How much protein do you need on Mounjaro or Wegovy?
When your appetite drops on a GLP-1 medication, protein is usually the first thing to slip. It's also the nutrient your muscle depends on most. So how much do you actually need?
The daily total
Expert groups who looked at protein for older adults suggest at least 1.0 to 1.2 grams per kilo of body weight a day, and more if you're active or recovering from illness. For a 75 kg woman that's roughly 75 to 90 grams a day. If you have kidney disease, ask your doctor or a dietitian what's right for you before increasing your protein.
Why each meal matters more
Your daily total is only half the story. Muscle responds meal by meal. Each time you eat enough protein, muscle building switches on for a few hours. Eat too little at a meal and that signal doesn't fire, however much you eat later in the day.
The switch is the amino acid leucine. Research suggests older muscle needs more protein per meal than younger muscle to get the same response. For most women over 40, the target is about 2.5 grams of leucine at a meal, which usually means around 30 grams of good-quality protein.
That's why a breakfast of toast and a latte, a light salad at lunch and a big dinner can add up to a decent daily total and still only switch muscle building on once.
What 30 grams looks like
- A chicken breast, about 130 g cooked
- A pot of high-protein skyr or Greek yoghurt with two eggs
- A salmon fillet with a boiled egg
- A scoop of whey protein shaken in milk
- Firm tofu with edamame beans, or a pea or soy protein shake with porridge
Plant proteins tend to contain a little less leucine, so plant-based meals often need a slightly bigger portion or two protein foods together.
When your appetite is small
- Eat the protein first. Start each meal with the protein part, before you fill up on the rest.
- Use soft and liquid protein. Skyr, cottage cheese, eggs, soups made with lentils and protein shakes are easier on a small appetite.
- Don't skip the anchor meals. Three smaller protein-rich meals beat one big one.
- Sip, don't gulp. Drinking a lot with meals can make you feel full sooner.
If you can't keep food or fluids down, or you feel unwell, speak to your prescriber or call NHS 111.
The short version
- Aim for at least 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kilo a day, unless your doctor has told you otherwise.
- More importantly, aim for about 30 g of protein, or 2.5 g of leucine, at each main meal.
- Protein first, little and often, on small-appetite days.
Want help putting this into practice? The GLP-1 Graduate app is coming. Join the waitlist to hear first, or take the free Muscle Minimum Check today.
Sources
- Bauer J et al. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people (PROT-AGE). Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2013.
- Moore DR et al. Protein ingestion to stimulate myofibrillar protein synthesis requires greater relative protein intakes in healthy older versus younger men. Journals of Gerontology, 2015.
This article is education, not medical advice. Talk to your GP or prescriber about your own treatment.