Of the three numbers — protein, fat, carbohydrate — protein is the one that most often turns out lower than people think. And it is the one worth keeping in mind when you are losing weight.
What it is for
- Fullness. Protein keeps you full longer than the same calories from something sweet or starchy.
- Muscle. In a calorie deficit the body does not spend fat alone. Enough protein and at least some strength training help keep muscle.
- The weight itself. Less muscle lost means more spent at rest and a better look at the same number on the scale.
How much
For a healthy adult who is losing weight and moves, a guide often quoted is 1.2–1.6 g per kilogram of body weight a day. At 70 kg that is 85–110 g. For people who train hard with weights, higher figures are quoted too.
It is a guide, not a prescription. With kidney disease, in pregnancy and in other conditions, the amount of protein is a question for a doctor.
What that looks like as food
Roughly 20–25 g of protein in:
- 100 g of chicken breast or turkey;
- 120 g of fish;
- 200 g of cottage cheese;
- 3–4 eggs;
- 250 g of Greek yoghurt;
- 100 g of dry lentils or chickpeas (cooked, that is a big plate).
Three or four portions like that a day and the guide is met. It does not have to be meat: legumes, tofu and dairy count the same way.
How to get there without a scale
- A visible source of protein in every meal. Not “a little cheese” but a portion the size of your palm.
- Start with breakfast. It is usually the poorest: porridge and coffee. Eggs, cottage cheese or yoghurt change the day.
- A snack with protein instead of biscuits: yoghurt, kefir, nuts with cheese.
- Look at the day’s total, not at each meal. In Kalorika the day’s protein is one number and one ring — if it is half empty by dinner, you know what dinner will be.
Common mistakes
- Counting as protein what has little of it: sausages, sweet yoghurt.
- Topping up with protein bars: they often carry as much sugar and fat.
- Chasing the number and forgetting the rest: vegetables, grains and fats are still needed.
The simplest way is to pick three or four usual dishes with good protein and rotate them. Log each carefully once, then repeat.