How much protein do I need to lose weight?

Reviewed 1 November 2026 · How these numbers are calculated

While losing weight, aim for about 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of your goal or healthy weight a day (0.73–1.00 g per lb). For a woman of 75 kg (165 lb) aiming for 65 kg that's about 115 g a day; for a man of 95 kg (209 lb) aiming for 85 kg, about 145 g. Protein keeps you full and helps you keep muscle while the fat comes off.

Protein a day for women

Grams of protein a day while losing weight, women (1.8 g per kg of reference weight)
Weight	155 cm 5′1″	165 cm 5′5″	175 cm 5′9″
55 kg 121 lb	100 g	100 g	100 g
65 kg 143 lb	110 g	115 g	115 g
75 kg 165 lb	110 g	125 g	135 g
85 kg 187 lb	110 g	125 g	140 g
95 kg 209 lb	110 g	125 g	140 g
105 kg 231 lb	110 g	125 g	140 g

Protein a day for men

Grams of protein a day while losing weight, men (1.8 g per kg of reference weight)
Weight	170 cm 5′7″	180 cm 5′11″	190 cm 6′3″
70 kg 154 lb	125 g	125 g	125 g
80 kg 176 lb	130 g	145 g	145 g
90 kg 198 lb	130 g	145 g	160 g
100 kg 220 lb	130 g	145 g	160 g
110 kg 243 lb	130 g	145 g	160 g
120 kg 265 lb	130 g	145 g	160 g
130 kg 287 lb	130 g	145 g	160 g

Reference weight: your current weight, capped at the weight for a BMI of 25 (a healthy weight for your height).

Why not use your full body weight?

Muscle needs protein; body fat doesn't. For someone carrying a lot of extra weight, grams per kg of total weight gives numbers that are hard to eat and not needed. Using your goal weight, or the weight at a BMI of 25 for your height, gives a realistic target. If you know your body-fat percentage, the calculator uses your lean mass instead.

For women: don't cut fat too far

When calories are low, it's tempting to cut fat to fit in more protein. Deficitly keeps fat at 0.8 g per kg of reference weight or more for women (about 30% of calories), because very low-fat diets can upset hormones and the menstrual cycle. Carbs give way first. In the example above, 1,500 calories split into about 115 g protein, 50 g fat and 140 g carbs.

Spread it over the day

Three or four meals with 25–40 g of protein each works well for most people. Rough amounts: a chicken breast (150 g cooked) about 45 g; a 200 g pot of Greek yogurt about 20 g; two eggs about 12 g; 150 g of firm tofu about 20 g; a cup of cooked lentils (200 g) about 18 g; 200 g of cottage cheese about 23 g.

Fibre, too

Aim for about 14 g of fibre per 1,000 calories: vegetables, fruit, beans and whole grains. Together with protein it's what keeps a calorie deficit from feeling like one. Lifting weights helps the protein do its job: see lifting weights.