Why a protein floor, and not a protein target
A target is something you aim at. A floor is something you refuse to go under. When you are losing weight quickly, that distinction matters more than the number itself — because the days you miss are the days that cost you.
Losing weight does not only remove fat. In any sustained calorie deficit, part of what comes off is lean tissue, and the faster the loss, the larger that share tends to be. Two people can lose the same thirty pounds and end up in completely different bodies — one lighter and stronger, the other lighter and weaker. The scale reports one number and stays silent on which of the two happened.
Where the number comes from
This calculator uses 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, a widely used floor for preserving lean mass during rapid weight loss. It is the same figure the Holdfast app applies, so the number you see here is the number you would track there.
If you do resistance training two or three times a week, the research generally supports going higher — closer to 1.6 g per kilogram. The floor stays the floor; training just raises how much you can usefully put above it.
Protein needs are individual. Kidney function, existing conditions and your specific treatment all affect what is appropriate for you. Bring this number to your clinician and ask what fits your situation.
The part nobody writes about
Most advice tells you the target and stops there. That is the easy half. The hard half is hitting it when your appetite has collapsed, when the smell of chicken ends the conversation, and when 25 grams in one sitting feels like a ceiling rather than a third of the way.
What actually helps, in rough order of usefulness:
- Front-load the day. Appetite is usually highest in the morning. Protein eaten early is protein you do not have to fight for at 8pm.
- Drink some of it. Liquid protein bypasses the fullness that solid food triggers. This is the single most reliable tactic when appetite is low.
- Smaller, more often. Four servings of 25 g is far easier than three of 35 g.
- Track before dinner, not after. Knowing at 6pm that you are 30 g short leaves you time to close the gap. Finding out at bedtime leaves you nothing.
What to do with your number
Write it down somewhere you will see it daily. Then, for one week, log what you actually eat against it — not to be perfect, but to find out how far off you are. Most people are surprised, and the surprise is the useful part.
Holdfast does this automatically: your floor, your daily log, the strength work that makes the protein matter, and a plan for the part that comes after the weight loss. But the number above is yours either way.
And if you want to see how much lean mass you actually have to protect, the body fat calculator turns your weight into two numbers — the part worth keeping, and the part coming off.