Protein for weight loss: how many grams a day, and how to split it over 3 meals

Protein for weight loss: how much should you eat a day?

Use this formula: target weight (kg) × 1.6 = protein per day (g), then divide by 3 for each meal. We use target weight because body fat needs almost no protein. If you used your current weight, people with a lot to lose would get a number that is higher than they need.

Once you reach your target and want to stay there, the calculator uses 1.4 g per kg. For building muscle it uses 1.8 g. For comparison, Thailand's Department of Health suggests 1 g per kg of body weight for most adults who are not trying to lose weight. Try your own numbers in our TDEE calculator (the page is in Thai). It gives you both your calories and your protein on one page.

How does eating more protein help with weight loss?

Protein does not make you lose weight on its own. You lose weight when you take in less energy than you use. Protein makes that plan easier to follow and helps you lose less muscle. The main research points are these:

• It keeps you full. A review by Leidy and colleagues (2015) concluded that eating about 1.2–1.6 g of protein per kg a day, with at least about 25–30 g per meal, helps with appetite and weight control
• It helps you keep muscle. A meta-analysis of 24 trials with 1,063 people by Wycherley and colleagues (2012) found that, on the same calories, high-protein groups lost about 0.87 kg more fat and about 0.43 kg less fat-free mass, over about 12 weeks on average
• It costs more energy to digest. The body uses about 20–30% of the energy in protein to process it, compared with about 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fat, according to a paper by Westerterp (2004)

None of these effects is large on its own, but together they make the plan easier to stick to. As for the 1.6 g figure, a meta-analysis by Morton and colleagues (2018) in people doing resistance training found that muscle gains level off at about 1.6 g per kg a day. So it is a sensible amount for most people.

How do you split your protein over 3 meals?

Spread it evenly, about 25–35 g per meal. That works better than a breakfast with almost no protein and a big dinner. A breakfast of toast and coffee usually has very little protein. Here is an example for someone with a 55 kg target, who needs about 88 g a day.

Which protein foods work best when you are losing weight?

Choose foods with a lot of protein and not much fat, so you reach your protein target without going over your calories. Some examples per 100 g, from INMU's Thai Food Composition Database:

• Chicken breast, skinless, raw: 112 kcal, 24.9 g protein
• Nile tilapia, raw: 87 kcal, 19.4 g protein
• Banana shrimp, boiled: 104 kcal, 22.3 g protein
• Lean pork, raw: 124 kcal, 21.1 g protein
• Firm white tofu: 126 kcal, 12.9 g protein
• Whole egg, raw: 133 kcal, 13.0 g protein

How you cook matters too. Boiling, steaming, grilling or stir-frying with little oil keeps hidden oil calories down. See more comparisons in high protein foods, and detailed numbers for chicken breast and eggs.

What should you watch out for when you eat more protein?

• Protein has calories too. Each gram gives 4 kcal, using the standard Atwater factor behind food labels. So 88 g of protein is about 352 kcal, and it still counts toward your daily total
• Do not go below the minimum. Women should not eat less than 1,200 kcal a day and men not less than 1,500 kcal a day without a doctor's supervision
• Keep vegetables and some carbs. Eating more protein does not mean cutting out all rice or fruit
• Drink enough water, and spread protein through the day instead of packing it into one meal

If you have kidney disease, liver disease or diabetes, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take regular medication, talk to a doctor or dietitian before raising your protein a lot or cutting calories. Thailand's Department of Health also advises people with health conditions to follow their doctor's advice on protein.

To work out your calories as well, read calories per day, and for the bigger picture see how to lose weight.

No time to cook? How to reach your protein target

The easiest way is to keep main dishes with a known protein count in your freezer. Most CleanFit dishes give about 20–34 g of protein per meal, such as Chicken Teriyaki at 34 g (190 kcal), Tom Kha Kai at 31 g (150 kcal) and Ok Kai Pha-Lo at 30 g (150 kcal). Every dish is made with no cooking oil, no MSG, no added sugar and no preservatives, is Thai FDA approved, and has lab-tested nutrition.

Every meal is a main dish without rice, so add rice and vegetables to match your calorie target. For breakfast, eggs, milk or yogurt can fill the gap. You choose every dish yourself, and meals keep in the freezer for up to 120 days.