Appetite-shrunk protein targets, computed. Medical caveat: this is guidance math from published ranges, not medical advice — your prescriber's plan wins.
Published GLP-1 nutrition guidance converges on 1.2–1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight daily — the upper range matters if you're training or losing fast. Water: roughly 2–3 L/day for most adults, nudged up by activity. Protein first, everything second — when a meal is three bites, those bites carry your whole macro load.
Maximize protein per bite: the protein-per-calorie ranker sorts 6,190 foods. Highest density: chicken breast, egg whites, canned tuna, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese.
A target like 120 g sounds huge — but only if you picture it as one food. Vegetarian protein runs denser than most meat per calorie, and it stacks across the day. Set your weight above and the last column does the math for you:
| Food | kcal / 100 g | Protein g / 100 g | g P per 100 kcal | To hit your target: eat |
|---|
Grams shown = the amount of that food that alone covers your full daily protein target — realistically you'd spread it across 3–4 eats. Numbers per 100 g, USDA.
☀️ Breakfast: 3-egg-white scramble with spinach + 150 g nonfat Greek yogurt with berries — ~35 g
🥣 Lunch: bowl of lentil soup topped with 20 g parmesan + a slice of whole-grain toast — ~25 g
🥤 Snack: whey shake in milk — ~25 g
🌙 Dinner: 100 g tempeh stir-fry with broccoli and rice — ~19 g
Total: ~104 g — four small eats, no meat, no meal bigger than a coffee mug.
1. Protein first, always — three bites per meal go to protein, not the bread basket.
2. Volume is your friend — non-starchy vegetables cost almost nothing calorically and stretch a tiny appetite.
3. Legumes pull double duty — lentils, edamame, and soybeans deliver protein AND the fiber that fights GLP-1 constipation.
4. Liquid calories are the silent killer — juice, sweetened lattes, and smoothies spend a meal's budget with zero protein. If it fits, make it a whey shake instead.
5. Dairy is the cheat code — nonfat Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are the densest vegetarian proteins in the entire dex.
Pick a goal and a medication — the math compounds the published average loss rates against your current weight. Rates: semaglutide ≈ 2%/mo, tirzepatide ≈ 3%/mo steady-state (trial averages: 15% over 68 wk and 21% over 72 wk), with up to ~+0.5%/mo from regular exercise. Training 3+ times a week? Aim for the top of your protein range — it protects muscle while you lose. Estimates, not promises — plateaus happen and your prescriber's plan wins.
| Milestone | Projected weight | Change |
|---|
Projected weight compounds the steady rate from your current weight. First 4–8 weeks run slower while your dose ramps up — that's normal, not stalled.
The muscle problem is the headline nobody mentions. In the STEP 1 body-composition substudy (DXA scans, semaglutide), about 40% of the weight lost was lean mass — muscle, not fat. Fast scale-movement with weak muscles is the worst version of this diet: lower metabolism, less strength, and an easier regain. The counter-protocol is the whole point of this page:
💪 Protein at the TOP of your range (1.6 g/kg — the calculator's max number, not the min) · 🏋️ Resistance training 2–3×/week — walking alone doesn't keep muscle on a big deficit · 🚰 Never skip water · 📉 Slower is safer — if you're losing >1.5% of body weight a week, tell your prescriber.
Common and usually manageable: nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea — the GI side effects that shrink appetite in the first place. Dehydration amplifies all of them.
Serious, rarer: gallbladder disease and gallstones (rapid weight loss is independently a risk factor — sudden right-side pain needs a doctor same-week); pancreatitis (severe abdominal pain radiating to the back — ER); kidney stress from dehydration; low blood sugar if you're also on insulin/sulfonylureas.
The boxed warning: all GLP-1s carry an FDA boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumors — seen in rodent studies, not confirmed in humans, but they're contraindicated if you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer or MEN2 syndrome.
The long game: the medications work while you take them. In the STEP 1 extension trial, participants regained about two-thirds of their lost weight within a year of stopping. Obesity is treated chronically — the plan is what happens AFTER the target weight, and that plan is the same protein + muscle + water habits on this page.
Not medical advice. This is published research summarized for planning — your prescriber owns the actual risk conversation.
Most published guidance lands at 1.2–1.6 g per kg of body weight per day — muscle loss is the main body-composition risk when appetite collapses. Use the calculator for your number and confirm with your prescriber.
Appetite and thirst both drop. Dehydration is one of the most common side-effect amplifiers (constipation, dizziness, headaches). Aim for 2–3 L daily, more if active.
Prioritize protein FIRST at each meal — the dex's protein-density ranker exists exactly for this: maximum protein per bite when every bite counts. A whey shake is the vegetarian shortcut: ~25 g in 30 seconds.
Yes — 98 g is only 'a lot' if you picture it all as chicken. Mixed vegetarian sources get there in 4 modest eats: Greek yogurt (~20 g), a lentil-and-parmesan lunch (~25 g), a whey shake (~25 g), and a tempeh stir-fry (~28 g). The table below does the math against your target.
Same priority stack as everyone, harder constraint: protein first (eggs, dairy, soy, legumes), then high-volume vegetables for fullness, then treat refined carbs as the first thing to cut. Watch liquid calories — juice and sweetened coffee drink easily spend a meal's budget without protein.
Trial averages: semaglutide users lost ~15% of body weight over 68 weeks, tirzepatide ~21% over 72 weeks — most of it in the first year, with early weeks slower while the dose ramps. The timeline tool below compounds those steady rates against your own numbers. Individual results vary; plateaus are normal, not failure.
In the STEP 1 body-composition substudy, roughly 40% of the weight lost on semaglutide was lean mass — muscle and other non-fat tissue, not fat. Losing muscle weakens you, drops your metabolism, and makes regain easier. The defense is the protein number above, at the TOP of your range, plus resistance training 2–3× a week.
Common: nausea, constipation, and dehydration (the water target above matters). Serious but rarer: gallbladder disease (rapid loss is itself a risk factor), pancreatitis, and low blood sugar when combined with insulin. All GLP-1s carry a boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumors based on rodent studies — they're contraindicated with a personal/family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN2. And stopping usually means regaining most of the weight: the STEP 1 extension saw about two-thirds return within a year. This is general research, not medical advice — your prescriber owns the risk conversation.