Protein Calculator
This protein calculator estimates how much protein you need a day, in grams, from your body weight, activity level, and goal. Enter your weight in pounds or kilograms, pick whether you're sedentary, active, building muscle, or losing fat, and you'll get a recommended daily range. It's the protein side of nutrition on its own, so you can hit your target without doing the per-kilogram math yourself. Treat it as a starting point and adjust to how you feel.
- Grams per day
- Pounds or kg
- By activity and goal
- Low to high range
- Per-meal guide
Last updated August 1, 2026 Estimates only, not medical advice Written by Muhammad Younus
Most adults need about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight a day to cover the basics, which is roughly 0.36 grams per pound. Active people usually do better on 1.2 to 1.4 g/kg, and if you're building muscle or gaining weight, 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg is the target. For a 70 kg (154 lb) adult that's about 56 grams at rest and up to 154 grams when training hard. Enter your weight above to see your own range.
For healthy adults. This is an estimate, not medical or nutrition advice.
Enter a body weight to see your protein range.
70 kg × 1.2 to 2.0 g/kg = 84 to 140 g/day
These are estimates for healthy adults, not medical or nutrition advice. Check with a doctor or dietitian before big changes, especially with kidney concerns.
How much protein do you need a day?
Your daily protein is your body weight times a factor that depends on how active you are. The formula is grams = weight in kilograms × a g/kg factor. The baseline RDA is 0.8 g/kg, but active people land around 1.2 to 1.4, and those building muscle reach for 1.6 to 2.2. A 70 kg adult who trains lands around 84 to 140 grams a day. You'll also hear the popular "1 gram per pound of body weight" rule; that works out to about 2.2 g/kg, the same upper end this calculator uses for building muscle.
The range matters more than a single figure, since your real need shifts with training, age, and how much muscle you're carrying. Aim somewhere in your band, lean higher on hard training days, and you'll be in good shape. This tool focuses on protein alone; if you want the full breakdown across protein, carbs, and fat, the macro calculator splits your whole day.
How to work out your protein target
It's three quick steps. Here's how the calculator gets your range:
- 1
Get your weight in kilogramsIf you use pounds, divide by 2.205. A 154 lb person is about 70 kg.
- 2
Pick your activity and goalThat sets your g/kg band, like 1.2 to 2.0 for an active adult.
- 3
Multiply weight by the bandWeight times the low factor and the high factor gives your daily range.
- 4
Split it across mealsDivide by three or four meals so each has 20 to 40 grams.
- 5
Adjust as you goTrack how you feel and recover, and nudge the number if you're not progressing.
How much protein for your goal
The right amount shifts with what you're after. To simply stay healthy, the 0.8 g/kg baseline covers you, but it's on the low side once you're training. For general fitness, 1.2 to 1.4 g/kg works well. To build muscle, push to 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg alongside strength work, and when you're cutting calories for fat loss, keeping protein high at 1.6 to 2.0 g/kg protects the muscle you've built. The Calorie Calculator sets your daily energy target, the TDEE Calculator shows your full burn, and together with this protein number you've got the core of a plan. For the deeper how and why, our guide on how much protein per day to build muscle walks through sources, timing, and per-meal targets.
Protein per kilogram by goal
These are common evidence-based ranges in grams per kilogram of body weight. Pick the row that matches you, then multiply by your weight in kilograms.
| Who | Protein | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary adult | 0.8 g/kg | The RDA minimum to avoid deficiency |
| Active / general fitness | 1.2 to 1.4 g/kg | Light exercise a few times a week |
| Endurance athlete | 1.4 to 1.6 g/kg | Regular running, cycling, or swimming |
| Building muscle | 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg | Strength training with a surplus |
| Fat loss (keep muscle) | 1.6 to 2.0 g/kg | Higher protein protects lean mass |
Protein in common foods
Knowing your number is half the job; the other half is eating it. These are approximate protein amounts per common serving, rounded for quick mental math. A couple of protein-forward choices at each meal usually gets an active adult into their range without much fuss.
| Food (serving) | Protein |
|---|---|
| Chicken breast, cooked (3 oz / 85 g) | about 26 g |
| Whey shake (1 scoop) | about 24 g |
| Greek yogurt (1 cup) | about 17 g |
| Cooked lentils (1 cup) | about 18 g |
| Milk (1 cup / 240 ml) | about 8 g |
| Large egg | about 6 g |
Figures are rounded averages and vary by brand, cut, and cooking. Use them as a rough guide, not exact label values.
Frequently asked questions
Does the type of protein matter?
For the daily total this calculator gives, no, a gram is a gram. Where it matters is quality: animal proteins and soy are complete, with all the essential amino acids, while most single plant sources are not, so a varied plant diet covers the gaps. Hitting your number from whole foods first, then supplements if needed, is the usual advice.
It depends on your weight and how active you are. The baseline RDA is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, but active people usually need more, around 1.2 to 1.4 g/kg, and those building muscle aim for 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg. A 70 kg adult sits near 56 g at the low end and up to 140 g when training hard.
Protein need is body weight in kilograms times a factor for your activity and goal: grams = weight (kg) × g/kg factor. If your weight is in pounds, divide by 2.205 to get kilograms first. The calculator applies a low and a high factor for your goal, so you get a sensible range rather than a single number.
For muscle growth, most research points to 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight a day, paired with strength training and enough total calories. Going much above 2.2 g/kg doesn't add more muscle for most people, so that upper band is a practical ceiling. Spreading it across three or four meals helps your body use it.
Not really. Past roughly 2.2 g/kg, extra protein mostly gets burned for energy rather than building tissue, so it isn't doing more for your muscles. Very high intakes are safe for healthy people but offer little extra benefit. If you have kidney concerns, talk to a doctor before loading up, since that's a real medical question.
This calculator uses total body weight, which is the standard approach and works well for most people. If you're carrying a lot of extra fat, basing protein on lean body mass or a goal weight can give a more useful target, since fat tissue doesn't need feeding with protein. For most situations, total weight is a fine starting point.
Total daily protein matters most, but timing helps a little. Spreading it fairly evenly across meals, with 20 to 40 grams each, lets your body use it better than one big serving. Having some protein within a few hours of a workout supports recovery, though the exact timing is far less important than hitting your daily total.
To gain weight as muscle rather than fat, aim for 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight and pair it with a small calorie surplus. Protein by itself won't add weight; the surplus does the gaining, while the protein steers it toward muscle when you're training. For an 82 kg (180 lb) lifter that's roughly 130 to 180 grams a day, which the calculator works out when you pick the build-muscle goal.
Protein carries about 4 calories per gram, so you can turn your daily grams into calories by multiplying by four. A 112-gram target works out to roughly 448 calories from protein. That's usually somewhere around a quarter to a third of a normal day's calories, which is part of why a high-protein diet tends to feel filling.
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TDEE calculatorYour total daily energy burn.
Dialing in your diet?
Try the calculator above, or browse every health tool in the hub.