When appetite drops sharply, total food intake drops with it. That's the goal — but if the food you do eat isn't built around protein, your body starts pulling from muscle to meet its needs. Over months, that shows up as fatigue, weakness, slower metabolism, and weight loss that doesn't feel as good as the scale suggests.
Prioritizing protein protects the muscle you have and the body composition you want.
A simple daily target
A reasonable starting point for most adults on GLP-1 therapy is roughly 0.7 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of goal body weight, spread across the day. For many clients that lands somewhere between 100 and 140 grams daily.
Easy protein anchors
- Eggs, Greek yogurt, or cottage cheese in the morning
- Chicken, fish, lean beef, or tofu at lunch and dinner
- A protein shake on days appetite is especially low
- Jerky, edamame, or a hard-boiled egg as a low-effort snack
Eat protein first
Because GLP-1 medications make you full faster than expected, the order food enters your stomach matters. Eating protein first — before carbs or vegetables — ensures the most important nutrient gets in before fullness shuts the meal down.