How much protein for fat loss? A simple guide

Somewhere between 1.6 and 2.2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight a day, while you're losing fat. That's the answer, and if you only track one thing besides calories in a deficit, make it this one. Protein decides whether the weight you lose is fat or muscle, and it keeps you full while you lose it.

Why protein matters most when you're cutting

When you eat below your TDEE, your body goes looking for energy everywhere, and muscle is on the list. Enough protein tips that balance, signalling your body to hold onto the muscle and spend the fat instead.

It also does something you'll feel immediately: it's the most filling macro. Gram for gram, protein satisfies hunger better than carbs or fat, which makes the whole deficit easier to live with.

How much you actually need

For a 70 kg person, that's roughly 112–154 g a day. You don't need to hit the top of the range. Anywhere in it does the job. Lighter or heavier, scale it to your own weight. The macro calculator does this for you, and shows where the fat and carbs land once protein is set.

Easy ways to hit it

You don't need shakes and chicken breast at every meal. Protein is everywhere once you look:

• Eggs: about 6 g each.
• Greek yoghurt / curd: 15–20 g a cup.
• Lentils, dhal, chickpeas, beans: 15–18 g a cooked cup, and they travel across almost every cuisine.
• Chicken, fish, paneer, tofu: 20–30 g a palm-sized portion.
• Milk: 8 g a glass.

Spread it across your meals rather than loading it all into dinner, and most people hit their target without much effort.

The simple rule

Build each meal around a protein source, then add the rest around it. Do that and you'll usually land in range without counting a single gram, which is the same idea as counting calories the sustainable way.

Hitting protein while keeping the food you love is exactly the kind of balancing act a coach handles for you, finding the room without touching your non-negotiables.