Tool

Protein calculator for GLP-1 users

A general protein range based on published guidance for adults losing weight, with the method shown. It runs in your browser: nothing you type is saved or sent. It is not a personal prescription, and it can't promise to protect your muscle. Your clinician or a dietitian can tailor it.

Units

Changing units keeps the same weight and height.

The details you enter stay in this browser.

Do any of these apply to you?

Your range

Enter your weight (30–350 kg) and height (120–230 cm) to see a range.

How it works

  • Range: 1.2–1.6 g of protein per kg per day — the range proposed during active weight reduction in a 2025 joint advisory on nutrition with GLP-1 medications [1], and the US Dietary Guidelines' general goal [2].
  • Which weight: actual weight can overestimate protein needs in obesity [1], so above BMI 30 the calculator uses the weight you would be at BMI 30, as one review suggests [3]. No study has directly measured protein needs in obesity, so this is a reasonable estimate, not a precise one [3].
  • Context: 0.8 g/kg is the general minimum for adults (the RDA) [4]; the advisory also offers a simple 80–120 g/day target and advises against long-term intakes at or above 2 g/kg [1]. People who exercise may sit toward the top of a range [5].
  • No number is shown for pregnancy, under-18s, kidney disease, medical diets, eating disorders or dehydration, because the right amount is different — for example, kidney guidelines recommend lower intakes before dialysis [6].

Related: how much protein on a GLP-1 · small, high-protein meals

Sources

  1. 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. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, May 30, 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12125019/ · DOI 10.1177/15598276251344827 · PMID 40452753. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
  2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030. U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services, January 2026. https://cdn.realfood.gov/DGA.pdf. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
  3. Protein requirement in obesity. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care (author repository copy), January 2025. https://pure.amsterdamumc.nl/ws/files/142148308/Protein-requirement-in-obesity.pdf · DOI 10.1097/MCO.0000000000001087. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
  4. Dietary reference intakes tables: reference values for macronutrients. Health Canada, November 19, 2025. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/dietary-reference-intakes/tables/reference-values-macronutrients-dietary-reference-intakes-tables-2005.html. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
  5. Preserving healthy muscle during weight loss. Advances in Nutrition, May 5, 2017. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5421125/ · DOI 10.3945/an.116.014506 · PMID 28507015. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
  6. The International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism commentary on the NKF and AND KDOQI clinical practice guideline for nutrition in chronic kidney disease. Journal of Renal Nutrition, 2020. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8045140 · DOI 10.1053/j.jrn.2020.05.002 · PMID 32737016. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text