Bump up your protein intake to boost fat loss and preserve your lean mass. The recommended dietary allowance for protein is a minimum of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. An example of a higher-protein diet for weight loss is 1.4 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight, which is close to twice the RDA. So for a 180-pound individual, a high-protein diet would include roughly 114 to 122 grams of protein a day.