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The GLP-1
Macro Protocol

Rapid weight loss accelerates muscle catabolism. This is not generic diet tracking; this is the clinical framework required to preserve lean muscle mass and resting metabolic rate during incretin therapy.

✉️ Email Protocol
The Clinical Anchor
NIH: Muscle Mass Loss During Weight Loss Interventions →

The Preservation Targets

The Mechanism: GLP-1 medications create a severe caloric deficit. Without hyper-specific amino acid signaling, the body will strip protein from muscle tissue for energy, leading to sarcopenic obesity (low muscle mass with high fat percentage).

The Daily Requirements
  • The Protein Threshold: Aim for 1.2g to 1.5g of protein per kilogram of your target body weight. Using target weight instead of current weight prevents overfeeding protein if your starting BMI is highly elevated.
  • The Leucine Mandate: Total protein is not enough. You must consume 2.5g to 3.0g of the amino acid Leucine per meal. Leucine is the specific biological trigger that turns on Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS). (Found highly concentrated in whey, chicken breast, and cottage cheese).
  • The 30/30 Distribution Rule: The body cannot store excess protein for later muscle building. You must hit a minimum of 30 grams of high-quality protein per meal to trigger MPS, starting within 30 minutes of your first meal of the day.
  • The Carbohydrate Buffer: Do not drop carbohydrates to zero. Reserve 30g to 50g of complex carbohydrates for the window immediately following resistance training to replenish muscle glycogen and prevent catabolism.