How much protein is needed to maintain muscle while losing weight?

Author: Mikhail Ziborov - author of the site makefitness.pro.
2023-02-14

The problem is that the body is more likely to reduce its weight by losing muscle tissue if you decide to lose weight. It is easier and more beneficial for it: it didn't store fat just to burn it so easily.

And if you started losing weight incorrectly, the weight will decrease due to muscle and their fullness: the numbers on the scale go down, you're satisfied, and so is your body. But the amount of fat hasn’t decreased at all. In fact, you only made things worse for yourself.

To make the body burn fat rather than muscle, you need to consume protein. Thus, a natural question arises: how much protein should you eat to lose weight?

Before the main part, I want to recommend you our Telegram, where you will receive exclusively useful and free information about more effective weight loss, nutrition, training, and related topics.

What needs to be done for weight loss

In short, you need to eat less (i.e., consume fewer calories). You can reduce your intake in various ways (you can choose one or combine several):

- count the calories you consume;

- select foods that promote weight loss (which include protein-rich foods as well);

- apply various techniques for weight loss (one technique, a whole list of hacks).

The simplest way is the second: selecting foods will allow you to lose weight without the hassle that comes with counting calories.

How much protein to consume when losing weight

The amount you should consume daily is calculated based on your weight.

Daily protein norm when losing weight:

- for an average person with a sedentary lifestyle – 1.2g of protein per 1kg of your weight;

- for a person with moderate physical activity – 1.6-1.8g/kg;

- for a person with high physical activity – up to 2g/kg;

You can get a more accurate figure for your daily protein norm if you know the amount of muscle mass in your body. This is a more precise approach, albeit a more complicated one. It would be strange to calculate protein when you have 30% muscle and 50% fat in your body (just for clarity).

Let me show you my example of how to calculate protein and how much of each product to consume. My weight is 76-77kg. My activity level is high (5 workouts a week). I multiply 76 by 2 and get 152g of protein a day personally for me. Where can I find so much protein:
- cottage cheese 200g – 21g of protein;
- boiled egg 200g – 25g of protein;
- boiled chicken breast 200g – 64g;
- salted mackerel 200g – 38g.

In total, I got 148g of protein. And this does not include the protein from cereals, grains, and other plant sources like legumes and nuts. Therefore, meeting my norm of this nutrient is not so difficult. Now let's move on to a study that compared various diets.

In the experiment (which was quite a high quality), scientists compared the effectiveness of different protein dosages for preserving muscle mass during weight loss. 39 adults participated over the course of 31 days:

- the first group received the recommended daily dosage of protein – 0.8g per 1kg of body weight;

- the second group received double the daily protein dosage (1.6g/kg);

- the third group received triple the daily norm of protein (2.4g/kg).

Note that all participants consumed fewer calories than their daily norm, i.e., were on a caloric deficit (the goal was not so much weight loss as preserving muscle mass).

All subjects from all groups lost an average of 3.2kg of body weight over the month. However! The second and third groups lost more weight from fat deposits, while the first group lost weight from both fat and muscle mass.

Additionally, muscle growth was greater in those who consumed 2 and 3 times more protein (this may be interesting for those who train and aim for results, not just weight loss). Moreover, there was no difference in the anabolic response of the body between the second and third groups, so there's no need to overdo it with this nutrient (it’s pointless).

The scientists' conclusion: “Thus, we determined that consuming dietary protein in amounts exceeding the recommended daily norm can protect lean mass during short-term weight loss.”

If you have any questions, check out the weight loss section on our website makefitness. There you will find articles on calorie expenditure during workouts, foods that can be eaten without restriction, and whether you can eat sweets on a diet.

Workouts for weight loss – via this link (with any equipment for any body parts).