EverStrong

Guide

A 1,200 calorie GLP-1 meal plan, built around protein

Seven days, four small plates a day, 100 to 115 g of protein, with the shopping list. Written for an appetite that has largely gone, in grams and ounces.

The short answer

Seven days at roughly 1,200 calories (5,000 kJ) and 100 to 115 g of protein, in four small plates a day. It is built for an appetite that has largely gone, and it is deliberately protein-heavy, because at this intake every plate has to earn its place. If you have diabetes, kidney disease or a history of disordered eating, take this to your prescriber or dietitian before using it.

Check your own protein target first

Why 1,200 calories, and who this is not for

Twelve hundred calories is not a target we set for people. It is the intake a lot of people on a GLP-1 land at anyway, and the question they bring us is how to make it survivable rather than how to make it lower. That is what this week does: it takes an intake that is already happening and rebuilds it so that around a third of the energy comes from protein.

It is not for everyone. If you are very tall, still large, training hard, or your prescriber has set you a different intake, this will be too little. If you are eating less than this and feeling flat, the answer is usually more food rather than better food, and that is covered in fatigue and low energy. And if you have a history of disordered eating, structured calorie plans are a conversation to have with a clinician rather than a website.

How each day is built

Four plates, each carrying 20 to 45 g of protein. Protein goes in first at every sitting, before the carbohydrate and the vegetables, because on a small appetite whatever is eaten first is what gets eaten. The snack slot is deliberately a shake or a yoghurt: it is the easiest protein of the day and the one most likely to survive a bad afternoon.

Fat is kept moderate rather than low, because fat leaves a slow stomach last and is the commonest cause of a heavy, uncomfortable evening. Fibre is present but not heroic, for the same reason. Every day includes dairy, which brings calcium alongside the protein, and that matters more after 45 than most people realise.

The seven days

  • Monday

    Breakfast Two poached eggs on one slice of wholegrain toast, about 20 g
    Lunch 100 g (3.5 oz) chicken in a wholegrain roll with salad, about 35 g
    Snack 200 g (7 oz) plain Greek yoghurt with berries, about 20 g
    Dinner 120 g (4 oz) white fish, potato and greens, about 28 g

    103 g of protein, about 1,180 calories (4,940 kJ)

  • Tuesday

    Breakfast Porridge made with 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) milk and a scoop of whey, about 33 g
    Lunch 95 g (3.4 oz) tin of tuna with two crackers and cucumber, about 24 g
    Snack 100 g (3.5 oz) cottage cheese with tomato, about 11 g
    Dinner 120 g (4 oz) lean beef mince with tomato sauce and pasta, about 35 g

    103 g of protein, about 1,210 calories (5,060 kJ)

  • Wednesday

    Breakfast 200 g (7 oz) Greek yoghurt with a tablespoon of seeds, about 22 g
    Lunch Two boiled eggs and 40 g (1.4 oz) feta on a large salad, about 20 g
    Snack 30 g scoop of whey in 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) milk, about 33 g
    Dinner 120 g (4 oz) chicken thigh with rice and stir-fried vegetables, about 34 g

    109 g of protein, about 1,230 calories (5,150 kJ)

  • Thursday

    Breakfast Two scrambled eggs with 20 g (0.7 oz) grated parmesan, about 19 g
    Lunch Leftover chicken and rice from Wednesday, about 30 g
    Snack 200 g (7 oz) Greek yoghurt, about 20 g
    Dinner 150 g (5 oz) salmon with potato and broccoli, about 37 g

    106 g of protein, about 1,240 calories (5,190 kJ)

  • Friday

    Breakfast Porridge with milk and a scoop of whey, about 33 g
    Lunch Tinned salmon with bones on one slice of toast, about 26 g
    Snack A handful of biltong or lean jerky, 30 g (1 oz), about 10 g
    Dinner 150 g (5 oz) prawns with noodles and vegetables, about 36 g

    105 g of protein, about 1,190 calories (4,980 kJ)

  • Saturday

    Breakfast Three-egg omelette with spinach and feta, about 26 g
    Lunch 100 g (3.5 oz) cottage cheese with fruit, about 11 g
    Snack 30 g scoop of whey in 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) milk, about 33 g
    Dinner 150 g (5 oz) grilled chicken with sweet potato and salad, about 45 g

    115 g of protein, about 1,260 calories (5,270 kJ)

  • Sunday

    Breakfast 200 g (7 oz) Greek yoghurt with berries and seeds, about 24 g
    Lunch Two eggs and half a tin of beans on one slice of toast, about 22 g
    Snack 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) milk, about 8 g
    Dinner Slow-cooked beef, 150 g (5 oz), with lentils and vegetables, about 48 g

    102 g of protein, about 1,220 calories (5,100 kJ)

Quantities are cooked weights. Protein figures are rounded and will vary a little by brand and cut. Swap any protein for another of similar weight without rewriting the day.

The shopping list

  • Protein Two dozen eggs, 1 kg (2.2 lb) chicken, 500 g (1.1 lb) lean beef mince, 300 g (10.5 oz) slow-cook beef, 300 g (10.5 oz) salmon, 300 g (10.5 oz) white fish, 250 g (9 oz) prawns, three tins of tuna, one tin of salmon, 30 g (1 oz) biltong.
  • Dairy 3 litres (101 fl oz) milk, 1 kg (2.2 lb) plain Greek yoghurt, 250 g (9 oz) cottage cheese, feta, parmesan, one tub of whey or plant protein powder.
  • Carbohydrate Oats, wholegrain bread, rice, pasta, noodles, potatoes, one sweet potato, crackers, one tin of beans, 250 g (9 oz) lentils.
  • Produce Berries, fruit, spinach, salad leaves, tomato, cucumber, broccoli, stir-fry vegetables, onion, garlic.

In most weeks that list lands under A$90 / US$60 / £47 for one person. If it does not, the swaps in protein on a budget will bring it down without losing protein.

If you cannot eat this much

Plenty of people at the top doses cannot, and that is worth naming rather than pretending. On those days, drop the carbohydrate portions first and keep the protein: the yoghurt, the shake and the meat or fish. Two plates of the four is a bad day rather than a failure, and the weekly average is what protects your muscle rather than any single day. See hitting your protein on 800 calories.

If you are under about 1,000 calories (4,200 kJ) most days for weeks on end, tell your prescriber. That is not a food problem to solve with a better meal plan.

The training that goes with it

At this intake the plan only works if there is a reason for your body to keep muscle. Two 30-minute strength sessions a week, six movements, enough load that the last two repetitions are hard. The programme is in strength training on a GLP-1, and the case for it is in muscle loss on a GLP-1.

If you want this week built around your own target, your own appetite and the foods you actually like, the Personal 7-Day Plan does it for A$19 / US$12 / £9. The printed plans at 100, 120 and 140 g of protein come with the Keep Muscle Kit.

Free, one page

Forty foods, ranked by protein per bite

The hard part is not knowing you need protein, it is hitting the number on a day when food is the last thing you want. One page, grams and ounces, what a real serve looks like, and the first-bite rule for when appetite is gone. Print it and put it on the fridge.

Then five short emails over five days on keeping muscle while the weight comes off, and a short note every fortnight after that if you want it. One click to stop, any time.

Sent. Check your inbox in the next minute or two, and look in junk if it is not there.

Questions people ask

Is 1,200 calories too low on a GLP-1?

For some people, yes. It is also where many people land without choosing to. If you are eating around this much, make the protein count. If you feel flat, cold or weak on it, that is a signal to eat more and to speak to your prescriber.

How much protein should a 1,200 calorie day contain?

On this plan, 100 to 115 g, which is around a third of the energy. Your own target is 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg of goal weight, so check the calculator rather than assuming this plan matches your number.

Can I swap the meals around?

Yes. The days are interchangeable and so are the proteins, as long as you keep roughly the same weight of meat, fish, dairy or tofu. Swap the carbohydrate freely.

What if I cannot finish the meals?

Eat the protein portion first and leave the rest. Two full plates with protein beats four half-finished ones, and the weekly average is what matters rather than any single day.

Is this plan suitable with type 2 diabetes?

Take it to your prescriber or diabetes educator first. Carbohydrate distribution and medication timing may need adjusting, and that is a clinical decision rather than a coaching one.

Why the days are built the way they are

Four plates rather than two, and a real protein anchor on each of them. These are the two numbers that decide both.

Spread across meals at roughly 0.3 to 0.4 g per kg per meal, rather than taken mostly at dinner. Arslan S, Clinical Nutrition ESPEN 2026

Each of those meals wants roughly 2.5 to 3 g of leucine, the amino acid that actually switches muscle building on. That is about 30 g of whey, 120 g of chicken breast, or four eggs. Arslan S, Clinical Nutrition ESPEN 2026

The papers these numbers come from

  • Arslan S. Medical nutrition in the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) era: Protein strategies, micronutrient monitoring, and lean mass preservation. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 2026. Narrative review, guideline-informed targets. doi:10.1016/j.clnesp.2026.103305

Last reviewed 18 September 2026. We update these figures when a larger or better study replaces them, and we say what changed. How we handle evidence.

The free tools that go with this

The Keep Muscle Kit

Printed meal plans at 100, 120 and 140 g of protein

The workbook, Sunday numbers tracker, 2-day strength plan, injection-day card, and meal plans at 100, 120 and 140 g protein. Instant download.

Get the Kit

A$47 / US$29 / £23, one payment.

Read next

Every guide, by medication and situation

EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor. Consult your doctor before starting a new exercise or nutrition plan, especially with a heart, kidney, liver or metabolic condition, if pregnant, or with a history of disordered eating.