How much protein should I eat to lose weight?
1.6–2.2g per kilogram of bodyweight per day. For a 70kg person that is roughly 112–154g.
High Protein Foods for Weight Loss
When you are eating less, protein is the nutrient you should protect. It keeps you full, and it is what stops a calorie deficit from eating into muscle.
The metric that matters in a deficit is protein per calorie, not protein per 100g. Egg white gives 11g of protein for 52 calories. Peanut butter gives 25g — for 588 calories. Both are protein foods; only one belongs in a tight deficit.
Aim for 1.6–2.2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight while losing weight, which is higher than maintenance because you want the deficit to come out of fat rather than muscle.
Most protein per calorie
Protein and calories per 100g, from the Protein Hunter database.
| Food | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 🐔 Chicken breast (cooked) | 31g | 179 |
| 🦃 Turkey breast (cooked) | 30g | 175 |
| 🐙 Octopus (cooked) | 30g | 135 |
| 🐟 Tuna (canned in water) | 29g | 131 |
| 🐟 Tilapia (cooked) | 26g | 119 |
| 🦐 Shrimp (cooked) | 24g | 111 |
| 🐟 Haddock (cooked) | 24g | 111 |
| 🐟 Cod (cooked) | 23g | 107 |
| 🥣 Quark | 12g | 77 |
| 🧀 Cottage cheese (low-fat) | 12g | 72 |
| 🥚 Egg white | 11g | 52 |
| 🥣 Skyr | 11g | 63 |
| 🥣 Greek yogurt (plain, 0%) | 10g | 59 |
| 🥛 Milk (0% / skim / no fat) | 3.5g | 34 |
Per 100g.
How to use protein in a deficit
- Front-load protein: 30g+ at breakfast reduces snacking later far more reliably than the same grams at dinner.
- Replace, don't add. Swapping a 600-calorie sandwich for a 400-calorie chicken and rice bowl adds protein and removes calories at the same time.
- Liquid calories are the easiest cut; protein shakes are the exception because they add satiety.
- Weigh food for two weeks. Almost everyone underestimates portions and overestimates protein.
Add up your whole meal
Type what you ate in plain words and Protein Hunter returns protein and calories for the full plate.
Try the Protein CalculatorCommon questions
Which protein food is best for fat loss?
The leanest options: white fish, egg whites, chicken breast, shrimp and 0% Greek yogurt all deliver a lot of protein for very few calories.
Does protein burn fat?
Not directly. It preserves muscle in a deficit and increases fullness, both of which make a deficit easier to hold — that is where the fat loss comes from.
Keep reading
Protein CalculatorAdd up any meal in plain words.Protein database230+ foods with protein and calories.How much protein per daySet the target these foods feed into.What is Protein Hunter?
Protein Hunter is a protein and nutrition app with a database of 232 foods — from a leaf of kale to a wagyu steak — plus AI tools that answer protein questions, count a whole meal, build recipes to a macro target, and track what you actually eat.
- Search any food
- Count a full meal
- Recipes to your macros
- Scan a plate or label
Why it's different: the numbers are calculated from a fixed ingredient database rather than guessed, and when a target is not physically achievable the app says so instead of inventing a figure.
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