A method of adaptive anti-windup protection for a control system with cascaded inner control loop and an outer control loops. The method includes receiving an outer loop feedback signal indicative of the response of a plant controlled by the outer control loop and calculating an inner control loop request such that, it would cause saturation of the control device controlled by the inner control loop. The method also includes converting the calculated inner loop request to outer loop anti-windup request limits using kinematic relationships and transmitting the outer loop anti-windup request limits to a controller of the outer control loop. The method may also include applying the outer loop anti-windup request limits to a controller of the outer control loop to limit the inner loop request generated thereby, and executing an outer control loop control law and an inner control loop control law subject to the anti-windup request limits.