Protein for Weight Loss: How Much Should You Eat a Day?
Protein is the most important macro for fat loss. Here's how many grams per kilogram of body weight to aim for when cutting, and why higher protein protects muscle.
If you’re trying to lose fat, protein is the single most important macronutrient on your plate. It keeps you full, protects the muscle you’ve built, and costs your body more energy to digest. The real question is: how much?
The recommended range for fat loss
When you’re in a calorie deficit, most sports nutrition guidance recommends 1.8–2.2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. That’s higher than maintenance, and for good reason:
- It preserves lean muscle while you drop fat.
- It keeps you satisfied longer, making the deficit easier to stick to.
- It supports recovery, so you can keep training hard.
What that means in grams
For common body weights, a cutting target looks like this:
| Body weight | Protein per day (1.8–2.2 g/kg) |
|---|---|
| 60 kg | 108–132 g |
| 70 kg | 126–154 g |
| 80 kg | 144–176 g |
How to get a personal target
These ranges are a great starting point, but your ideal number also depends on your age, height, and activity level. The protein calculator for weight loss applies the higher 1.8–2.2 g/kg ratio automatically to your own body data, then splits it into a target and a healthy range.
Tips for hitting a higher protein intake while cutting
- Lead with protein at every meal — build each plate around a lean protein source first.
- Use a quality protein shake as a snack or post-workout top-up.
- Eat protein every 3–5 hours rather than saving it all for dinner.
- Check the food database for high protein foods with protein grams per serving, so you know exactly what hits your target.
Protein is the difference between losing weight and losing muscle. Get your exact number with the daily protein intake calculator and start cutting the smart way.