Free Tool
GLP-1 Protein Target
On a GLP-1 (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound), up to a third of the weight you lose can be muscle. Protein and resistance training are the two levers that keep the loss as fat. Get your daily target — grounded in what the experts actually prescribe.
Targets from Attia, Patrick (Stu Phillips), and Gabrielle Lyon. Not medical advice.
Your Daily Protein Target
per day (1.6–2.2 g/kg) to preserve muscle while losing weight
Per meal (4 meals/day)
Lyon: 30–40g per meal maximizes muscle protein synthesis
~— g
The muscle-preservation protocol
Protein is one lever. The experts converge on three, because protein without training still loses muscle:
- Hit the protein target above — and favor easily-digested sources, since GLP-1s suppress appetite and slow digestion (Patrick).
- Resistance training 2–4x/week — the signal that tells your body to keep the muscle (all experts who cover this).
- Track body composition with DEXA, not the scale — so you can confirm the weight you're losing is fat, not lean tissue (Attia).
What 5 experts say about GLP-1s
2.6/5 · Moderate
The panel is split on whether to use GLP-1s at all — but unanimous that if you do, protein and resistance training to protect muscle are non-negotiable.
Read the full GLP-1 consensus report →Want the full muscle-preservation playbook?
This calculator is free. Pro unlocks the experts' complete GLP-1 protocol — titration schedule, training prescription, what to eat, and chat: "how do I keep muscle on tirzepatide?"
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How this is calculated
- The daily range is 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight. Patrick, citing Dr. Stu Phillips' meta-analysis, uses 1.6 g/kg as the floor (it beats 1.2 g/kg for preserving lean mass); 2.2 g/kg is the upper preservation target.
- The per-meal figure splits the midpoint across 4 meals — Dr. Gabrielle Lyon's 30–40g/meal guidance for maximal muscle protein synthesis.
- If you enter body fat %, the lean-mass target uses Attia's rule of ~1g protein per lb of lean body mass (lean mass = weight × (1 − body fat %)).
- Everything here is grounded in our GLP-1 report — cited + timestamped to the experts. Not medical advice; work with your prescriber.