults over 65 | At least 1.0 to 1.2 g per kg a day |
| Kidney disease, or told to limit protein | Set by your doctor or renal dietitian |
Everyday baseline. The general adult allowance is 0.8 g per kg a day. India’s ICMR-NIN 2020 guidance sets it at 0.83 g/kg for healthy Indian adults, about 54 g a day for a 65 kg man and 46 g for a 55 kg woman, and 1 g/kg for people on a cereal-based diet with low-quality protein (ICMR-NIN, 2020). That baseline is for staying well, not for losing weight.
Losing weight. In a calorie deficit, more protein helps. A review of higher-protein weight-loss diets concluded that 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg a day, with at least about 25 to 30 g at each meal, improves appetite, weight management and cardiometabolic risk factors (Leidy et al., 2015). The calculator uses that range on your current weight.
With a higher body weight. Per-kg targets on your full weight can significantly overestimate protein needs in people with obesity. The 2025 joint advisory on nutrition with GLP-1 medicines suggests 1.5 g per kg of fat-free mass as more accurate, or a fixed 80 to 120 g a day as a practical target (Mozaffarian et al., 2025; see also Dekker et al., 2022). So with a BMI of 30 or more the calculator shows 80 to 120 g a day, never more than 1.6 g per kg of your current weight. Enter your body fat percentage and it uses 1.5 g per kg of fat-free mass instead, at any BMI.
Over 65. Older adults need at least 1.0 to 1.2 g per kg a day to hold on to muscle and function, and more when active or unwell (PROT-AGE, 2013).
Worked example: 70 kg, 165 cm (BMI 25.7), losing weight. 1.2 × 70 = 84 and 1.6 × 70 = 112, rounded to 85 to 110 g a day. Split across three meals and a snack, that is about 24 to 31 g per meal and 12 to 16 g for the snack.
Protein on semaglutide or tirzepatide
GLP-1 medicines such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) turn appetite down, which can make it hard to eat enough protein. In 2025 the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association and The Obesity Society published a joint advisory on nutrition with these medicines (Mozaffarian et al., Am J Clin Nutr 2025). On protein, it says:
- Higher targets such as 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg a day have been proposed during active weight loss, but basing them on actual weight can overestimate needs.
- 1.5 g per kg of fat-free mass is more accurate, or a fixed 80 to 120 g a day can make the target easier to stick to.
- Adequate protein may be hard to reach with a smaller appetite or taste changes, so eat protein-rich foods first in the meal.
- Protein alone is unlikely to preserve muscle. Pair it with strength training at least three times a week, matched to your fitness.
- Long-term intakes of 2 g per kg a day or more should be avoided.
The advisory does not give a different number for people on GLP-1 medicines, so GLP-1 mode uses the same calculation and changes the advice around it. Keep taking your medicine as prescribed, and talk to your prescriber before any change. For more, read our guide to protein on GLP-1 medicines with an Indian diet.
Protein in everyday Indian foods
| Food | Serving | Protein | USDA FDC ID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paneer | 100 g | 16 g | 2705740 (Cheese, paneer: 15.9 g per 100 g) |
| Chicken breast, cooked, skinless | 100 g | 31 g | 171477 (31.0 g per 100 g) |
| Soya chunks, dry | 50 g | 26 g | 2707451 (textured vegetable protein, 51.1 g per 100 g) |
| Eggs, boiled | 1 large (50 g) | 6 g | 173424 (12.6 g per 100 g) |
| Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat | 170 g | 18 g | 330137 (10.3 g per 100 g) |
| Curd (plain whole-milk yogurt) | 1 cup (245 g) | 8.5 g | 171284 (3.5 g per 100 g) |
| Masoor dal, cooked thick (lentils, boiled) | 1 cup (198 g) | 18 g | 172421 (9.0 g per 100 g) |
| Toor dal, cooked (pigeon peas, boiled) | 1 cup (168 g) | 11 g | 172437 (6.8 g per 100 g) |
| Besan (chickpea flour) | 50 g, enough for 2 small cheelas | 11 g | 174288 (22.4 g per 100 g) |
| Moong sprouts, raw | 1 cup (104 g) | 3 g | 169957 (3.0 g per 100 g) |
Values are from USDA FoodData Central, multiplied out to each serving and rounded. Dal is measured as cooked thick dal; home-cooked dal with more water has less per katori. To reach 20 to 30 g at a meal, combine two or three of these: two besan cheelas with a bowl of Greek yogurt, paneer bhurji with curd, or a three-egg omelette with curd. See our full list of high-protein vegetarian foods.
Who should not use these targets
Kidney disease. If you have chronic kidney disease, or a doctor has told you to limit protein, please ask your doctor or a renal dietitian for your target. Kidney nutrition guidelines set protein by stage and treatment, often lower than usual before dialysis (KDOQI, 2020), and PROT-AGE notes that older adults with severe kidney disease who are not on dialysis may need to limit protein. Tick the kidney box in the calculator and it will not give you a high target.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Needs change. ICMR-NIN adds about 9.5 g a day in the second trimester and 22 g a day in the third, and 13 to 17 g a day while breastfeeding. Ask your doctor, and do not diet to lose weight in pregnancy without medical advice.
Under 18s have different needs, and this calculator is for adults only.
Common questions about protein for weight loss
How much protein do I need to lose weight?
Most adults losing weight do well on 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight a day. A review of higher-protein weight-loss diets in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that this range, with about 25 to 30 g at each meal, improved appetite, weight management and heart and metabolic risk factors. For a 70 kg adult that is about 85 to 110 g a day. With a BMI of 30 or more, the calculator uses a fixed 80 to 120 g a day instead, because per-kg targets on your full weight can overestimate what you need.
How much protein should I eat on Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro?
The 2025 nutrition advisory on GLP-1 medicines from four US societies (ACLM, ASN, OMA and TOS) does not set a separate number for people on these medicines. It notes that 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg a day has been proposed during active weight loss, that 1.5 g per kg of fat-free mass is more accurate, and that a fixed 80 to 120 g a day is a practical alternative. The harder part is eating it with less appetite, so eat the protein part of the meal first and pair it with strength training at least three times a week.
Should I use my current weight or my goal weight?
The GLP-1 advisory says it is unclear which weight to use, and that using actual body weight can significantly overestimate protein needs in people with obesity. It suggests fat-free mass is the better base. So this calculator uses your current weight when your BMI is under 30, a fixed 80 to 120 g a day when it is 30 or more, and 1.5 g per kg of fat-free mass whenever you enter your body fat percentage.
What is the recommended protein intake for Indians?
ICMR-NIN's 2020 guidance sets the RDA for healthy Indian adults at 0.83 g per kg a day, with an average requirement of 0.66 g/kg. For its reference adults, that is about 54 g a day for a 65 kg man and 46 g a day for a 55 kg woman. For people eating a cereal-based diet with low-quality protein it suggests 1 g per kg. These figures are for maintaining health, not for weight loss.
How much protein should I eat at each meal?
Reviews of higher-protein diets point to at least about 25 to 30 g at each meal. This calculator splits your daily target across three meals and one snack, with each meal carrying about twice as much as the snack. A bowl of Greek yogurt with two besan cheelas, a cup of thick dal with curd, or 100 g of chicken each gets you close to 25 to 30 g.
Can vegetarians reach a high protein target?
Yes, with planning. Paneer, curd, Greek yogurt, dal, besan, soya chunks and tofu all help, and ICMR-NIN recommends a cereal, legume and milk mix of about 3 : 1 : 2.5 for good protein quality. Sprouts are healthy but low in protein per cup, so pair them with paneer or curd rather than relying on them.
Is a high-protein diet safe?
For healthy adults, the ranges here stay below the level the GLP-1 advisory warns about: it says intakes of 2 g per kg a day or more over a long period should be avoided. If you have kidney disease, or a doctor has told you to limit protein, do not use these targets. Kidney guidelines set protein individually, so ask your doctor or a renal dietitian.
Do older adults need more protein?
Yes. The PROT-AGE study group recommends that adults over 65 eat at least 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kg a day to keep muscle and strength, and more if they are active or unwell. The exception is older people with severe kidney disease who are not on dialysis, who may need to limit protein.
Know your number? Now make it fit your plate.
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